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. Highlife on 93rd and whores on 23rd. Ten minutes of equatorial sun and ten hours of ice-cold rain. Vast flatness leading to a jagged horizon of green mountains, Monserrate andthe Virgin Mary blessing the whole array. Developed-world comforts and developing-world chaos. Rags and riches. Bogotá is contrast, perched 2,600 meters above sea level. That’s high.

Hosting a burgeoning population of over eight million, Bogotá has almost shed its not-so-unearned reputation for insurgent violence and other such un-pleasantries. Almost. Battling both selective news reports and erroneous Hollywood imagery, most of the city’s renaissance has only been chronicled in Spanish-language media (which many English-speakers just don’t understand). But this year, the crown of the Colombian Andes caught the eye of The New York Times, which listed Bogotá in its “53 Places to Go in 2008,” and we consider it our duty to continue exposing the shiny new Bogotá as it joins Buenos Aires, Santiago, and São Paulo among the ranks of the continent’s world cities.

Bogotá 2600 is a gateway to the Bogotá that welcomes ever-increasing scores of foreign tourists—three times as many gringos since 2003—as well as foreign expatriates, planting roots in the city in the clouds. Here, English-speaking visitors and residents can discover the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, why’s, and how’s of Colombia’s on-and-poppin’ capital city. So welcome to the Cinderella of South America, where, as the country’s official tourism agency touts, “the only risk is wanting to stay.”

Ernest White II and Pepe Caracas

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 Monserrate, perched birdlike on a mountain peak lording over downtown Bogotá. This whitewashed, colonial-era church and associated restaurants and crafts market can be accessed by cable car, vertical railway, or on foot. From its height of 3,160 meters (10,367 feet), the entire city spills from the foot of the cordillera in Liliputian proportions. Towering over even the skyscrapers, Monserrate offers views as far as the volcanic hills on the other side of the Sabana.

Nestled 162 meters (532 feet) above the streets of downtown, the observation deck of the Colpatria Tower (open weekends and holidays from 11am to 5pm) places you in the middle of the action, where you can see Matchbox-sized vehicles radiate in all directions, peek into high-rise apartment windows, or even—if you’re lucky—catch a bullfight at the Santa Maria bullring from an ultra-skybox seat.

Nocturnal vistas also dot the city, and one of the most spectacular is the view from the Café de Buenos Aires, an Argentinean tango bar and restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows along three walls atop the Residencias Tequendama. The nearby Colpatria Tower itself is illuminated in Crayola colors, while neon signs and corporate logos add bursts of color to the otherwise topaz grid of Bogotá; one of the more colorful—certainly the brightest—points of light is the Doll’s House strip club a few blocks over on Avenida Caracas.

Uptown, literally, is the curvy, corkscrew road to La Calera, hidden in the mountains hemming in Bogotá to the east. Dotted with bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that offer L.A.-style panoramas of the northern half of the city, the road splits from the city proper along the Avenida Circunvalar, and a taxicab is required. You can enjoy the view from several of the clubs—the Auditorio La Calera (mixed crowd) and El Clóset (mostly gay) being two of the more popular ones—or from a simple scenic overlook called El Mirador. However you decide to do it, make sure you’re getting high the legal way.

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 and verdant landscaping among its stately residential structures.Celebrated at the city’s most elegant suburb in the 1920s, Teusaquillo grew from a football pitch at the turn of the century to Bogotá’s Bel-Air, where political luminaries, socialites, and captains of Colombian industry raised mini-mansions along with families. Noted architects Alberto Manrique Martín, Kurt Brunner, Galindo Guerra, and Hans Wiesner constructed homes in the neighborhood in the varied styles of the English Victorian period that suited Bogotá’s chilly climate while contrasting stylistically and thematically with the Iberian and colonial structures of La Candelaria or the Republican modes of the central business district.

Residences in the area reflect designs from several British and American architectural movements during the Victorian era (1837-1901): the Arts and Crafts movement, which stressed individual craftsmanship over pre-fabrication, Gothic Revival, integrating Medieval stone construction with brick masonry design, and shingle-style Queen Anne architecture that features gabled roofs underneath earth-toned shingling.

For an unexpected glimpse of Bogotá’s historical homes in a close-in, easily-accessible, and safe area (hopefully on a sunny Sunday), take TransMilenio to the Profamilia station along Avenida Caracas (at Calle 35) and head westward, away from the mountains, along any of the streets between calles 32 and 36, up until Carrera 22. Here, you’ll be transported not only to another time, but also to a quiet corner of the city that some may find more suitable for tea and crumpets than chicha and tamales.

Photo courtesy of Alejandro Forero Cuervo

Yesterday one of the most anticipated music events took place in Bogotá—Iron Maiden and a musical history of more than three decades satisfied more than 40,000 enthusiastic fans.

