A Smart Night Out in Playa de las Americas

There are two kinds of expat here (well, more, but we won't go there).  There are those who wear their original nationality like an agressive aura, and those who, really don't care what nationality anyone is, but tend to avoid the ghettos and the tourist areas.  I belong to the latter.

It isn't often, then, that I find myself in Playa de las Americas at any time, let alone after dark, and having been lured downtown by the promise of a free ticket for the new Carmen Mota flamenco ballet (which did not materialize as it turned out) I was quite surprised by the changes which had taken place in the area around Safari Center/ Parques Santiago since I was last there.  Still not my first choice, but quite impressive.  The entire area, decked with fairy lights, twinkled and shone, and I felt as if was in some glittery sort of theme park!  The area fairly hummed with tourists of every shape and size, some still shopping in Escada, Mango, Zara or one of the many gorgeous smelling perfumerias, and others clearly stepping out to dine.  Every dress style from shorts and flipflops to cocktail dresses was to be seen, so clearly, no need to feel out of place whatever.

At the end of the road, by the roundabout outside Parque Santiago 4 (an apartment complex) three carriages waited patiently for trade, the sweet, little horses ignoring the traffic and the throngs of people around them.  I have known this area like the back of my hand at one time, but even so I could imagine a drive in one of those might be quite appealing.

The area abounds with restaurants and bars of every type.  There, surely, must be something for everyone, but my favorite and the one in which I dined last night is: