"202 : Mi second home"

Santiago has a lot attractions for the visitors. Famous and different some fewer acquaintances, but very interesting anyway. This time, I they want to present a place that I recommend, a place that I have considered to be “my second home”.

Coffee 202 is born of the need of independence and freedom of one of my best friends, Fernando Plá, who was employed for many years at night shift of work, and he was exhausted. This reason, together with a personal motivation was what lead to him to taking the challenge of doing this new business. This way, in the summer of 2008 and with a mixture of 80 % of irresponsibility and 20 % of pride, Fernando communicated to his family the decision to leave his job like as employee, to be free and independent.

While in parallel at the construction of what will be the cultural center gabriela mistral "GAM", in his back part there exists residential life, enviable constructions and this small coffee, to only steps of the successful neighborhood Lastarria, located in Estados Unidos 202. His friends were the most important thing to begin, from designing the graph, ideas for the food and beer offer, to design the tables with the collage style, cleaning, painting, advertising and working also (in my case, for 3 years like administrator of weekends), everything with very much love, creativity and little money.

It begins 202 with many monetary difficulties, of clients and history, since the previous owners were office workers who never dedicated to the business, being this place a dead point, for what the first thing for us was to find a name, " Coffee 202 " it is due to the address, we were looking something simple and that the people could remember easily.
Then it happened something importante: it was Facebook's boom, they all wanted to be connected and it was a platform that helped very much and the incorporation of the beers of Liter was probably what defined this place more as a Brewery than as Coffee.

Already stable, new clients and friends began to approach the place, attracted by the music and probably for the personalized attention as if we were in the living of our house counting our sorrow and happy moments. Forgetting the noise and recognizing every day his neighbors, this small corner already celebrates 3 years of flavors, histories and under profile. This place offers pizzas, quesadillas, sándwiches and by night variety of beer, with the national favorite Kross in Shop format.

Coffee 202 has been a big sacrifice, but also a history of friendship and companionship, I have known big friends, we have realized events as the secret friend in Christmas, the birthdays, the projection of videos, movies, football matches and " OPEN 202 ", it´s evenings outdoors in parks with roast, water pumps and liters of beer and friendship.
Already it goes 3 years in this place, with a captive public who has approached across the “mouth in mouth”, Coffee 202 bets for the conversation, and the good music and sometimes live music. It works of Monday to Sunday and Fridays the conversation extends always.

A corner re-lived, Santiago gains a new place for relax and I won a second home.
All of you are invited to be part of this family.

'Emerald: Almost the most precious stone' (corrected)

If you're walking around Santiago's downtown, and suddenly you feel like you fall inside on a 3D photocopy of Paris, you might be tripping over 'Esmeralda' street. Located between the Central Market and the Fine Arts Museum, just one block from Forest park and 3 blocks from Bellas Artes Metro station, you'll find a historical place  still made of bricks, and historic buildings are lined up one after another.
The street got the name from the famous chilean warship that got caught on the bottom of the sea called 'La Esmeralda' and in the past the neighborhood was the place for legal paperwork and commercial trade.
But the interesting thing is what's happening these days. A group of young people are sweeping away empty bottles and are giving a fresh look to the scene. Near 'Plaza del Corregidor' you can find 'indie' fashion stores, with collections of eclectic and vintage clothes. They usually organize fashion parades and flea markets, where you can buy that special holographic dress that you were looking for. If you're a gentleman, you can go to the 'El Ropero' store, and buy yourself a jacket for $15.000, pick your favorite tie and you're ready to conquer the world. In case you're riding bike and suddenly you prick a wheel, there's a weird garage called 'Una velocidad' where you can fix your mechanical problems and also customize your bike if you want to look like a 21st century man.
Sometimes, the 'Plaza del Corregidor cultural center' gives public poetry and speeches where neighbors, pedestrians, cops and homeless people get involved in a violent and wild war of WORDS.
Rounding the corner, on 'Mac Iver' street there's a store of old fashioned movies and second hand comics called 'West Coast'. The store is like a trip back into time where you get involved in an imaginary trip to the 'far west', meanwhile you can buy some gifts for your 'secret friend' at xmas or complete your miniature rail collection.
A half block away from the plaza, you' will find a building called 'The Goethe institute'. A piece of the German culture found in the 'heart' of the city. They always have live concert sessions, if you want a nap; films exhibitions, if you want to stay in tune with Franco Prussian 'avant garde' scene, and sometimes interesting events like close encounters of the third kind or psychic split seminaries.

The Esmeralda neighborhood also offers a couple of options for warm cups of coffee and prepared drinks, but if you are also hungry, go to 'El Encuentro' and have a traditional and delicious Peruvian meal. There you can experience the pleasures of the Peruvian cuisine and enjoy a generous 'Ceviche' with a particular 'Inca-Cola' or much better ask for a Cusquenian beer.
Maybe if you don't have enough money, the option is to buy a boxed wine from the liquor store, then you sit at the plaza fountain and enjoy it surrounded by friendly homeless dogs.

So, Esmeralda street may catch a few coins off your pockets, and gives you a nice and short trip about what's going on in Santiago. But if you go often or you move there, you're going to appreciate it as a precious stone buried on a big field of rocks.

Pablo Retamal.-

hi!