When you're on the street in downtown, you don't get the sensation that this is one of the murder and kidnap capitals of the world. It's a dense city, the buildings and plots are smaller, the pace of life overall is a bit slower, though people still hustle to make a living. "No dar papaya" means not to make yourself a target; follow that advice and you'll have a great time.

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A panoramic view: downtown; far left.	Center.	Far right.
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This is in the business district of downtown, where the Desfile de Silleteros passed through.	Medellí has many works of public art in the downtown area.	Just before the Desfile passed by, the informal economy was in full view.
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Jorge Eliecer Gait´n's assassination in 1948 set off the ten years known as la violencia, in which tens of thousands died across the country.	"We are the party of life" - graffiti from the Colombian Communist Party. Graffiti from both the PCC and the AUC, the paramilitaries, could be seen in various parts of town.	A general strike was called for the Wednesday following the Desfile, but in Medellín it had little effect. In Bogot´a and Cartagena there were reports of scattered confrontations with the police.
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A typical commercial boulevard. Note the mixed-use development.	A typical residential neighborhood, in which you can generally also find a plethora of neighborhood shops of all kinds.	The oldest church in the city, dating back to the late 18th century.
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We had lunch in a "typical Antioqueño" restaurant which served an excellent bandeja paisa.	Yours truly having lunch.	A neighborhood street will typically have many little shops and restaurants mixed among the houses.