Ernest White II is an English professor and struggling writer (with a pretentious name), originally from the “Bold New City of the South,” Jacksonville, Florida. Stopping briefly in Miami, Santo Domingo, and Washington DC before parking the Buick in Colombia back in ‘05, Ernest has whored in nineteen countries on four continents. His musings have appeared in the Orlando Sentinel, InverseOnline, Airways, and GO: Guía del Ocio, and even a letter-to-the-editor-or-two has popped up in The Economist. What he likes best about Bogotá are nighttime views of the city from La Calera, warm bowls of ajiaco, the urban trashiness of Chapinero and “el sabor del Centro,” friends from all over, the annual IBRACO Carnaval do Brasil (go figure), and La Hamburguesería de la Macarena.
Modern office buildings tower over centuries-old cathedral spires. Yellow, bug-like taxis dart past ragged horse carts. The electric pulse of international house music compliments a full repertoire of folkloric standards from the provinces. Contemporary art galleries and explosions of graffiti. Boutique hotels and backpacker hostels. Theatre festivals and street performers. Five-star restaurants and five-thousand-peso luncheonettes. [...]
We’ve pretty much established that Bogotá is clearly in the nosebleed section of the Andes. But if terrestrial pursuits don’t raise your interest, there are many ways of elevating body and soul closer to the heavens—this city isn’t at all short on lofty viewpoints.
One of the most obvious vantage points is the Sanctuary of [...]
Settled at the beginning of the 20th Century by the elites of Colombia’s capital, the Teusaquillo neighborhood (part of the larger district of the same name) lies studded with architectural gems in the shadow of downtown’s skyscrapers. Located between Avenida Caracas, Avenida 28, and calles 32 and 36, Teusaquillo offers brick and stone artistry [...]
Thanks to the good people at the U.S. Department of Transportation and their Colombian counterparts, American Airlines was forced in March to loosen its stranglehold on flights between Florida and Bogotá. Under an Open Skies-like agreement reached by the two governments at the end of last year, American was stripped of a set of daily [...]
