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Santiago bleg
For part of next week I will be in Santiago, Chile. I haven't been there for nineteen years. What should I do?
Addendum: Seth Roberts sends me this interesting link on travel.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on August 7, 2008 at 07:39 AM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
It seems that it would be topical to check out the bus system, maybe take a ride on the new bus which has the accordion partition.
Posted by: mthomas at Aug 7, 2008 8:02:30 AM
Go downhill skiing at Valle Nevado!
Posted by: Martin at Aug 7, 2008 8:16:04 AM
Oh, one more thing. There is an entry VISA of ~110$ US, which you must pay right after leaving the plane (as of 2006). Bringing cash to pay this is your best option.
Posted by: Martin at Aug 7, 2008 8:20:32 AM
I, too, want more info on the bus system, and, if possible, corroboration of the claims of corresponding violence on the subway platforms.
Posted by: nicole at Aug 7, 2008 8:30:42 AM
Don't talk to any dictators.
Posted by: josh at Aug 7, 2008 9:10:50 AM
Visit the Pre Columbian Art Museum--with lots of exceedingly interesting objects chosen more for their beauty than for archaeological significance, though you can learn a lot about the numerous cultures of pre-Columbian central and south America from the lengthy captions.
Climb the Cerro Santa Lucia in the middle of downtown--I think the Cerro San Cristobal is also well worth going up via funicular. One of Pablo Neruda's houses, the Chascona, is at the foot of Cerro San Cristobal in the BellaVista neighborhood.
Take the subway--very frequent, and very crowded in rush hour.
Posted by: Frank Howland at Aug 7, 2008 9:18:56 AM
You can pay the airport entry fee (ca. $118) with a credit card.
Posted by: Frank Howland at Aug 7, 2008 9:20:33 AM
The entry fee was imposed by Chile after the U.S. imposed the same on Chileans entering the U.S. It is good for the life of the passport.
Santiago is a wonderful city -but it is very smoggy.
Posted by: at Aug 7, 2008 9:40:45 AM
According to Mike Munger I would not suggest taking the public transit system, also refered to as the transSantiago cluster . Perhaps an investigation as to the changes implemented and the effects of the changes on the transit system would be interesting.
Posted by: jayson at Aug 7, 2008 9:41:48 AM
My advise: take advantage of proximity and book a flight to Buenos Aires...
Posted by: Luis at Aug 7, 2008 10:27:00 AM
I was only there once for under a week about two years ago, but I greatly enjoyed taking a walk up Cerro San Cristobal (aka San Cristobal Hill). The gardens and views of the city are very beautiful, the cable cars are kind of nifty to ride, and it was an all-around thoroughly pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
Posted by: Craig at Aug 7, 2008 10:34:46 AM
Drink "the" grape of Chile: Carménère. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmenere
Drink the most expensive bottles as they are even more in the USA.
Drink early and often.
Posted by: Dave Barnes at Aug 7, 2008 10:51:53 AM
I studied in Santiago a few years back. I'd definitely also suggest Cerro Santa Lucia. And grab a drink of some chicha dulce at La Piojera if you have a free moment some evening - it's near the Mercado Central (another good place to check out). La Piojera is a bit of a dive, but also a place where anyone (politicians, socialites, university students) can go and enjoy a drink with some company. Keep in mind that they don't have menus (I'd suggest going with a local Chilean, if possible). Let us know what you end up checking out. Enjoy!
Posted by: Mike at Aug 7, 2008 11:03:38 AM
Eat ceviche and other seafood. Have some excellent wine. Visit Portillo, climb Aconcagua, cross over to the Argentine Lake District and Bariloche. Visit an active volcano.
Posted by: jimbino at Aug 7, 2008 11:06:39 AM
Visit Plaza Nunoa, in the neighborhood Nunoa (along Ave. Irarrazaval). It's a beautiful small park surrounded by cafes, shops and small homes. It's far enough away from the downtown so you don't feel like you're in the city, but it doesn't have the blandness of the upper-middle class neighborhoods like Las Condes that are farther west. Fuente Suiza has great empanadas and is less than a block from the Plaza.
Posted by: Chris at Aug 7, 2008 1:01:22 PM
Go to the Cerro Santa Lucía at midday, try to be at the top 12:00 sharp...
The city is not very smoggy right now, so you should be lucky.
The bus system have improved, by I don't think is a good idea for someone who doesn't know the city well. Take the Metro (subway), but avoid the rush hours.
La Piojera could be a little shocking for tourists, if you want to go do it with a local. Skiing is a good option, the mountains are full of snow by now. If you like to make some jogging, the Cerro San Cristóbal is the right one.
Will give any lectures?
Posted by: Santiagüino at Aug 7, 2008 3:07:38 PM
You must definitely go to Mercado Central for lunch on a weekend and have excellent and fresh seafood.
Go to “Fuente Alemana” a sandwich diner with a couple locations to try their excellent “lomitos.”
Try the (somewhat) recently built private toll roads, including the one that goes under the Mapocho river; it will cut your trip from the airport to the east side of the city to 20 minutes (instead of the 60 minutes it took before).
Go to the Santa Rita Vineyards right outside the city, take a tour and have lunch at their excellent restaurant of Chilean food (you need to make a reservation with time).
If you have time to go outside of the city, go to Valparaiso. You may also want to visit Isla Negra to see one of Pablo Neruda’s houses (the other two are in Valparaiso and Santiago, but these are not as interesting as the one in Isla Negra (and the one in Valparaiso is better than the one in Santiago)).
And talk a lot about how Chile needs to continue liberalizing its economy to go back to the path of development, which has been abandoned recently with the consequence of slower growth, higher unemployment and unhappiness (despite the fact of the record prices of copper, our main export).
And say hello to my brother, if you see him.
Posted by: Ignacio Concha at Aug 7, 2008 3:17:08 PM
Here's a series of photos (with the names of the locations) from a trip I took to Chile in March.
http://wanderlusting.org/news/argentina-chile-and-beyond-the-2-month-countdown-begins
Within Santiago specifically I recommend:
1) Riding the subway
2) Visiting Pablo Neruda's house - La Chascona
3) Visiting one of the "cerros"
Beyond that, Valparaiso is quite pretty, but little rough. The wineries south of Santiago are great but this isn't exactly the right season :(
Posted by: nikki at Aug 7, 2008 4:52:25 PM
A bus trip into the mountains. Takes about an hour to get to 10,000 feet. Great views (like California but more dramatic) and an escape from the city's smog.
Posted by: Eric G at Aug 7, 2008 6:06:53 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_Sour
Posted by: Rory Sutherland at Aug 7, 2008 6:09:29 PM
Don't talk to any dictators"
for that he would need a medium
Posted by: k at Aug 7, 2008 9:40:21 PM
go to Valparaiso.
one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
it's like San Francisco's Chilean lover.
Posted by: at Aug 7, 2008 9:54:26 PM
Make sure to eat some hot dogs, or as they are called "completos" at "Domino's"; the best one is downtown. Also, ride the public transit system...the metro is very nice and riding on the Transantiago should be very interesting. BTW, I was born in Santiago so I know what I'm talking about.
Posted by: at Aug 7, 2008 11:11:30 PM
Ky Restaurant in Bella Vista. Food and decor combine for an out of this world experience.
Posted by: Riva at Aug 8, 2008 1:18:36 AM
I second Plaza Nunoa. Very interesting area that I heartily enjoyed jogging through. La Fuente Alemana has good sandwiches as well.
Posted by: Sean at Aug 8, 2008 1:33:13 AM
