Santiago de Chile: A Nice Place to Stay But I Wouldn’t Want to Visit
By Heather Hobson
On a balmy Monday morning in January I claimed my baggage
at Santiago’s Benitez International Airport and parked myself on a bench to take
advantage of the free Wi-Fi. As I sent my e-mails, the dogged taxi vendors
pestered me relentlessly. One sat on the bench next to me and peered at the
screen of my Apple MacBook. I felt like Grandmother as the Big Bad Wolf
salivated next to my bed. He stared intently as I e-mailed my loved ones to tell
them I’d made it safely. I swear I heard that little squeal that dogs make when
they’re anticipating a table scrap.
Being a wimpy people pleaser, I eventually gave in and let
him arrange a taxi to downtown for me. I knew better, I knew it was a bad idea.
That taxi ride cost me nearly $100 US. I was so mad at myself for not being more
assertive. Even though I was disappointed, it was nice to be on my way to the
hotel.
Later in the evening I was meeting my dearest traveling
companion Kyle. When he did eventually make it to the hotel we referred to our
Lonely Planet: Chile guide for a restaurant recommendation. We chose an Italian
place called Liguria because it was close and was highly recommended.
 Liguria
(Av. Providencia 1373) was lovely. Set back on a quiet side street, we were
seated at a sidewalk table to dine under the stars. We ordered our drinks, a
syrah for me and a pisco sour for Kyle. Pisco sour is the national drink of
Chile and it’s quite tasty. Pisco is like brandy, and a pisco sour is so sweet
it’ll bore a cavity into the heartiest of molars. The waiter brought us a basket
of toasted bread and some pico de gallo. For the main course Kyle had a
vegetarian ravioli dish and I had the lasagna. Both dishes were quite tasty but
my lasagna was overly salted. Not so salty that I couldn’t eat it, though. For
dessert we shared a crème brulee. Can one ever go wrong with crème brulee? I
think not. It was a lovely evening and I would absolutely go back to Liguria.
We were both pretty zonked from our transcontinental
journeys so we returned to our hotel. The Four Points Sheraton on Santa
Magdalena is delightful. The bilingual staff is pleasant and helpful and the
building is well maintained. There is a fantastic roof deck with a pool,
Jacuzzi, and sauna. From the roof you can see downtown Santiago in all
directions, the statue of San Cristobal, the funicular railway and gondola, the
Mapocho River, and the snow capped Andes.
The day ahead would turn out to be an exhausting one. In
the late morning we laced up our hiking shoes and went for an urban trek. For
breakfast I grabbed a caramel iced latte and Kyle got some gelato. We loped
along the streets and parks that run parallel to the Mapocho River with sweet
coffee and gelato, pausing here and there to take silly pictures in front of
fountains and statues. The more I saw of Santiago the more it reminded me of Los
Angeles: verdant lawns, brown hills, and smog you could cut with a knife.
Our first destination was the Mercado Central. Lonely
Planet said it was a site not to miss and a great place to have lunch. When we
finally got there we were more than disappointed. We were kind of grossed out.
The Mercado Central is predominantly a fish market, as well
as some produce, but the fish smell was overwhelming. The great big building is
dotted with stalls where one can get lunch and the waiters are as determined as
the taxi vendors at the airport. Every way I turned someone was thrusting a menu
in my face and trying to drag me into their dining room. All I could think was,
how can anyone enjoy a meal when this fish stench is so overpowering? We
couldn’t wait to get out.
We were getting a little hungry, seeing as we were hoping
to find something tasty at the Mercado. We knew we wanted to visit the Museo
Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Bandera 361) so we delved into the Lonely Planet
again for a restaurant in the area. They recommended Bar Nacional (Huérfanos
1151).
We started hoofing it towards the museum and the Bar. The
neighborhood we had to pass through was pretty shabby. Yet again, Santiago was
reminding me of Los Angeles. I was starting to think I took a vacation to Van
Nuys.
We finally made it to Bar Nacional where we were seated in
the air conditioned downstairs dining room. Kyle and I both got the ¼ chicken,
his with mushroom gravy and asparagus, mine with French fries. Sadly, his
asparagus was canned and mushy. The chicken wasn’t anything great, nor were the
fries. Strike two against Lonely Planet today. But the Bar Nacional did serve me
a fantastic raspberry juice, it was more like a smoothie and it was very
delicious.
