Aneya & Lauren: The Metro.

Aneya: So I obviously didn't take this shot, but it's great! It's at the Universidad Catholica stop, and you can see the flat screen TV, and the beautiful wall art above. Look how high that ceiling is!
Aneya: This is the colorful Bellas Artes metro stop, close to our house.
Aneya: This is too cute. This whole wall in covered in pictures of trees, drawn by kids.
Aneya: Again in Bellas Artes, super clean, and super empty!
Aneya: Lauren and I made the mistake of coming down here one day, not realizing it was an underground mall, not a metro! It's also a walkway to cross the huge Alameda street, above.
Aneya: This is at La Moneda, the financial district (the official government building is also located here).
Aneya: Again, at La Moneda, with it's beautiful wall art.

Aneya: There was an article recently in the New York Times about the brand new metro system that had just been built in New Dehli. It was clean, modern, was built on time and within budget. It was an all out success. But most importantly, it demonstrated a new economic stability and growth in a country controlled by a corrupt government with huge social inequalities. And I couldn't help but think of the impressive metro system here, in Santiago.

Lauren: The metro here is amazing. I am pretty well-versed in public transportation, and these metros are so fantastic, especially compared to the ones in LA. You walk up to a bus or train station and there is always a bus/train headed your way. They're so frequent, clean, and there's really impressive public art. It's fantastic.

Aneya: A well functioning, modern metro system really does say a lot about a city. And Santiago has one of the best underground systems I've ever seen. It's easy to use and understand, you never use coins, always your Bip! Card, which can be recharged at the ticket counter. There are policemen watching at every corner, making sure you're not jumping over the barriers. They're strict here, and the metros are always spotless.

Lauren: They're so nice, that everyone is always on them -- all the time. They're so packed, and not air conditioned, the one thing LA trains have. But they're so frequent there's almost no way you can use the "I'm late because I missed my bus/train" because they are always coming and speeding away. The design of the metro is really impressive. The lines are like the spokes of a wheel with the different lines meeting in Centro. It's a very efficient way to get around.

Aneya: Some metro stops have beautiful wall art (Like at La Moneda and Universidad Catholica, above) and they all have flat screen TVs for people to watch while they wait the 2 minutes until the next car shows up. Usually some 90s pop star is singing old school hits (Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, U2) there's also the occasinal Taylor Swift song. Right after the earthquake, the TVs had seminars on how to relax, decompress, breathe deeply, because everyone was so stressed out.

Lauren: I could not believe those TVs weren't stolen or vandalized! They are so nice. It is so funny to see what they have playing on them. Shania and U2 are big hits on the metro.

Aneya: The place is always packed, of course, and it can get hot and sweaty, when you're jammed up against the door, but it's all good. You get off soon enough. And people always give their seat up to elderly women, or moms traveling with kids. Everyone is very considerate.

Lauren: People are so nice on the metro, and you can always see people giving up their seats. It's so considerate.

Aneya: One thing I've noticed is how huge the metros are here. They were built fairly recently and are therefore extremely modern, some have 4 separate levels, complete with many escalators, elevators and stairs. The ceilings are high, and square, not low and round, like the ones in Europe. Even the metro in New York is a lot lower, and dingier.

Lauren: Daniela actually told me that they bought all their trains used from France and Japan, which explains why they are so nice and modern, and there are different types of metros. Some are blue, and some are red and white. I am so glad we've had such an efficient metro system!

Aneya: In any case, the metro is a real life saver for someone like us, sans car. We like taking the bus too, especially in the summer when it was scorching hot underground. But the metro never fails, it never takes you too far or won't let you get off, like the bus. It's reliable, and I like that.

-- Aneya & Lauren