I believe music is one of the most recognized and beloved arts and a big element of culture everywhere, and Bogotá is no exception. From the beats of electronic music inside a downtown disco to the noisy honking of rush hour on Carrera Séptima and from a trio playing Andean tunes during a sunny “Ciclo Vía” Sunday to the sound of hail battering a tin roof, the music and sounds in the Colombian capital are always present.

Yearlong, the city plays host to concerts almost every other week, myriad music festivals, international DJs, and casual live musical sets. Besides catching local bands in various rock, tropical, or crossover bars and discos, Bogotá is where the annual “Rock al Parque” (Rock at the Park) has been drawing over 2 million people since 1995, offering some of the greatest rock artists from Latin America and elsewhere to its wide audience at no charge.

2007 was a banner year for concerts. This year proves to be no different, with Bogotá opening its doors to a fine selection of artists for all tastes, from energetic rock to steamy reggaeton. Check out some of what this season brings:

• Dream Theater – March 12th
• EPICA – March 23rd
• VHS or BETA – March 28th
• Bryan Adams – April 9th
• Maná – April 12th
• Omara Portuondo and the Buena Vista Social Club – April 18th
• Lenny Kravitz – April 19th
• Groove Armada – April 25th
• Darren Price (from Underworld) – April 25th
• Cat Power – April 25th
• Wisin y Yandel – April 25th
• Alejandro Fernández – April 29th
• Bossa n’ Stones – May
• Miguel Bose – May 6th
• Calle 13 – May 16th

You can find information and buy tickets at: TuBoleta and MisterTicket

And while we’re on the subject, if you are interested in knowing a little more about the history of rock in Colombia check out “Nación Rock” (Rock Nation), a temporary exhibition at the National Museum. Nación Rock gathers almost 200 representative objects and paraphernalia—spanning thirty years, from 1965 to 1995—that highlight the crux of the Colombian rock movement. Open until May 11, 2008. For more information about this exhibition and the National Museum, click here.

Photo courtesy of Paolo Ferla

One of the first things people do in a new city—either to visit or to live—is to get lost. But you don’t have to do what “people” do: you too can avoid feeling disoriented.

While it’s easier for some, who hasn’t ever taken the wrong bus or headed in the opposite direction or gotten tricked by a treacherous taxi driver? When I first got to Bogotá, it all happened to me. Even though I’m typically good when it comes to making my way through unknown places, here I always felt that I was on a calle while standing on a carrera or vice versa. I was in a labyrinth. And while everybody kept telling me how the mountain helps me to “navigate” the city, I could only wonder if they’d ever shut up and if I’d ever get a feel for Bogotá.

Here are some tips you might find useful when hitting the streets:

The mountain: your compass
First of all, the mountain is indeed your friend and can guide you like a jolly green giant. The mountains (usually called Cerros Orientales) are part of the Cordillera Oriental wherein lies the savanna of Bogotá, its most notable peaks being Monserrate and Guadalupe, both big reference points in the city. The Cerros Orientales stand to the east of the city; thus, if you are facing the mountain, west is behind you, north to your left, and south to your right. Yes, people here really do use cardinal directions to give directions in the city

Calles vs. Carreras
One thing you need to know is that carreras start at the mountains, running parallel to them from north to south. Accordingly, Carrera 4ta will be closer to the mountain than Carrera 13.

Calles run perpendicular to the carreras (and perpendicular to the mountains), from east to west. Up north you can find Calle 270 and going downtown, you hit Calle 1ra. Here’s an interesting fact: below Calle 1ra, you will find Calle 1ra Sur or Calle 52 Sur and so on, though visitors will (and should) probably spend most of their time north of that dividing line.

If you ever find an address with a “Diagonal” or “Transversal” don’t freak out. These cross the street grid diagonally, reflecting the number of the nearest calle or carrera, depending where you’re located. Diagonals run northwest to southeast and transversals from southwest to northeast.

Some main streets are called “Avenidas,” regardless of their orientation (like calles or carreras). These are usually wide commercial corridors flanked by office buildings. They sometimes go by a name (Avenida Ciudad de Cali, Avenida Chile) and someone could have a stroke if you happen to ask them what number those avenues are. Usually they just don’t know but, to be fair, it’s also due to the fact that sometimes it varies along the route. Just try to learn it.

Finding an address
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to find an address. The numerical system makes it pretty easy not only in Bogota, but throughout Colombia. Every address consists of the same set of numbers. For example: Calle 85 #15-26, this means that the house is on Calle 85 between Carreras 15 and 16. To be more exact, it is 26 meters from the corner of Carrera 15 towards Carrera 16. Conversely, Carrera 7 # 103A-54 is on Carrera 7 between Calles 103A and 104 (or, quite possibly, Calle 103B).

Main streets
Another way to be aware of where you are and the path to take is guiding yourself along some of the main streets across the city.

