Along with bars and restaurants aplenty, Santiago's lively and hip Bellavista neighborhood offers some of the city's most colorful streets. Graffiti is elevated to inspired, unlikely art, often covering entire facades of buildings. The entire day could be spent strolling Bellavista and snapping the transcendant wall interpretations. The explosive murals sometimes stretching entire blocks might make you wonder if you've stumbled into some alternate cartoon dimension.

“Chile has nearly 4,000 miles of coast, one of the most arid deserts on earth, and mountains that climb to 22,000 feet. Imagine the diversity,” marvels Rodolfo Guzmán. The chef behind Santiago’s restaurant Boragó is on a mission to promote his country’s over-looked ingredients, such as the superacidic copao fruit, which grows in the Atacama desert. “We want to show diners something that is only found here.” Many chefs source locally but then use European techniques in the kitchen. Guzmán, however, bakes his grouper and basil chlorophyll in a mud oven—a technique the indigenous Mapuche people have used for centuries. Avda. Nueva Costanera 3467, 56/(0) 2-953-8893. Photo by Antoinette Bruno/starchefs.com. This appeared in the October 2012 issue.

This poor, compact, city car was not designed to travel over the dirt tracks that we made it travel in Cajon de Maipo, in the Andes of Chile. It was a trooper though! And while the rental company employees gave me some pretty strange looks when I returned it in Santiago (all covered in mud) it certainly held it's own! Thank you citroen! You were the little red car that could.

The 196-room W Santiago, which opened in 2009, was designed to emphasize the surrounding landscape. That applies especially to the 21st-floor rooftop pool area, where guests can enjoy views of Santiago and the Andes while slurping oysters and sipping pisco sours served in champagne glasses. W Santiago. From $329. Isidora Goyenechea 3000, 56/(0) 2-770-0000. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue. Photo courtesy of W Hotels Worldwide. 

I went to chile, I was born there and it`s a real pleasure to try the food there... more than the typical food , it is the flavors, the size of many thing there, seafood market of santiago de chile, it is so cheap and you can eat so fresh seafood that you can see them alive still,of course if you really like seafood, and with a good chilean white wine how much? for like less than 5 dolars or 4 € you can eat a stu full with more than 20 different kind of seafood in a ceramic little pan, smell fresh and the mixes and the sizes are totally different. totally recommend it.

As an avid wine lover, I make it a point to visit various wine regions around the world. When I came across a place like Concha y Toro, and their sprawling caves of wine, I couldn't help but feel that I had stumbled upon a little slice of heaven. Located in Pirque, in the Maipo Valley, 45 minutes outside of of Santiago, Concha y Toro has steadily been making wine since it was originally established back in 1883. Upon arriving, visitors are instantly taken on a fantastic tour of the grounds. You begin in the tasting room, where you sample a few of their choice selections of white wines. The tour will then take you around the grounds, through the vineyards, and eventually into bowels of the winery where you will learn about the cellar Casillero del Diablo! Legend has it that the fine wines that reside in the cellar below are not only great libations, but are also eerily protected by the Devil himself. Some will not venture to the cellar, some say they know people who have not returned from the cellar, while others claim to have glimpsed a shadow or a flicker that gave them the chills so they quickly fled back to the safety of the daylight above. I do not know if any of this is true, but I DO know that the selection of reserve reds I tasted at the end of the tour were absolutely divine. As I departed from Concha y Toro, I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, while down in the cellar that we weren't quite alone. Perhaps the Devil lives in heaven after all.

A project of Santiago design company the Andes House, Made in Mimbre has transformed an old Chilean craft into high-style light fixtures and furniture. Artisans in the neighboring village of Chimbarongo hand-weave mimbre (wicker) into Asian-inspired lamp shades, minimalist side tables, and unique magazine racks, such as this x-shaped stand. Made in Mimbre. Avenida Republica de Cuba 1718, Providencia, 56/(0) 2-919-6712. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue. Photo courtesy of Made in Mimbre.   

