Hi all (especially Gaucho),

I first of want to say how great this thread is - there's more information here than in virtually any guidebook on BA. The exciting news ^ - one of my best buddies and I are going to be taking a trip down to BA in mid November (yes I know we booked way in advance - thank you DL for limited skysaver availability). After reading through much of this thread I had a few questions. First a little background - my friend and I are both male, 23, and both speak french (very useful in argentina, I know). We are definitely hoping to see the great nightlife in BA and would like to stay somewhere relatively nice and central - its not often we get to get away from our finance/consulting jobs.

So, for people like us, where would you suggest we stay? I've read numerous posts about the Hilton, though I'm concerned that we'd be getting much more of an 'american' flavor by staying there or one of the sheratons. Do you have any suggestions for nice hotels to stay at that might have a bit more local flavor (or, alternatively, are Hilton/SPG/etc pretty good on that part?) I saw the new Hyatt, but were not sure if we want to pay $400/night.

Also, will soccer/football season have started in November? If so, where is the best place to catch a match?

I know these questions are quite general, but I'm looking forward to posting on this board over the upcoming months. Thanks in advance for all your help, and I cant wait to get down there (unfortunately I have to wait another 8 months).