Book excerpt: Sprawling and strange, magical and melancholy, continually veering between triumph and disaster, Buenos Aires is an alluring city. Written entirely by residents, Time Out Buenos Aires casts an independent and critical eye on the places, people and culture that have made this metropolis great and the contemporary trends that are conspiring to make it greater still. Looking beyond the 'Paris of South America' clichés, we make sense of the confusing jumble of influences that is Buenos Aires’ trademark: its century-old cafés and world-famous steak houses; its word-of-mouth bars and backstreet bistros; its late night tango salons and cutting edge all-night clubs; its prestigious cultural landmarks and improvised warehouse galleries; the comforts of tradition rubbing up against the shock of the new. Honest, detailed and informative, Time Out Buenos Aires is the perfect companion for the modern traveler.