Re: *** Official Santiago, Chile December 2013 thread
Ok. So, I have been living in Santiago for a little over 3 months now. I would suggest staying in the Providencia/Los Condes area. Santiago Centro is ok as well but not quite as nice. Where the show is (Chilean national stadium) is not a very nice area. It will be fine safety-wise for the show because there should be plenty of people, obviously don't be an idiot, but isn't a very interesting part of the city. There is a Metro stop about a 10-minute walk from the stadium. That is one of the furthest distances from a Metro stop anywhere in Santiago, so, once you are on the Metro getting anywhere is very easy, and cheap (~$1.50 US for any distance, no matter how short or long).
I am not sure about tailgaiting before the show. My buddy went to a Springsteen concert and said there was no lot scene at all, but that was at an indoor arena. It's possible there will be more going on at this site. One thing to note: if you want to booze at the show, sneak your own in. They do not sell liquor at most of the public events here. I did go the the Chilean Independence day festival at the national stadium and there was plenty of alcohol available, but I have a feeling there won't be for a concert (none at Bruce).
As for San Pedro de Atacama... It's a great trip, albeit very touristy. Everything you do there will be through a tour company. Great town but as one could expect, it is pricey. I have been to the Lagunas Antiplanicas ($40 US, 8am-3pm), Geysers Tatio ($60 US, 4am-noon), Valle de la Luna (went sandboarding as well; $30 US, 5 hours, flexible times), and on an astronomy tour (it is probably the best place in the world to observe the stars because SPdA is also one of the top 5 driest places in the world; ~$32 US, late at night for 2.5 hours).
You should just book all your tours when you get there, basically every other building in SPdA is a tourist booth. Fly from Santiago > Calama and take a bus (~2 hours, can reserve a bus in the airport for ~$24 US/person).
Hope this helps. Also, this is my first post ever on this forum haha.
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