I’m often asked to recommend milongas in the US. I haven’t been home in a few years, but I can tell you what I liked when I was last there.
First of all, you’ll need the calendars for each city. San Francisco’s MangoTango Calendar is especially user-friendly with listings for the entire Bay Area, searchable by region and type of event. In Los Angeles, my friend Vladimir Estrin manages a complete calendar called Tango Afficionado. In New York City you’ll want Richard Lipkin’s Guide as it’s the only all-inclusive one.
In these cities, there’s dancing every night, so you’ll have lots of options. But here are my favorite places to dance:
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Tuesday: Vladimir’s Practica (very friendly and good dancing)
Wednesday: Milonga El Floridito (it’s new since I’ve been there, but from what I gather, it’s good)
Saturday: El Encuentro Milonga (THE place to experience LA tango)
Sunday afternoon early evening: Outdoor milonga on the Santa Monica Promenade.
New York
Monday: Luna at Dance Manhattan
Saturday: Milongas at Stepping Out and Dance Manhattan
warning: Thursday La Nacional is well-regarded but quite stuffy
note: Monday at the Ukranian is ***very*** hit and miss, often empty — except for a few very good dancers. strange environment but it’s possible to have a great night.
