South American cities seem more alive than those in say Australia and the US and I have concluded that this is because of the European design of plazas and squares that can be seen in almost all of them. This encourages people to get out of their apartments and walk, sit and talk in the squares and adjoining streets. In Santiago, we found several places where we joined the locals and watched the local street theatre.
The most obvious was the Plaza de Armas which is the centre of the old city and was laid out by Pedro de Valdivia when he founded Santiago in 1541. The plaza is surrounded by some of the city’s most important buildings – cathedral, post office, museum, church offices, city hall – but it is the street life which appeals. There is a bandstand on the east side where people play chess each day. There is a collection of living statues outside the cathedral when the weather is good and there are always people strolling or hurrying through. It is a great place for a visitor to absorb the atmosphere of the city. Don’t miss the three plaques set into the ground showing the extent of Santiago in 1580, 1646 and 1712.
There are several pedestrianised streets in this vicinity. Check out 21 de Mayo, Puente Ahumada and Huerfanos. All are very busy during the day and you will find stalls, soda fountains, shoe-shine boys and newspaper stands here. South across Alameda, the traffic-free Paseo Bulnes is much quieter and there are plenty of benches and fountains and few street traders or entertainers.
Another area that I strongly recommend is the Barrio Paris-Londres. The Franciscan monastery in this area sold off its gardens for development in the 1920s. The area has a slightly bohemian feel with its winding streets lined with harmonious houses and trendy restaurants frequented by the young university crowd. There are a couple of excellent bar/restaurants here which are very popular in the evening.
Many of these areas are not tourist attractions in the usual sense but for those seeking some understanding of the city and its people, some time just sitting and watching the passing tide is invaluable. We had some long walking-days in Santiago where we were on the streets for ten hours and this would not have been possible without some breaks in the squares and pedestrian streets of the city. We thoroughly enjoyed watching and, on occasion, talking to the locals.