The Dance, Dance, Dance, Addiction

With all the negative connotations, just reading the word conjures up images of sex, drugs and gambling. But not just your once in a while, celebration, first time for everything kind of sex, drugs and gambling. The dangerous, life consuming dependency on a particular illegal substance or prohibited activity kind. Or maybe Robert Palmer's track plays over and over in your head: "You might as well face it, you're addicted to love!" But just because it's an addiction doesn't mean it's life threatening, right?

Personally, I have a few obsessions and I'd like to think they are on the less noxious side of the addiction continuum. For example: peanut butter, warm baked cookies (or the fresh oatmeal peanut butter cookies I'm baking right now) chocolate, running, sunshine, nailpolish, shoe shopping, fancy leggings (an example to your left) and ice cream.* But the whole purpose of this post is to introduce you to my most recent addictive discovery: A full-on LOVE ADDICTION for electronic music. Sure, I've always been excited by tunes that make me want to shake it on the dance floor, but seriously, this is becoming an obsession.

It started in November of last year with Creamfields: 60,000 people, 6 stages, loads of djs, and over 12 hours of dancing. Followed by several months of small scale events, then we took it to a whole other level by flying to the nearest festival. Lollapalooza, Santiago, Chile in March was by far the best experience to date: 80,000 people, 2 full days of non-stop djs like Pretty Lights, Skrillex, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, and Tinnie Tempah to name a few of the faves. The most recent conquest? Ultra Music Festival, walking distance from our apartment, May 5th, 2012. Touted as the largest electronic festival in the world with origins in Miami, UMF made it's first appearance in Buenos Aires last weekend. Even before announcing the date, I knew I'd be there. And I didn't regret it. A 12 hour dancing repeat, listening to some of the crispest beats I'd heard in an open air venue, spending the night with some of my favorite people in the city and making new friends along the way. Sure I was tired, yes my legs hurt and the next day I felt like I'd run a marathon, but ask me if I'd do it all over again every single weekend, and if I'm already planning for Creamfields November 10th, AND stalking djs websites in search of events in the meantime. The answer would be... Absolutely! Does that count as an addiction?


For the record, my favorite part of the entire event: Rocking one of Dad's authentic 80's concert t-shirts. True to family tradition, living it up on the big stage of life.

*Does my running addiction counteract my junk food addiction, canceling the latter out?

¡Auto No, Bici Si!

Masa Critica: Critical Mass
First Sunday every month, 4pm, Obelisco

Masa Nocturna: Night Mass
Every full moon, 9pm, Obelisco

Don't forget your bike!

Simply put: Thousands of people riding bicycles through the streets of Buenos Aires. Yes, we stop traffic. Yes, it's intentional. No, we wont move no matter how loud you honk and scream! That's right, I'm back to the blog, fresh off my first Masa Critica. The only question is why on earth did it take me 8 months to ride in one of these events. Exactly 8 months to be precise. Sunday, May 6th marked the day. Even though I didn't realize I had been here that long until well, now actually, it seems as though my anniversary was very well spent.

A show of pure celebration and support for the metropolitan cycling community, the first Sunday of each month, thousands of people gather in the center of Buenos Aires to 'go for a ride'. We made it all the way down to some neighborhoods I'd never previously entered and topped off the night with a complete block of traffic to the freeway. Imagine, you're in bumper to bumper traffic and you glance to your left only to see 4 lanes full of bicycles. Not a single car in sight. Never thought I'd have the chance to do something so original! There are no organizers, nobody knows where we will ride, no pre-marked streets, auto traffic is unaware of the route, but everybody shares a passion for riding. To prove our presence in the city, Masa Critica is a way for cyclists to get noticed in the streets: strength in numbers! Because cycling is a very new culture in BsAs, the bicisendas (bike paths) are just under 2 years old, there are still many people who don't respect rider's rights in the streets and forget that one cycle = un auto menos. One less car! And the way that traffic gets stopped up around rush hour, I promise, a bike is absolutely your best and fastest option. There was even an article in La Nacion this last week with a study showing that a bici commuter makes it home in half the time compared to the public bus. The bici is worth it, every time!








P.S.
Thanks to some very nice gentlemen at Biking Buenos Aires, I am now whizzing through the city on a shiny red cruiser! And don't worry, as we all should be so diligent... I never sit in the saddle without my pearly white helmet.