8/04/2008

A very smart woman once said: "If high heels were so great, men would be wearing them...". Contradicting the acute intelligence I secretly pride myself on (hey I spend a lot of time alone, solitude tends to make one conceited) I recently purchased a ridiculously expensive pair of high heels. High high... high heels. As Paris Hilton, the self proclaimed goddess of a culturally void society often says: "They're hot." I left the store feeling remorseful and began to call my girlfriends with my shoetrauma story. But my friends thought I was crazy to think I'm crazy. The thing is, I live in Madrid. Women here love high heels. Note, this is the country of Pedro Almodovar's Tacones Lejanos. Giggling with the same mischief Carmen Maura had serving the policemen her gazpacho, I decided to focus my shoe experience on one thought: amortizar. Luckily, as soon as I had the thought a friend called me to invite me to her birthday party at a great cocktail lounge called Jose Alfredo. And because this is Madrid, one invitation rolled in after another, and if I continue this way I will wear those shoes out by summer.... So in ode to how high heels make for long nights, here is a list of some favourite Madrid night spots… this month.

To rest my heels:

Jose Alfredo
A great retro lounge, mirrors on the walls, little velvet couches, great music... And they have real cocktails, not just mixed drinks...
Calle Silva, 22

Chicote
Designed in 1931 by Jose Luis Soto, pioneer of modernist design in Madrid, this is one of those places that boasts of Hemingway's presence that you actually want to go to. Considered one of the best bars in Europe. Great dj’s, cocktails, and very trendy among the hip glitterati, and film industry... Restaurant by day.
Gran Via, 12

Cock
Almost a hundred years old, the legend says this place used to be connected to the Chicote and I guess people like Ernest Hemingway and Ava Gardner were allowed to... go back and forth? Oh, how glamorous... Great cocktails and comfortable couches for adult conversation... and by that I mean, don't be surprised if the average age is... old.
Calle Reina,16


To work my heels

Marula Cafe
What can I say? Best music, best staff, best DJ... Only problem, it's no secret, so it gets packed... Go early and enjoy the amazing terraza
Calle Caños Viejos,3

Oui
This two floor open minimalist decorated place is restaurant by day, happy dancing at night, especially on the second floor... It's a great place to dance without being elbowed by children.
Calle Cervantes,8

Pacha
I met Ricardo Urgell, the founder of Pacha in Ibiza one summer that I was there working on a documentary. He told me he couldn't understand why people wanted to stay out so late, in his party days you would be trying to get a girl to go home with you by two in the morning. Pacha, famous club, even has it's own tv.
Calle Barceló, 11

Heels at home:

Finnegans Irish Pub
Few people know this about me, but I am a great fan of Irish pubs. They say the Irish are the Africans of Europe, maybe that's why.... The Guinness, the greasy food, the football on tv... I spent an entire summer at Finnegan's watching the World Cup. Maybe it's not a place for heels, but still one of the best places in Madrid
Plaza de las Salesas, 9