This is the 6943rd most frequent Spanish word.
downtown
The central area or business district of a city.
In this sentence, 'al centro' (to the downtown) signifies a location within the city where important places, such as shops and offices, are typically concentrated.
¿Quieres ir al centro esta tarde?
Do you want to go downtown this afternoon?
Here, 'en el centro' is used to describe the area where the business shop is located, emphasizing its central city location.
El negocio en el centro cierra a las ocho.
The shop in downtown closes at eight.
This sentence uses 'en el centro' to refer to the downtown area as a commonly busy and congested part of the city.