Rosario: Humidity, Empanadas, and a Whole Lot of 'Huh?'
okay, so rosario. it’s…a lot. i landed with absolutely zero expectations, just a flight booked on a whim after a particularly brutal gig in buenos aires (drumming is glamorous, right?). the flight numbers were kinda weird - 3430988 and then 1032704827, felt like a code or something. anyway, i’m a touring session drummer, which means i spend approximately 75% of my life in transit and the other 25% trying to remember what city i’m in.
first impressions? sticky. seriously. i just checked and it’s…like wearing a warm, damp blanket right now, hope you’re into that. the weather report said 20.62 celsius, feels like 21.11, min of 19.52, max of 21.65, pressure’s 1018, humidity is a solid 91%, and sea level/ground level are both around 1018. basically, prepare to sweat. a lot.
i’ve been wandering around the *monument to the flag, which is…big. really big. and yellow. apparently, it’s a huge deal here, and everyone’s super proud of it. i overheard someone muttering about how it’s “the biggest flag in argentina, obviously,” like it’s a fundamental law of physics.
the food, though. the food is worth the humidity. i’ve been living on empanadas. seriously, i think i’ve consumed my weight in empanadas. i found this little place near the parque independencia - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312861-d1064999-Reviews-El_Estribo-Rosario_Santa_Fe_Province.html - and it’s a game changer. i’m pretty sure the woman making them is a wizard.
someone told me that the nightlife around corrientes street is insane, but you have to watch out for pickpockets. apparently, it’s a rite of passage to get slightly robbed while trying to dance. i also heard, from a very drunk guy at a bar, that the best steak in town is at a place called “La Cova,” but you need to know the secret handshake to get a table. i’m still working on the handshake.
the people here are…intense. in a good way? they’re just really passionate about everything. i tried to ask for directions to a record store (because, priorities) and ended up in a 20-minute debate about the merits of different drum brands. it was exhausting, but also kind of amazing. if you get bored, parana and santa fe are just a short drive away.
i’ve been trying to find some live music, but it’s been a struggle. i checked out this forum https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/argentina/topic/rosario-live-music/ and it seems like the scene is pretty underground. i did stumble upon a little bar playing some incredible tango music, though. it was smoky and crowded and perfect.
i’m staying in this tiny airbnb near the rio paraná*. the walls are paper thin, and i can hear my neighbors arguing about…something. it sounds important. i think it involves a missing parrot. i looked up some reviews for the area on https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Restaurants&find_loc=Rosario%2C+Santa+Fe%2C+Argentina and apparently, the parrot is a local celebrity.
honestly, rosario is a bit of a mess. it’s chaotic and humid and loud and confusing. but it’s also…charming. it feels real. it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be anything it’s not. and for a perpetually jet-lagged drummer, that’s a pretty good thing. i'm going to check out this place https://www.argentinaturismo.com.ar/en/rosario before i leave.
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