Part 3 – Into the Fray

By the time we got back to Crobar, it was a bit after 1AM and the temperature had dropped even further, making me seriously rethink my short of a T-shirt – brrr!  Of course, the club still wasn’t open and now there was a long line forming.

In line and effin freezing

Finally, a bit before 2AM to the cheers of the gathering mass of clubbers, they started letting people in a bit at a time.  The club had a large outdoor patio, which on a night like this, would probably stay pretty empty ,that eventually led to the main entrance.

The warmup DJs – the Festa Bros – were already on the decks as we entered the massive club.  The interior of the club was very impressive.  It was built underneath a large bridge so the ceiling height was very high.  There was a long walk up bar and the dancefloor took up the rest of the main room.  It was really too dark for any decent pictures but this is the best I could do.

Main room dancefloor and bar

After about 30 minutes or so, it began to really fill up.  We were checking out the main floor when these 2 guys, clearly already having a really good time, came up to us to ask where we were from.  After they found out we were Americanos, they told us to look down and there on the floor in front of them were 2 full bottles of Absolut vodka they had smuggled in.  That was a first for me.

They told us “anytime you want drink, we give to you.”  However, in exchange for that, they asked if we could help hide the bottles.  The absurdity of the situation amused us so much how could we not help protect their precious cargo.

I felt like an emperor penguin protecting his baby.

Digweed came on a bit after 3AM and by then the club was absolutely packed to the gills.  I continued my bottle centurion duties for awhile but eventually had to get out of the mass of humanity.  As I was getting ready to leave, one of the guys gave me a ticket and told me to go get them some orange juice for the vodka.  Again, the absurdity of the situation made me agree to go do that.

I made my way to the side bar, which took all of my crowd moving skills, and handed over my coupon.  I was expecting to get a glass of OJ.  Instead I was given a full pitcher along with 4 cups with ice.

Trouble with a capital T

Undaunted by the challenge, I somehow made my way across one of the most crowded dancefloors I’ve ever seen and eventually made it back to the guys.  By this point, I had more than earned my own vodka naranja and poured a nice, strong glass for myself.

The crowd somewhere got even larger and the energy in the club was incredible.  I hadn’t experience anything like it since Ibiza all of those years ago.  Digweed was really feeling it too and played a fantastic set.  Chris was making new friends and I was just soaking up the entire experience.

Finally, at about 7AM, my body told me it was time to go.  The club was still rammed and looked like it would probably keep going for at least a few more hours.  I had already broken my home before sunrise rule – d’oh! – but didn’t feel the least bit guilty.  The sun was shining and the weather was still cool but very pleasant.  We walked back to the loft, laughing and reminiscing about all of the craziness we had just experienced.  It was time for a long, well-deserved rest.

So much for my home before sunrise rule

Part 2 – Into the War Zone
After our premature arrival at Crobar and subsequent flee from security, we started walking back to our neighborhood.  The streets were still pretty empty as midnight approached but now there was the distinct sounds of fireworks exploding in the distance, echoing all around us.  The booms got louder and louder until we approached an intersection where we saw 3 guys setting off fireworks.

These weren’t your typical Black Cats or even M80s.  These were fireworks that are pretty much outlawed everywhere in the US for mere civilians.  You can see the video evidence of the chaos here thanks to Chris’ combat footage.

As we continued to walk, there were more explosions and it began to feel like we were in enemy territory during a war.  To make things even more interesting, the temperature had dropped rapidly along with 20 mph winds, which made some of the fireworks not exactly go their intended paths.  Let’s just say that we ran for cover more than a few times.  People were shooting off fireworks on the streets, on top of buildings, everywhere.

It was in a word… awesome.

After cooling our heels for a bit, it was time to head out to Crobar, again.

Part 1 – A Trek to Nowhere

After a couple of hours of Malbec and meat digestion, it was time to see what a Buenos Aires NYE was all about.  We had already purchased tickets for John Digweed at Crobar and decided that even though it would probably be pretty empty early, we might as well go there for the countdown.
I had read that most Portenos spend the countdown at home with family but I didn’t realize how true that was until hitting the streets around 11PM to walk to the club.  There was absolutely no one around at all.  It felt like a scene out of a zombie movie, with everything eerily quiet.  Fortunately, we saw a happy couple walking by so it was a safe assumption the zombie apocalypse hadn’t occurred…yet.

Crobar was apparently only a 15 minute walk away but when we got to where the map indicated its location, there was nothing close to resembling a massive nightclub.  After 3 failed attempts to get various building security guards to give us directions, we were able to flag down a cabbie, who gave us the right directions.

It turned out that the club was located at the end of park, which was also completely abandoned and no signs for a club anywhere.  However, at the end of the path, underneath a large bridge, there it was…. with no one in line or even walking around near it.  Chris noticed an outside area and decided to go check it out.  He was soon met by a gruff security guy with an equally gruff large dog.  They told us to come back at 1AM as it wasn’t opened yet.  So much for a countdown.

It was only 11:30 so we decided to go get a drink somewhere and come back.  Little did we know what lay ahead.