Here’s more on my Santiago.
República is a neighborhood that heads south from along the Alameda, departing from about Los Héroes, República or Unión Latinoamerica metros. Moving south from the Alameda, the next two main streets are Sazié and Grajales, and I took a Sunday spin today (yesterday now) to show you a little more of non-touristy Santiago. There are a couple of backpacker specials, most of the guests under the misinformed impression that they’re staying in Barrio Brasil, which, in fact, is north of the Alameda. But República doesn’t have much caché, so Barrio Brasil it is (not).
There’s a lovely street (República), with old mansions, most of them subsumed into the large numbers of universities and institutes (technical schools) that give this area its other name, “Barrio Universitario.” República runs north-south. But Sazié and Grajales, these east-west conduits, are my streets. They’re where I walk to get to the plaza, to the supermarket (which, strangely, has a bowling alley above it, more on this later), into and out of the neighborhood, bumps and cobblestones and the occasional old trolley track be darned. It’s my neighborhood. With corner stores, and stores that only sell vegetables, and the whistle of the knife-sharpening guy sometimes on the weekends.
Almost every time I go out on Sazié and Grajales, I either take pictures or wish I had. Today I went out just for you, to show you a little piece of my Santiago.
And then I made, oh, a slideshow. With audio. It’s my first attempt, so be kind.
I’ve really been to Santiago! Hooray for Republica and for keeping it real out on the street. Love the new foto exhibition mode…I wanna see more of the series please.
As usual I love your posts, you have quite an insight. I am really waiting to read more of this serie, it will help me to know were i should go around, now that i am going home for a bit.
Thanks!
Loved the video! My favorite picture was the vet sign. This is an “Eileen makes Abby miss Santiago” night. But in a good way.
I’m not really familiar with República, but I enjoyed the video. I particularly like the voiceover. It’s almost hypnotic.
love this. also that i recognize so many of the buildings in this series. saudade!
I toured the neighborhood in a group, strangely (yes, a tour titled something like ‘little known Santiago’). There is a central square with a fountain in the center, and there a ghost-like woman (in the sense that she seemed to be haunting the ghostly neighborhood) gave us a long speech about the architecture and about how she once lived in ‘that house there’ which, chucha, never got any sun. It was an interesting ambiance- as somber as they come?(it helps that the noise is shut out from the street in many parts).
if there’s a square with a fountain, that’s either concha y toro (if it’s cobblestoned), or maybe plaza brasil, which are on the other side of the Alameda, and technically Barrio Brasil. The only fountain I know of in República is on the street República, and looks like a bowl with people standing all around it. It is roughly in front of the McDonalds. And a giant one in Parque O’Higgins, but that’s not really considered República. And ditto the fountains on Matta. But feel free to correct me if you really think it was República. Parts of it look very much like Barrio Brasil. I’d be interested to know more about your tour. Also, are you here studying? Feel free to drop an email, nameofblog at hotmail.com