Adios A Puerto Rico. Hola Brrrrr.

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006

We awoke early and walked out onto the beach hoping to catch a few more rays of tropical sun but it wasn't to be. Thickening clouds were blocking the sun. When a few drops began to fall we returned to our room and packed up -- our vacation was coming to an end.

Last night we helped Rachel celebrate her 60th birthday at one of the hotel restaurants. It was a lovely dinner and though our company was smaller than planned we had a fun time with great food and drink and lively conversation.


Before dinner, a drink at the hotel bar.


Ollie and Rachel at the birthday dinner.


Here we all are at Rachel's birthday dinner.


Janet and Jane enjoying the conversation.


Penny and Oliver -- good company made for a memorable vacation.


Just Rachel and Janet.


Opening gifts.


Happy Birthday Rachel!

Our vacation was over too quickly. We spent a lovely five days in the warm sunshine of Puerto Rico. Though this was our first trip here, we vowed in wouldn't be our last. We want to return, spend more time and get to really know the country and the people of this Carribbean gem.

We Visit The White House

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006

Well, er, the little White House. Well, um, La Casita Blanca. Hope that got your attention (and the NSA's...you listenin' fellas?)

Tomorrow we leave this island and fly back to the frozen north. We hear it will be in the 50's though so I guess we planned this trip just right: left before the blizzard; returned with moderating temperatures (as they like to say in the trade).

This being our last full day in Puerto Rico, we got tired of lying around doing nothing. Stacey and I decided to see some more local spots. I was intrigued by a restaurant called La Casita Blanca that our guest house host, Esteban, had told us about. It was in the neighborhood called El Barrio Obrero - the Worker's Barrio. "Why is it called that?" I wanted to know. "Well, it's always been a working class neighborhood and so they named it that to reflect its heritage. And it has a great Puerto Rican restaurant there. Even though it's in a regular neighborhood, all the politicans go there, including the Governor and the Mayor. They know good, home-cooked food when they eat it and that's the place to find it."

Oh, OK. That sounded good. We were going to go there last night but when I called to make reservations they told me that during the week they close at 5 o'clock. So we ended up at the fancier (and expensiver) Ajili-Mojili instead.

Taking a taxi (a la The Ritz) would cost us at least 40 dollars round trip. That was a bit incongruous seeing that we were going to lunch in the Worker's Barrio at an inexpensive ristorante típico. We decided to take our old friend, the A5 bus. The stop was right in front of the hotel. The bus came and it was packed to capacity, or so it seemed, with people on their way ... where? Nevertheless, we made our way on with another six people waiting with us, paid our 75 cents and asked to driver to please announce when we approaching Calle Tapia. From there we would walk uphill several blocks to the restaurant.

My friend, Gail, told me recently that when she was 18 and travelled to Puerto Rico she would board a bus and take it to the last stop. Didn't matter where it was going. That was how she got to meet people and seek out different places. And, indeed, the bus ride was a wonderful experience as the bus was filled with a fabulous melange of people: young, old, black, white, tourists, locals, etc. One thing we were thankful for though: it was air conditioned. A nice thing to have on a crowded bus in 85 degree weather.


The A5 arrives but it's so crowded that we debated boarding. We did, along with six others who had been waiting with us.


A fabulous mix of people on our crowded bus. So glad we avoided the taxi.

I thought for sure that the driver would not remember to announce our stop. I was wrong. We had a map and knew approximately where to get off (it was near our old guest house of several days ago and we knew the neighborhood ... sort of). I was wrong. Amidst all the crowding, the chaos, the entering and leaving, his voice rang out loud and clear: "Calle Tapia." I gave him a hearty "muchas gracias", upon leaving and reflected on just how gracious and friendly we have found the people of Puerto Rico to be. On second reflection, most people are nice everywhere you go - just be nice to them. They're always nice back.

We walked up hill through this working-class neighborhood. The houses were neat and taken care of. It was clear that wealthy peple did not live here. Not even what we would call "middle-class" in the States. But the houses were well taken care of and there was definitely a pride-of-ownership reflected in home after home as we walked along.

Finally we arrived at La Casita. This was an adorable place and we were immediately glad that we were having lunch here instead of eating $14 hamburgers at the Ritz's pool.


Our destination!


We waited for a few minutes in this front room before being seated on a side porch. There were several rooms, a garden and a terrace upstairs as well.

Waiting for us at our table were some cod fritters, garlic bread and two hot cups of homemade chicken soup (which I have come to love). A chalk-board menu was placed alongside our table and a nice, young waiter offered some translation (my Spanish is pretty good but not when it comes to the name of various dishes).


The Blogger gets some of his favorite Puerto Rican chicken soup (and it's on the house - gratis!)


A Valentine's Day toast at La Casita Blanca.