Some main Carreras:

• Carrera 2 or Avenida Circunvalar: mountainside road that bypasses many of the bottlenecks down on the street grid. Also offers stunning views of the city.
• Carrera 5: Around the crossroads between this road and Avenida Chile is the “Zona G,” a newly-developed dining district filled with fancy restaurants, cafés, and pubs.
• Carrera 7: one is one of the city’s “spines,” the business-heavy thoroughfare connects most of the eastern neighborhoods.
• Carrera 9: easy to recognize because it frames the railway for the “Tren de la Sabana”. If you want to take the ride, find information here.
• Carrera 11: covering a big part of Chapinero, one of the most important neighborhoods, it stretches from Calle 100 in the north and ends at the “Nuestra Señora de Lourdes” cathedral on Calle 62.
• Carrera 14 or Avenida Caracas: one of the main avenues in Bogotá. At Calle 80, it turns into the Autopista Norte. It was the first avenue with TransMilenio, so you’ll see the big red buses and gray stations running in the median.
• Carrera 15: uptown, this is a major commercial street. The Unicentro mall is at Cra. 15 and Calle 123.
• Carrera 19 or Avenida 19: another business-heavy avenue great for walking around or taking advantage of its “Ciclo Ruta.”
• Carrera 30 or Avenida NQS: an arterial expressway that funnels traffic from north to south.
• Carrera 68 or Avenida 68: connecting Autopista Norte with Autopista Sur, it’s another high-volume thoroughfare with fast lanes in both directions.
• Carrera 71 or Avenida Boyacá: runs parallel to Avda. 68, connecting Calle 170 with the highway to Villavicencio.

Some main Calles:

• Calle 6 or Avenida de los Comuneros: Starts at Avenida Circunvalar and after passing the Presidential Palace, Downtown, and the Zona Industrial it ends at Avenida de los Americas.
• Calle 13 or Eje Ambiental (also known as Avenida Jimenez): A bustling pedestrian corridor following the course of the San Francisco River, that once provided water to the city.
• Calle 19: Major east-west route starting at the Eje Ambiental and crossing the city to Fontibon.
• Calle 26 or Avenida El Dorado: Another of the city’s “spines,” this highway links the center of the city with the El Dorado International Airport.
• Calle 35 or Avenida La Esperanza: Running mostly through the Salitre district, this street begins in Fontibon and turns into Calle 13 closer to Downtown, crossing three main bridges at Avenida Boyaca, Avenida 68 and Avenida NQS.
• Calle 39: With houses built between 1930 and 1960 and amazing trees, this street zigzags along the Rio Arzobispo through some neighborhoods in the Chapinero and Teusaquillo districts. Great to take a walk into the city’s past.
• Calle 72 or Avenida Chile: Along with the Centro Internacional, this street has become the financial center of the city with large national and international companies headquartered here between carreras 5 and 14, including the National Coffee-Growers Federation with their trademark “Juan Valdez,” and the Colombian Stock Exchange.
• Calle 85: This street takes you from Carrera 7 to the Autopista Norte. Around Carrera 15, there are usually weekend police raids for drunk drivers, so always remember not to drink and drive.
• Calle 100: Starting at Carrera 7 and turning into Avenida 68 around Floresta, this important commercial strip borders the Usaquen, Chapinero, Suba and Barrios Unidos districts. The foreign citizen office of the DAS (the Colombian immigration agency) is located here.
• Calle 116 or Avenida Pepe Sierra: Starting at Carrera 7 where the Hacienda Santa Barbara mall is now located (the former farmhouse of Don Pepe Sierra). The Santa Bárbara and Santa Ana neighborhoods are in this zone. The street also crosses the Autopista Norte.
• Calle 140: This important route from Carrera 7 to Avenida 19 one of my personal favorites. A wide variety of design and furniture stores can be found on this mostly commercial street. Great spot to walk with a latte while making a shopping list to remodel your place.

Photo courtesy of Steven Damron

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 round-trips from Miami.

Those slots were then awarded to “ultra low-cost carrier” Spirit Airlines, which will operate between the much more pleasant Fort Lauderdale airport and El Dorado starting this summer. Glam go-getter JetBlue Airways (seatback TVs, blue corn chips) was also granted permission to fly daily from Orlando. Hopefully these two carriers will usher in a new age of lower fares and better service between the States and Colombia.

Other winners: Delta Air Lines, with a new daily nonstop from New York-JFK to compliment its service from Atlanta, and Continental Airlines, flying daily to Newark and, soon, two dailies to Houston. South Florida can still be accessed via American twice a day to Miami, Chilean-carrier LAN (nice on-board wine and in-flight magazine) with thrice-weekly service; and Colombian flag carrier Avianca, serving both MIA and Fort Lauderdale, as well as JFK and Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy of vayenne7