Chile's capital may not flaunt the sex appeal of, say, Rio de Janeiro; the remaining world-heritage-worthy colonial architecture of Quito or Cartagena; nor the cultural reputation of Buenos Aires. But despite the inevitable bumps along the way (literally, with several nearby earthquakes in recent years), Santiago has become a progressive and even exciting place to visit in recent years (not to mention a great place to live - one recent survey flagged it as one of the two best in South America for quality of life).  keep reading