Santiago has a real heartbeat. Take a bit of the New York attitude with a dash of European charm and a dollop of Latin flair – mix well and you have Santiago, Chile.
I haven’t been here long, but I am already enamored with Santiago.
Amazingly, this was not even initially one of the cities high on my list of places to see. I ended up here for a few days to avoid multiple layovers and 24 full hours of travel time on my way down South. I wasn’t even particularly excited to see Chile’s capital. Not in comparison with penguins and glaciers in Patagonia anyway. But here I am. Having been to a lot of cities this year, I can say that each new city is a fun chance to explore, learn and be surprised. But some cities I find myself feeling a real connection with. This is one of them.
I plan to do two posts about Santiago. The first, this one, is about the amazing diversity of people, food, art, architecture and culture here. The images I am posting now will hopefully give some sense of that. There is lot’s more to see beyond what I have posted here, though. After a bit more exploring, I will make another post about specific things to do and see in Santiago. I have some amazing photos and suggestions for places to go here!
But for now – check out all the people!!! If you thought NYC was a great place for people watching – you’d be blown away in Santiago. There are SO many people here, everywhere. There is public art in every corner, architecture old and new, and a worldly food selection.
I am excited to climb Cerro San Cristóbal this afternoon and see more of the sights. 
I wanted to close with a picture at my finest – eating falafel outside on a beautiful sunny day, with my beloved new camera and a sketchbook, after wandering a gorgeous park in a foreign city. That’s how I would describe a pretty perfect evening for me.