Just about every city in South America has a Plaza Bolívar — named for Simon Bolívar, the “George Washington of South America” — and the one in Caracas is all the more distinguished since the hero is said to have been born in this city. Sadly, with the hazardous conditions here these days, this “original” Plaza Bolívar is more or less off limits, but travelers can pay their respects nearby in the picturesque 16th-century neo-colonial town of El Hatillo which has been engulfed by greater Caracas into a popular arts and crafts suburb.

Up in the hills, just about 10 miles southeast of the risky city center, El Hatillo is a charming throwback with colorful houses lining narrow winding streets, and its own Plaza Bolívar surrounded by cafés and shops and the historic whitewashed parish church. Locals flock there on weekends — to browse for antiques and sample the wide array of available cuisines. Alone worth a visit is Hannsi, a vast crafts shop chock full of handiwork from all regions of the country, intricate wood carvings, ferocious masks, woven hammocks, painted dishes, creative baskets and other “must” souvenirs to bring home.