Cities are like people.
They show their varying personality to the resident and traveler. It usually has to do with the lenses we project onto her. Depending on the city and person, there might be mutual love, or dislike. Friendship, or enmity.
For some people, a certain city will allow them to rise and fulfill their larger purpose in life; and for another, that same city can cause a falling out when not suited to his or her personality.
By trying on different cities, we seek to find a place where we can love and be loved. This doesn’t necessarily mean traveling far. Simply leaving and surrounding yourself in a new environment quickly puts things in perspective. Rejection is a critical part of the process in arriving to this special place.
This is what we seek in travel–to know where we belong.
Being a long time expat with permanent wanderlust, I constantly reflect on why I feel pulled to certain places. What is there for me? What do I need to learn from this place? Why is it calling me now at this point in my life? And the one I ponder all the time…why have I chosen to make my life in Santiago de Chile, of all places?
The answer is astoundingly simple. I feel alive, inspired, loved and supported here.
Santiago has been, thus far in my life, where I have been able to do my greatest work and really step into the fullness of who I am. Chile has generously given me the opportunity to find my deepest loves in life, find my greatest inspirations, create and co-create, let go of past wounds to heal, open my heart, cook with abandon, connect with my passion, find my soul mate, deliver two perfect children into this world.
Querido Santiago, I owe you a big gracias.
I arrived “back” in Santiago in January 2001 after a stint in NYC in investment banking after college. I had spent a year abroad and wanted desperately to return to Chile. I still vividly remember the moment when an email announcing the exact same job I had in New York, but based in Santiago, appeared in my mailbox.
I just sat there staring at the computer screen.
I knew that if I applied, I would get the job. I knew I would move back to Chile. I knew my entire life course would change with that one email.
I was semi-petrified yet I knew it was my destiny.
I applied. I got the job. I moved. I left my life in the US behind.
Here we are many years later, and let me just say…
Intuition never fails.
At that time, while I was working in banking, I was bored out of my mind. My job was sucking the life out of me, yet I had no idea what to do about it–nor what I wanted to do with my life.
For fun, I relished shopping for produce in the neighborhood market and then transforming all that abundance. It was therapeutic. I also love to explore my new city. This quickly became my entertainment, and distraction, in my free time. Little did I know that I would be able to build a life, and business, around this.
Instead of moving to the modern suburbs further east like Vitacura or Las Condes, I decided to rent a beautiful loft, complete with a vintage, refurbished bathtub, in a turn-of-the-century house in the Barrio Yungay, west of the downtown.
It was here in Yungay, and in El Centro where I worked at the time, that I acquired new, inspired eyes. At lunch and after office hours, I would sneak away to explore the gorgeous neoclassical arcades, bustling galleries, and spirited cafés. I would find charming fountains tucked away and relish the cobblestone streets of Calle Nueva York.
Back in Yungay every weekend, I would visit my caseros (vegetable vendors) at the market and head out on my own self-created, self-guided walk to discover hidden cités, colorful facades, plazas, and mom-and-pop shops. I spent many afternoons writing in my journal under a leafy tree on a bench.
This is how I fell in love with Santiago Centro.
As a bachelorette, I lived for many years in Barrio Yungay before moving with my husband (then boyfriend) to Parque Forestal / Bellas Artes on the other side of the downtown. Here, we’ve stayed. Never even once, have we ever considered moving to another part of town.
In fact, when we bought our current apartment, we quickly agreed that if we couldn’t live in this neighborhood, and ideally right on the park, we would rather leave Santiago altogether.
Dramatic? Un poco. However, the universe heard our plea and sent us the perfect home that was literally made for us. The apartment was also conveniently remodeled, in the same building, and had an air-conditioned wine cellar with space for several hundred bottles of wine.
I (and my family) adore this part of Santiago. It has spunk, characters, and non-stop action. Yet, you can find peace and stillness in the Cerro Santa Lucia gardens or in Parque Forestal.
Santiago, here, still feels like a foreign city and very often a little slice of Europe–perhaps Madrid or Paris.
We adore walking the five-odd blocks from our home to the palm-shaded “Plaza de Armas”, the city’s hub, surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the old post office and beautiful arcades from the early 20th century. It’s a hodge podge of architecture and time periods.
Any time of the day, any day of the week, there’s always something happening.
During the workweek, it’s busy. On the weekend, it’s laid back. There are the street artists,the office workers and older gentlemen who meet to play chess in the shade. Carabineros (police) ride on very calm horses (a type of thoroughbred that’s incredibly tall) and love to let local children climb up for a picture with them.
Wandering the pedestrian walkways of Ahumada and Huerfanos to arrive at La Moneda, the stunning government palace, is truly the definition of sauntering. While shooting photos for this post, my husband shared that during his college years, he would study in the early morning on the shady benches facing the flag-laden Plaza de la Constitucion. This plaza begs admiration for its beauty and patriotism.
Santiago Centro is the soul of this capital.
If we ever leave Santiago, it is the part of the city we yearn for. Our hearts will miss her dearly.
Today, the city has mushroomed into a sprawling metropolis and often feels non-descript–modern skyscrapers, apartment buildings, malls, highways. You could really be anywhere—Santiago, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Miami.
Not downtown Santiago Centro, though. She will always be unique with her own flavor.
While writing this and reflecting, I realize that I have really “grown up” in Santiago since I landed here as a 24 year old kid out of college. Santiago has let me belong. She has given me the space to let me know myself, to dig deep, and step out into the world.
She has let me be who I want to be and cultivate a strong sense of belonging.
Sí, Santiago, you are my soul city.
You have welcomed me, enveloped me, lit me up, and given me permission to do my own thing.
Now I see it so clearly. I didn’t choose you. You chose me.
I am forever grateful.