The lunch menu. Stacey had Salmonejo Juyes (a crab concoction that was out of this world). I had Camarones a la Criolla (Shrimp Creole) that was also very good. Served with beans, rice with squid, fried plantains, etc., etc., and Oy Vey!


Enjoying the good life at the Little White House.

We had a great lunch at La Casita Blanca. Better than that, the experience reinforced the old adage: when you travel you have get out and meet the people, else you're wasting your time.

In other words, the beach, the pool, the hotel, great weather -- nice.

Taking a bus with a hundred other San Juaneros and eating at one of their cherished restaurants -- priceless!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

In my next post - Rachel's birthday party. Our last night in San Juan.

From The Guest House To The Ritz

Monday, Feb 13, 2006

We got here on Friday and it's already Tuesday. On Sunday, we called our taxi driver, Andres Mateo (he had given us his card and said to call him when we needed a taxi. He was from the Dominican Republic. "There are more Dominicans here than Puerto Ricans.")

In a few minutes, (everthing is pretty close together in San Juan), he brought us to Isla Verde (on the outskirts of San Juan, out near the airport) and our new hotel, the Ritz Carlton. Here, we were to be the guests of our dear friends, Rachel Walker and her husband, Oliver John. Rachel was celebrating her 60th in grand style and wanted to share it with friends.

The Ritz was very different from our Ocean Park digs. We loved the Andalucia Guest House. It was definitely economy style. But it was in a neighborhood of real people, with local shops and interesting restaurants and cafes.

Here we were now in the heart of the American-style hotel district. Thehotel contained every amenity you could possibly imagine ... and more. Most people at the Ritz and the other posh hotels, it seemed to us, never venture out. They swim, sun, shop and dine here, and so we thought, why bother travelling at all? You could be anywhere. Of course the answer is -- it's the weather, stupid! Being here since Friday, we've had perfect weather every single day. One five-minute downpour. Otherwise, blue skies, puffy white clouds, temperatures in the 80's, gentle Atlantic breezes.


The view from our beach chairs. It doesn't get much better than this for pure, mindless R&R.


Looking west down the Atlantic coast.

We got to the Ritz at 12:30. Of course, our room was not ready. So we checked our luggage, changed to our bathing suits and set ourselves up at the pool. A couple of hours, drinks and a tuna burger later, our room was still not ready. Why? The storm of 2006. Flights cancelled. People stranded. A messy situation, to say the least. On top of that, where were our friends? Rachel and Ollie were coming from Dominica -- no snow there (but they were very late anyway - airline delays). But most others in our party were all coming from the northeast! As it turned out they never did arrive; not even the next day or ever. Airports were closed but even the next day, flights were so backed up that the others finally decided to cancel (thinking it not worth a long flight for one night in Paradise). The only ones to finally come were Rachel's sister, Janet, and her partner, Jane (and they finally arrived Tuesday!) For them it was worth it -- they flying down to Dominica after this stay and spend more time there.

Dinner that night was at Ruth's Chris steak house -- coming from Dominica, where they live a good part of the year, Rache and Oliver were in the mood for a "real steak," hard to get down there. So we walked over to the Intercontinental for dinner.


The pool at the Ritz-Carlton. The ocean beach is just a few steps beyond.

The next day, Stacey and I hung out on the beach. The others, Rachel, Oliver and their Dominican friend, Penny, visited with us but weren't interested in lying around. We found them later in the hotel's beachside cafe. As we approached, Ollie shouted to us from the cafe's porch: "Hey, Matt! Look who's coming!" As we walked in, who was walking out? Ronnie Woods of the Rolling Stones (they were in town for a concert and were staying at the Ritz) almost bumped into us (along with his smiling, but very large, body guards). "Hey, how are you," I said casually. And I got a nice hello back from the superstar. The buzz and excitement in the cafe was electric. I asked everyone if they wanted my autograph, but it wasn't me they were oohing and aahing. Oh well. No pictures of the star, either. I wanted to keep my camera in one piece. Blogger, yes. Aggressive paparazzo, no.


Rachel and Oliver at the Ritz's beachside cafe.

Penny wanted to do some shopping. Specifically, she was looking for an American-style mall (no such thing in under-developed Dominica). There were only a couple of mini-malls in this neighborhood, so Stacey and I escorted her on a walk down Avenida de Isla Verde in search of some shops.


Penny and Stacey on our way to look for shops.

At night we dined in the Condado area at a hot restaurant featuring Puerto Rican food - Ajili Mojili. The name refers to Ajo (Garlic) and Mojito - a tasty sauce of garlic and olive oil used in Puerto Rican cuisine. Dishes included deep-fried Red Snapper, Mofongo (a classic Puerto Rican dish: mashed plaintains that are stuffed with various foods, in this case shrimp and lobster chunks -- yum!)


Waiting for a taxi to take us to Ajili Mojili in the Condado area.


