Crash Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 Out of curiosity has anyone been to Santiago, Chile or Chile in general? It's one of the few places I haven't been in South / Central America and I will be heading there for a couple of weeks. If anyone has a few suggestions of must see places or unique experiences there - would definitely like to hear about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 There's a thread over on Agoraphoria (Hint, hint! Shameless plug!) with pictures of Santiago. There's a few posters over there who seem really knowledgeable about the region. At least more than the average bear. http://www.agoraphoria.com/index.php?showtopic=218 Here's a picture from that thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57Tbird Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 (edited) Out of curiosity has anyone been to Santiago, Chile or Chile in general? It's one of the few places I haven't been in South / Central America and I will be heading there for a couple of weeks. If anyone has a few suggestions of must see places or unique experiences there - would definitely like to hear about them. I was there last year. It is a very diverse city consisting of both elegant, historical buildings and churches, mansions of the wealthy, and slum areas of the poor and very poor. Overall, it reminded me very much of Los Angeles, in that it has the mountains on one side and the Pacific on the other. I guess this location might account for the similarity in the climate and air quality. I have included a picture that illustrates the air quality comparison. We stayed at the Hyatt, which was very nice with views of the city and the mountains. One of the must-sees is a visit to Cerro San Cristobal (St. Christopher Hill) with its white statue of the Virgin Mary at its summit. There are also some spectacular hilltop views of the city from the top of the hill. While up there, we ate at a very nice restaurant whose name I don't remember. Visit the Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by several municipal buildings, a museum, and a beautiful, old cathedral. You can drive through some of the more affluent neighborhoods...Bellavista, Vitacura, and Los Condes, to view some of the upperscale homes, parks, and shopping centers. We visited several museums while we were there. Pick up some tourist info and see where they are. A visit to a winery or two makes for an enjoyable morning or afternoon. You might want to use a tour service if you're inclined to do much "tasting". There is so much to see and do, and I could go on, but just look on the internet and check out the things you might be interested in. A couple of things on the downside I should mention.... there is grafitti everywhere and many, many homeless dogs wandering the streets. Sad items for a, otherwise, very attractive city. If you have time, take a trip west of the city to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, which to me, resembled some of the San Francisco area's small resort towns like Monterey and Carmel. The scenery on this trip of about 50 miles is beautiful, with many wineries along the way. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Some views from St. Christopher Hill showing the smog. You can barely see the mountains in the background Views from our hotel room View from the hotel lobby Edited September 4, 2006 by 57Tbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 Thank you both for the suggestions -- very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 It has a really awesome subway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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