Judging by recent hits on the blog, there is a gringo who has been bitten by a dog in Santiago, people still really like bagels, and everyone wants to know what people wear in Suriname (really?).

But also, people want to know what’s happening here. And hell if I know, because I just flew back from LA, but I thought I’d group together some of my favorite website tip-a-lators for what’s going on. Some knowledge of Spanish or a whole lot of patience and a dictionary necessary for most, but not all.

What-to-do websites

800.cl Probably the most complete list of mainstream events, with tabs for movies, dance, etc, and cultural centers, though for these, it doesn’t tell you which are easily gotten to, and which are a ways out of town, so if you’re not living here, this might be a bit of a wild goose chase. Look below for my “always-on” hits.

estoy.cl another fairly complete website, fewer annoying ads than the one above, sections for dance, theater, etc. For every day there is a calendar that shows (by code) what’s on in music, expo, theater, dance, movies, workshops, events. I like this one quite alot, though it’s probably not as complete as the above. It’s easier on the eyes.

panoramas gratis (free stuff), which actually has a few pay-what-you-like items as well. This is my go-to for galleries and museums, many of which are free at least on Sundays, if not all the time. For example, I am definitely going to this photo expo of NYT photos from the past 20 years which is on from mid April until end of June, 2013.

Revolver Magazine Not my favorite, but in English. I’m guessing that it is largely populated by items from above, and run on intern love, but sometimes has good catches that you might not have noticed elsewhere. They also have short articles about places around Chile you might want to add to your list, whether you’re an expat or not.

Metro (no website)

Believe it or not, if you take the metro, you will find out about all kinds of upcoming events. There’s a bulletin board, usually near the stairs or on the platform with afiches (posters) for all kinds of events. I usually take a photo when I’m passing by so I don’t forget.

Facebook (no website)

Chile is crazy for Facebook, and there are pages por cualquier índole (for all interest areas). There’s one for the Hash House Harriers, for Rollerblading, Critical Mass Rides (this is the periodic one, not the first Tuesday one, for which, btw, La Bicicleta Verde will lend you a bike if you find yourself without.), Hula hooping, etc. Seek and ye shall find. For language types, there’s Spanglish, an English-Spanish interchange, and some kind of pub crawl that would annoy me no end if I had to go on it, but hey, it’s up to you.

There’s always something on:

If you don’t feel like even looking to see what’s on, and just want to catch something, anything, check out the following, which always have something interesting, in addition to the regular collections. Usually visual, sometimes multi-media, all centrally located, and within about a 15-minute walk of each other. The GAM is always free, Bellas Artes is closed on Mondays, free on Sundays and cheap the rest of the week. The CCPLM (La Moneda) has a few things free, a rotating exhibition space that has variable pricing, from 1500 for Chilean students and seniors to 5000 CLP (ten bucks) for non-residents/citizens/students in Chile. They also have a great cineteca, where they show movies.

Museo Bellas Artes (metro bellas artes)
Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM) (metro univ. católica)
Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda (metro la moneda)

pictured above, visitors leave notes about how they learned to knit at one of the weaving workshops at the CCPLM.