Welcome to my new neighborhood!

I live in El Centro de Santiago, which is downtown. My apartment building is just west of the heart of Centro, a few blocks from the historical presidential headquarters (Placio de la Moneda), nightlife and shopping for both locals and tourists.

This is my 13-story apartment building. I live in the middle.

I’ve been here for two days and haven’t wandered too far out of my neighborhood yet, so here is a taste of what’s nearby.

Everything is moving. Fast. Almost as fast as the Chileans speak Spanish, which is muy rapido! Or maybe I just think that because my Spanish is terrible and I’m a gringa. People crowd the sidewalks and hustle in and out of little shops, with an oddly high number being for foreign car parts near my block. Maybe that’s because the traffic is everywhere. Cars whiz down the streets, running red lights … never slowing for pedestrians.

My apartment sits right off the freeway and the busiest metro line, so it’s honking and traffic swooshing by all night. The sounds don’t bother me though since I can sleep through anything. Plus I’ve always loved the noises of a big city; they translate to activities, entertainment and fun things to discover.

The freeway that runs in front of my building. I took this shot from my rooftop.

The area also comes with plenty of graffiti. Although most of it is awful vandalism, I think it kind of gives the place character. There are, of course, some great works of art too.

This mural was dated and signed, so I'm hesitant to include it here with my notes on the graffiti but I don't have any other pictures to show the contrast yet. This is about a block from my apartment.

My roommate Amanda has lived here since October and calls the food gross. I haven’t tried much of it yet, so I can’t say either way … but whatever was wafting up through my window last night smelled scrumptious! I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but somebody must have cooked a dinner that at least smelled like it was tasty. It reminded me of rice and beans, which it very well could have been, but it had a more pungent smell than that dish would have back home.

That’s it for now on the sights, sounds and smells from the five or so block radius of my apartment.

Here’s another photo from my rooftop.

Foggy, but still a good view.

Anytime I’m in a big city, one of my favorite things to do is go up and look down. I just love how the varying tall buildings stretching on for miles looks in a picture. I’ll definitely be climbing Cerro Santa Lucía and Cerro San Cristóbal, for the peaks of those hills apparently have the best views of the city. On a day clear from fog (very rare), the Andes mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the urban landscape; I’m crossing my fingers that happens soon so I can see it for myself.

—JDF