A mash note to Buenos Aires

After the recent outburst of regrettable doggerel, I thought it only fair to list some of the reasons I adore this city. In no particular order (and without much elaboration, because it's late, and I still have to write my nightly essay for tomorrow's class with Ciro):

• Orderly bus queues.
• Lingering in cafes, bars, and restaurants: there is no pressure to move on, once you receive your order, you are left in blessed peace to read, chat, watch the passers-by.
• Ice-cream as good as, and possibly better than, that in Seville.
• The general architectural ambience, which is like a cross of what one imagines New York to have been in the 1950s and Paris as it is today.
• The stunningly high prevalence of bookstores, new and used, and the impression that this is a highly literate population. I mean, they name their chocolate bars for Shakespearean characters, for goodness sake!
• Everything about the school - my teachers, classmates, and the remarkably high quality of instruction.
• The fact that I get to walk at least 50 blocks daily, often more. (I know, I could do this in SF as well, but the fact is I don't)
• The general good humor and charm of almost everyone I've met here - people just seem naturally helpful and friendly.
• The ludicrously favorable exchange rate.
• The wine.
• The absence of packs of marauding wild dogs, unlike another Latin American capital I could mention.
• Electronic tango.
• The feeling that the city brings out the best in me.

And with that, good night for now.