Plaza de Lourdes — Attraction in Bogota, Capital District

This is not your popular landmark of Bogotá. There are a lot of street vendors and a Catholic Church. Other than that there several Cafés around the Church's square. Some are LGBT Cafés. Many people come here to get handcrafted jewelry made by the hippies who sell in the square and many people also come to get some illegal recreational substances, too. There are a lot of traditional restaurants nearby like "La Navarra" where you can eat paella. Another important place is ONLY where you can buy cheap clothes. Your mind will.be blown once you get into the five stores building and see the way the get your purchase from...

I remember this place since childhood, and it hasn't lost its charm. It's still a gathering place for everyone. It's surrounded by interesting and competitive business, maybe not to everyone's taste. The zone can be a little wild, messy and loud, the traffic on Avenue 13th is mad and there could be some safety issues. In summary, they could invest in making it more "user friendly", but I guess that would make it a lot less "supplier friendly", more "exclusive, and therefore drive out most of it's traditional or characteristic...

If you are in Bogota make a point to visit here. The church h is beautiful and the plaza dates back to turn of the last century. Always something going on in the plaza, street performers and vendors. On one side of the plaza a couple of decent restaurants and a bakery and on the other side a series of sketchy bars. Weird juxtaposition next to an important catholic cathedral. Always full of pedestrians and officeworkers for lunch and a break. Good people...