Usaquen ("Oos-ah-KEN") is an upscale barrio which was once a separate community from the rest of the city, and now is part of northern Bogota. A major intersection is Calle 116 with Cra. 7 but it goes farther west, possibly as far as Cra. 30. We settled in this area when we moved to Colombia, partly due to the safety, the similarity to parts of Toronto and Ottawa, and the proximity to shopping, parks, restaurants, and major arteries in and out of town, plus the expat presence, Usaquen being the home of the Canadian Embassy.

It's on the bottom slopes of the mountain range on the east side of Bogota, so looking east you see forests and up on the hillside, part of the town of La Calera. Usaquen is dominated by the Usaquen square, with the beautiful old Santa Barbara church, a small park/square, and loads of boutique shops and restaurants. Near the church square is the lovely Hacienda Santa Barbara, a rambling Spanish home that was converted into a commercial center, including a hotel, business offices, and a sprawling boutique mall. Every flight of stairs to the next half level or around a corner, a surprising garden or patio area is hidden. This is how the entire community is: behind every block, around every corner, is a little gem of a green space waiting to be discovered.

Also notable for this area is the Usaquen Flea Market, although I would rather say it's an artisan's market. The majority of it is held Sundays and holidays in a large parking lot several blocks north of the Church. The more "flea" market part is along the streets a few block south of the parking lot and closer to the Hacienda. Also near the Hacienda on most afternoons of the week, you find buskers and artists displaying their crafts or playing their music on street corners and on blankets and in makeshift tarp stalls. You can buy anything from quality emeralds and local copal (young amber) to hand-made jewelery and leather goods to art being painted before your eyes to vinyl records, DVDs, and CDs, and of course the ubiquitous made-in-China scarves and clothing that every second vendor seems to sell. Always haggle for a good price - I think it's a point of pride for the vendors, to haggle well and have fun doing so.

I haven't wandered west of the biggest mall in this barrio, Unicentro (exactly the same as any shopping center in North America), so I can't speak for what the rest of Usaquen is like. Dominated by apartment buildings, shops, parks, and restaurants, no doubt, and I hear there's a golf course or country club somewhere here. It's a good, if pricey, place to live. If you're just visiting for a couple of days, it's got a few sights worth seeing but mostly come here for the restaurants and the Market, and save time for the tourist stuff or shopping nearer the Centro and La Candalaria.