I've taken the bus from Valparaiso, traveling over a good highway through the valleys of Curacavi and Casablanca. The trip takes about two hours, although it is faster by car. I've used the time on the bus to read my guidebooks, soak in the scenery and plan my visit to Santiago.
If I were flying in on an international flight, I'd be deplaning at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez Airport, sixteen miles northwest of the city center. Depending on the time of arrival, the amount of luggage and my state of exhaustion, I'd take either a bus which leaves regularly from the airport and half an hour later drops me at the bus terminal on Moneda to take a taxi to my hotel, or I'd check on the fare first and take a taxi directly to my hotel. I could also rent a car if I were not staying within the city limits, where there are many transportation options.
I'll be flying out of Santiago in a few days, and then I'll depart from the domestic airport, Los Cerrillos. Until then, I'll be relying on ground transportation like the taxi that takes me from the Alameda bus station on Alameda and Jotabeche to the Hotel Carrera on Teatinos. There are many fine hotels in Santiago, many new and catering to business clientele as well as visitors to the city. The Carrera is an older hotel, in the center of town, and I choose to stay here for old times sake. It was the hotel of choice for my family when we lived in Chile, and I am amazed at how much I remember about the hotel. Once I'm checked in, I roam the premises, smiling as I remember family meals in the Copper Room restaurant, afternoon tea in the mezzanine, to the accompaniment of piano and violin, and swimming in the rooftop pool. What used to be a clear view to the snow-covered Andes ringing the city is now a smoggy cityscape of highrises and endless buildings, but I can see the greenery of parks and tree-lined streets.
My room faces the Plaza de la Constitución, and the Palacio de la Moneda, the presidential palace. The Moneda has been repaired since the extensive shelling sustained during the coup, and it's not easy to remember what occurred during those times.
The hotel is within walking distance of businesses, consulates and government buildings, all within the city centro, which is marked by the physical boundaries of the Rio Mapocho, the Cerro Santa Lucia, and the streets of Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, commonly referred to as the Alameda, and the Pan American Highway, also called Highway 5. (See large scale Centro map.) The centro is very walkable, and I am going to start my walk down memory lane with a climb up Cerro Santa Lucia, the oldest historical site in the city. I time my walk there to see the changing of the guard at the Palacio de la Moneda, then stroll down Moneda to the hill. I find the traffic much heavier than expected and it takes me longer to dodge pedestrians and vehicles. If I make this trip again, I'll use the metro, Santiago's subway.
At the park, I catch my breath and then walk up one of the many paths, admiring the gardens and stopping to dip my fingers in fountains. At the top, I sit on a bench and admire the view. This is the oldest part of the city, since Santiago was founded at the base of this hill, then called Huelen in Mapuche, in 1541. Pedro de Valdivia and his troops had a hard time of it, since the Mapocho flooded the settlement, native tribes almost destroyed it, and it was far from the supply routes to Peru. As a far-away outpost of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and a non-gold or treasure spot, Santiago more or less had to struggle along on its own.
However, with persistence and endurance, the settlement grew. Valdivia headed south and founded the settlements of Concepción, Valdivia and Villarica. His progress was halted at the BioBío river, and for more than three centuries, the territory south of the river remained in Mapuche/Araucanian hands.
Today, of course, this is history, and the material for cultural heritage and pride. There isn't a large colonial section left in the city, but there are portions, carefully preserved, and I'll visit those while I am here. Now, I leave the hill and stop at San Francisco Church. I've always been fascinated by the image of the Virgen del Socorro on the main altar. Valdivia carried this image with him on his travels to help and protect him and perhaps it has protected the Iglesia San Francisco from all the earthquakes and disasters in Santiago since then. The Church and museum here were named as national monuments in 1951.