After lunch we toured the Museo Precolombino. Lonely Planet
said they had mummies there, and I think mummies are pretty cool. They also said
that if you’re going to go to a museum in Santiago this is the museum. Their
exhibits had lots of ceramics and objects carved in stone. I couldn’t be sure,
but it seemed to me that what they were calling mummies were merely twigs and
things tied up into a voo doo doll sort of effigy. I was disappointed but for
the $3 admission, I got over it. Archaeology aficionados will appreciate this
fantastic collection of indigenous items of Central and South America.
 Just
a short walk down the street we came upon the Plaza de Armas, which was also
recommended as the best place to people watch. I was expecting Trafalgar Square
or Central Park, but again I was disappointed. There was a fountain, but not
like Trafalgar Square. It was much tinier. But watching the kids cool off in the
fountain was a kick. Swimming and playing in public fountains isn’t discouraged,
it was the second time I’d seen people in a fountain that day. Kyle and I looked
on as pigeons descended upon a teenage girl with some bread and we admired the
artists selling their paintings on the plaza. It was a nice respite, but I was
expecting more.
 We
decided to take the Metro for the first time. The Santiago subway system is
fantastic. It’s cheap, clean, fast, and very easy to navigate. After we arrived
at our destination, we walked north across the river, to the Bella Vista
neighborhood Pablo Neruda once inhabited. The neighborhoods north of the river
have a more artsy style with trendy cafes and boutiques and eye-catching
architecture. I wish we’d had time to see Neruda’s house, it sounded like an
interesting tour.
 We
got tickets to ride the San Cristobal funicular railway and gondola. I was a
little nervous about making it up the steep incline but it seemed to be no
problem for our little-train-that-could. At the end of the track was the San
Cristobal shrine overlooking the city. There is a chapel open for prayer,
outdoor vigil candles, and the statue of San Cristobal himself. For those
feeling in the mood for a bite to eat there are snack shops that sell empanadas
and ice cream, and souvenir shops will sell you post cards, jewelry, and other
knickknacks.
After enjoying the scenery for a bit we hopped on the
gondola. The view from the ride was unmatched. I enjoyed the ride far more than
I expected to.
That concluded our sightseeing day so we headed back to the
hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner. We stumbled upon the Phone Box Pub
(Av. Providencia 1652) quite accidentally. The wait staff was attentive and
friendly and the ambiance was terrific. The Phone Box is set back in a little
courtyard lined with bookshops and cafes. We sat outside on the patio underneath
an arbor of greenery. I opted for the chicken curry, which was as salty as the
previous nights lasagna, but still tasty. Afterwards we had drinks at the Blue
Bird (Av. Providencia 1670), a bar right next door to the Phone Box. It was an
eccentric place what with the drag queen cocktail waitress, British clientele,
and American wait staff. The crowd was quite young, I’m guessing they were all
enjoying their post college “gap year” together. The energy at the Bluebird was
warm and social, and they had an abundant selection of beers.
 We
spent the next day recovering from our crazed day of sightseeing. We caught up
on e-mail and sat by the pool. For lunch I grabbed a terrific tuna Caesar salad
from Café Literario Hamoody (Santa Magdalena 90). Hamoody and I chatted for a
bit, he told me about some restaurant scams nearby as well as some neighborhoods
to avoid once the sun went down. Hamoody is originally from Israel, he and his
Chilean wife run their hip little café together. I told him I would be back the
next morning for coffee and he promised me the best cup of java in all of Chile.
For dinner that night we took the Metro to Barrio Brasil.
This neighborhood has so much potential but it has fallen into disrepair. From
what I’ve heard it is undergoing a renaissance. What a neighborhood it will be
once it gets cleaned up a bit! Our dinner destination was a seafood place called
Ocean Pacific’s (Av. Ricardo Cummings 221). It’s a rather large restaurant with
several nautical themed dining rooms. We ate in the main dining room seated
beneath a large whale skeleton. We couldn’t read the menu, but luckily photos
accompanied all the dishes. Kyle had a tomato based sea bass dish and I had a
Mediterranean style sea bass. The food was incredible, the service was
unsurpassed, and the look of the place was simply cool.
We rushed back to the metro to make the last train. I
contemplated Santiago on the way back. It’s a city with great cafes, friendly
people, and great public transportation. But due to the lack of activities, I’m
reluctant to say I don’t know if I’d visit again. Simply because Santiago
doesn’t have a lot to offer a tourist. But it is a very livable city. By day
it’s a bustling business metropolis, it’s a short drive to the beaches of Vina
del Mar and skiing isn’t far off either. It’s a nice place to stay, but only for
a long while.
All photos by Heather Hobson |
