Last year we took a cruise that started in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. There was no Evita there singing, “Don’t cry for me, Argentina.” The only time we came close to crying was when we found a little mom and pop cafe just a few blocks from our hotel in a residential area.The specialty dish of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) was so delicious, it brought tears of joy to our eyes. The price was very reasonable because it wasn’t a usual tourist place. In Buenos Aires and any other city, tourists should look for well-recommended restaurants where locals go. Otherwise, prices could go through the roof.

My spouse speaks fluent Spanish, so in Buenos Aires we could pass for natives as long as I didn’t try to use my high school Spanish. I was OK when I confined myself to "Buen da" in the morning, "Buenas tardes" in the afternoon and "Buenas noches" after dark.

After a long flight from JFK, we checked into our Argentine hotel at noon, fell into exhausted sleep, woke at midnight and thought we’d missed dinner time. We decided to try to find an all-night burger joint, so we walked around the corner.

We were greeted by blazing lights, and every club and cafe was open and crowded. People were dining at sidewalk tables, drinking, laughing and strolling all around. That’s when we found out that many Argentinians consider midnight the dinner hour. The food was good, especially the beef specialties on the menus. Argentine beef is just about the best in the world.

While in Buenos Aires, you must see a tango show. There are many clubs and cafes that specialize in big productions, including Seor Tango and El Viejo Almacen. As with our advice for finding reasonable dining, if you want to see an authentic Argentine tango show, don’t go to the glitzy joints. Look for little neighborhood cafes or areas where tango students practice on sidewalks and in the park.

Buenos Aires is one of the most hospitable cities we’ve ever visited. So, lucky me and my Spanish-speaking spouse found the friendly and helpful people among the many enjoyable features of our visit.