Santiago de Chile, the country's capital, is a lot more vibrant than a lot of people who don't know…read moreit could imagine. I've only been there once, on my first trip to South America, and was favorably impressed. Chile has turned around and shed it shackles to become one of the more progressive countries in Latin America, and both the country and its capital have a lot of things going for it.
Santiago reminded me of three cities rolled into one: Madrid, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. That sounds a little strange but, when dissected, it made sense to me.
Many of the main arteries and squares have some resemblance to Madrid in one way or another, especially places like La Moneda and other governmental buildings. The cathedral, which is nicer than that of Buenos Aires, might bear a closer resemblance to that of Lima, Peru. The other similarity is all the grand boulevards, landscaped areas, and parks.
The city resembles Los Angeles because of the sprawl, its being pushed up against the Andes just as L.A. is pushed up against the San Gabriels, its climate, the quality of its air, and its topography and vegetation. Santiago, like Los Angeles, sits in one of the very few areas in the world that have been identified as having a Mediterranean climate.
Except for the Chilean flag, this does look a lot like L.A. from up high:
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Santiago resembles Vancouver BC with all its high rise condos and hotels to the east of downtown, sprouting up in Providencia and Las Condes. If a person with a great camera could take photos of them, picking up the Andes in the background in zoom mode, it doesn't look much different from all the new construction in Vancouver with the North Shore Mountains as a backdrop. Of course, the big difference is that Santiago's backdrop is dry while Vancouver's is lush.
Santiago de Chile feels safe. Relatively speaking, it is safe. People are polite and even friendly, though neither as friendly nor as arrogant as Portenos. I guess being "middle of the road" has its merits. There is an abundance of food choices, with the main type being a Chilean spin on hearty Southern Cone staples. That would be followed by Italian food, and then many other ethnic types of cuisine. There is a metro system which keeps expanding. It is very popular, inexpensive, effective, and, at times, it can be ridiculously crowded ... more so than I've seen in major South American cities I've been to, but those number about a handful. Its major transfer points are Los Heroes and Baquedano. It, however, does not reach the SCL airport. Complementing the metro system is the bus system. While Santiago is generally mild mannered, the buses, probably as a function of their drivers, are the rowdiest I've seen ... they barrel down major thoroughfares and are packed.
The things to see are fairly compactly placed. The metro's line 1 (red) runs under Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins. (That is one helluva name!) Along this metro line and this boulevard are many of the government buildings, as well as THREE universities - Universidad de Santiago, Universidad de Chile, and Universidad Catolica. The Mercado Central, with all of its variety, as well as the area around it, with the cathedral, also need to be explored. To the north of here is funky Bellavista. To the east are upscale Providencia and even more upscale Las Condes, where the high end hotels are located. Then, Santiago has a small bump ... and a big bump. These are Cerro Santa Lucia, near the red metro line, and Cerro San Cristobal, respectively. Both are worth seeing. Santa Lucia is an easy walk to the top in a garden setting and allows for views of the city center. San Cristobal, bordering the north end of Las Condes, is more conveniently reached via a funicular or a sky gondola ride and provides stunning views of the whole area from up high.
Santiago de Chile is about 65 miles inland. Its port city is Valparaiso. Valparaiso's twin city, with a completely different and more genteel personality, is Vina del Mar. Motor coaches connect Santiago to the Pacific regularly, efficiently, and are fairly priced.
Of the 3 Southern Cone capitals, I liked Santiago a lot. However, because of its uniqueness, Buenos Aires rules the roost, followed by Montevideo. Montevideo UY, across the wide river from B.A., is a port city with beaches lining its Ramblas, as well as beautiful Punta del Este to its east. Also, being smaller, Montevideo is more relaxed than is Santiago. Nevertheless, Santiago is a very interesting city with many things to explore and, along with Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, definitely worth seeing, especially since more reasonable point to point airfares in the Southern Cone have become more prevalent. I'd say it's "A-OK" ... ok, it's "A-OK plus."