As anxiety from the 2010 earthquake ebbs, Chile is rebuilding its capital bigger and better. Such creative enclaves as Barrio Italia have become hives for galleries and design studios, and the wineries just outside Santiago are turning more heads toward Chile every day. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue. Photo by Oliver Maugis.

The family-owned Lastarria Hotel occupies a restored 1920s French colonial home in the lively Lastarria district. Request a room with a balcony so you can people-watch into the evening before sampling cold cuts on the restaurant’s candlelit patio. From $330. Coronel Santiago Bueras 188, Barrio Lastarria, 56/(0) 2-840-3700, lastarriahotel.com

A new collective of young artists has repurposed an old bread factory in the Barrio Italia district into a lofty workspace called Bloc. When resident artists aren’t creating provocative, politically charged works, they’re hosting art courses, documentary film screenings, and raucous neighborhood parties. Bloc. Avenida José Manuel Infante 1428, Providencia. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue. Photo courtesy of Bloc.

The Plaza in downtown Santiago, or El Centro, offers striking juxtapositions of old and new. Neoclassical facades appear in the rectilinear glass towers of late 20th century skyscrapers. Children play in the fountain and men of all ages play chess under an awning. In late summer, the light in El Centro is fantastic.

the Chilean capital (much like Toronto) doesn't immediately endear itself. Its ugly, flat, spread out and traffic is mad. Also like my hometown it takes some research and good old fashioned legwork to discover it's charms. For me the Barrio Italia neighbourhood is what made me fall in love with Santiago. Much like Buenos Aires' Palermo Soho district, only much less touristy, this low lying, leafy bohemian area filled with indie cafes, restaurants and boutique shops should be your first and frequent stop in the city.

Bistec a lo Pobre means "Poor Man's Steak", but the size of the portion is anything but poor. Bistec a lo Pobre is a traditional South American dish served, as seen in the photo, with a large sirloin steak, grilled onion, two fried eggs and a side of potatoes, most commonly french fries. You will find this dish on the menu of any typical Chilean restaurant in Santiago, Chile. If you can handle heat, I recommend slathering the plate of food in the ubiquitous red chile sauce, called "ahi" and washing it all down with a "chop" beer, which is a Chilean term for a large glass of draft beer.

coffee in Santiago is even worse than in Paris (if that can even be possible?) but lucky for picky people like me, Wonderful cafe makes a very respectable + smooth cappuccino. It comes with latte art as well. Light lunches and other foods (i.e. bagels) are also available. Located in the up-and-comng Lastarria neighbourhood. You are welcome!

Although I recommend hitting up the wine country (I've heard amazing things), if you don't have the time to do so, Bocanariz is a great alternative. We were able to taste some really great Chilean wines while noshing of delicious fare. The Carmenere wines are very good and the Miguel Torres Santa Digna Sparkling Rose was the perfect afternoon starter.

The Concha y Toro winery, located in Pirque, in the Maipo Valley, 45 minutes outside of Santiago, has steadily been making wine since it was originally established back in 1883. Upon arriving, visitors are instantly taken on a fantastic tour of the grounds. You begin in the tasting room, where you sample a few of their choice selections of white wines. The tour will then take you around the grounds, through the vineyards, and eventually into bowels of the winery where you will learn about the cellar Casillero del Diablo! Legend has it that the fine wines that reside in the cellar below are not only great libations, but are also eerily protected by the Devil himself (pictured above). Some will not venture to the cellar, some say they know people who have not returned from the cellar, while others claim to have glimpsed a shadow or a flicker that gave them the chills so they quickly fled back to the safety of the daylight above.

On a quiet side street in the Providencia neighborhood of Santiago, this dog patrolled passers-by. He protected his colorful home from travelers and locals alike. It's buildings like this that made me curious about Chile.