Cities of the World

New Section :: I have added this page to showcase some of the cities we visit and enjoy, whether we are passing thru or using the city as a base to explore the surrounding countryside. Follow along and enjoy!

A chance to learn from a National Geographic photographer and the chance to return to Santiago after 55 years, was too much to resist. When I left Santiago I was 13 years old and the city had 270,000 residents. Returning, the city has grown to 9 million! I spent a few days in-between Easter Island & Patagonia going back to old haunts and rediscovering this city. Some good, some not so good. There were a few snippets of old memories, however, everywhere I went with my guide was overwhelming change and growth. One of my striking takeaways was the vibrance of the city walking down streets that I had not travelled in over a half century. Viva Santiago!

1968 Torres de Tajamar Apartments :: When we first moved to Santiago in 1968, we lived in this brand new apartment complex on the 19th floor of the then tallest building in Chile @ 27 stories! My dad's office was in the complex on the lower floor which made for an easy commute. It was close to several parks that we constantly rode our bikes and was a fashionable part of town. Fast forward to 2024, the building has not been kept up and was rather disappointing to walk thru. Today, the action has shifted to Costanera with the Grand Torre @ 62 stories the tallest building in South America. Kind of looks like the Salesforce Tower in SF, both unimaginative IMHO.

City Center :: I spent a half day with a local guide checking out old haunts and we started with the city center. The main attraction being the La Modena Palace, home of the President, built in 1805 it has an illustrious history. My way back recollection of the palace was from the day we were ushered out of school early and bused home thru an empty city with armed military guards on every major intersection. When we finally got home, my dad was already back from work as there was a coup going down. Ended up being a temper tantrum between the military and the government that was solved rather quickly when the tanks rolled on to the palace grounds as we watched on TV. One comforting option for us was my dad's company was positioning the corporate B727 in case we needed extraction. Saw a lot of change in the city center, however, a semblance of familiar places. One a sad note, my guide Christian advised there were areas you needed to avoid even in the daytime. I used to ride my bike all over the city and that was never an issue. If you ever visit and want an excellent English speaking guide, his contact is turismobarriosSF@gmail.com.

Old School & Neighborhood :: Another fond memory was our school in the 'countryside' away from it all, up a hill perched with a view of the surrounding area, appropriately named Nido de Aguilas (Nest of the Eagles). We used to hike up behind the school grounds on the weekends exploring the terrain, always on the lookout for tarantulas. As we headed to its current incarnation, I was waiting for the suburbs to breakaway and see my school on the hill. Not a chance. It was burbs all the way there, not a patch of open area and homes built up around the school grounds. We even passed by the US Ambassadors compound (his daughter was in our class) to see it has been taken over as an Officers Club! Probably 1973. The small 10 classroom building I recall is now the 'The International School Nido de Aguilas', 10 buildings strong with guards and perimeter fencing. An elite school from what Christian told me and they did not allow me to step inside to take pictures.

The last stop was to see the house we lived in during the 2nd year of the contract, 4308 Latadia. I have spent countless hours on google & Apple Maps triangulating where it should be, digging the grey cells and settled on what is now 4310 & 4290 Latadia, a duplex in the place of the single family home. Our owner had a nursery next door which looks to be part of the redevelopment of 4310 & 4290. The utility pole is kind of in the same place, with the clincher for me a remaining brick wall with a sign showing the 4310 address. We had two brick walls on either side of the property (you can only see the left wall in the 1969 picture below) that I fondly remember walking along. Venture a lot of changes in those 55 years, but it felt right when I was there. Hope you enjoyed my trip back in time.

One of our earliest trips to Paris was after visiting friends of Betsey in Berlin (to be added shortly). We visited the Louvre, Norte Dame, St Chapel and took in a walking tour.