The waiters wear cool white hats and the lovely room looks out at San Juan's lagoon. The food was great too.


The Restaurant Ajili-mojili.

After dinner we strolled Avenida Ashford with its lovely shops and restaurants. A full moon had risen above the Atlantic and the cool breeze coming off the water was delightful. When we tired of walking, a taxi whisked us back to the Ritz.

Beautiful.

•••••••••••••••

In tomorrow's blog (make sure not to miss it) - we take a bus to the Barrio Obrero (Worker's Barrio - a neighborhood) for lunch at the famous La Casita Blanca (The Little White House). This seems to be turning into a dining blog. So what else is new?

Sorry Folks --- It Didn't Snow Here At All.

Saturday Feb 10, 2006

Cable news was full of the impending (and by now, the actual) blizzard in the northeast. Here, in San Juan, the images on the boob tube had an other-worldly feel. After all, it was summer here. How could it be snowing anywhere?

This was a day to get out and explore the historic center of the city -- Old San Juan - Viejo San Juan. Nowhere, it is said, can one get to feel the reality of the era of the Spanish empire and the conquistadores. It is a beautiful city indeed, very European and Spanish in its form and content. Since the 1970's many millions of dollars have been poured into the area to renovate this beautiful historic district.

We took a self-guided walking tour courtesy of Frommer's website available on my Treo smartphone. Emeo, our guest house host, told us to take the Number Five bus a short block away on Avenida Loiza. But we didn't see one coming so we headed east on foot, keeping one eye behind us in search of the bus. The bus is 75¢, exact change, but on Saturday, the sign said, it runs only every 30 minutes. Walking was more fun anyway - we get to feel the neighborhood and the ambience, explore the local shops and cafes. It would be way too far to walk all the way to the old city, but we ended up walking a couple of miles on the way there.

We sat for a while in a cafe. Oh my! A few seconds ago it was clear skies and beautiful sun. Now it was pouring. This lasted about three minutes though and then the sun was out again and stayed for the remaineder of the day.


Sitting in a sidewalk cafe, we worriedly watch a sudden downpour. Fortunately it ended in just a few minutes.

We walked on and when we finally got tired of walking we queued up at una parada (bus stop) waiting for the bus. A long wait ensued but we struck up a conversation with a mother and daughter from the NY area and passed the time pleasantly.

The bus took us to its very last stop. "All off for Old San Juan", announced the driver. We had ridden opposite an elderly Puerto Rican woman, a very pleasant and friendly lady who spoke not a word of English but who wanted to talk to everyone else on the bus, tourists and natives. An English-speaking-only tourist sat down next to her. Immediately the old one struck up a conversation. Never mind her partner couldn't understand her. On she went and by means of some sign language, facial expressions and a little help from neighbors, made herself known. She was very proud of the fact that she could ride the bus for free, she being beyond the grand age of 75.

By the time we reached the old town, it was 1:30 and time for lunch. So we found a cute looking cafe on a beautiful square - Plaza Colon. In the shade of one of San Juan's fortified old Castillos, the square, one of San Juan's largest, was alive with people, traffic, shops and taxis waiting for fares.


Lunch at the D'Latino Fever cafe on Plaza Colon.


The cool, dark and welcoming interior of the D'Latino Fever cafe.

Satisfied with some good Puerto Rican grub (I tried a delicious plantain stuffed with chopped meat, preceded by a wonderful plantain and bean soup spiked with lots of cilantro. This was washed down with the local beer, Medalla), we set off on our walking tour. We headed to El Paseo de La Princesa, a lovely esplanade that wraps around the peninsula that defines the old town, affording fabulous views of the San Juan Bay, the Atlantic ocean and the mountains to the west. At the point where it turns was a wonderful, large bronze fountain, Raices (Roots), sculpted in 1992 by the Spanish artist Luís Sanguino. It depicts the Amerindian, African, and Spanish origins of Puerto Rico as human figures, with dolphins cavorting at their feet.


Raices - Roots.


The Raices fountain on La Princesa - cavorting dolphins (and, today, kids too).


El Paseo de la Princesa - a beautiful walk along la Bahia de San Juan with wonderful shade, courtesy of ancient banyon trees.


The view of San Juan Bay from Paseo de La Princesa.

The promenade follows the path of Viejo San Juan's old city walls, built to keep out invaders. At the base of the walls today are beautiful plants and palms. I can imagine that it's a lovely place to stroll or just sit and set the sun as it disappears behind the western mountains of Puerto Rico.


Beautiful flowers and projected shadows of the palms along the old city walls.

Eventually we left the Paseo and entered the old town through the original main portal of the city walls. Here were quaint, cobbled, narrow and shaded streets lined with lovely homes. In the distance stood La Forteleza, the centuries-old Governor's mansion. As we climbed these steeply-inclined streets we got view after view of the bay in the distance. Today we enjoy these grand vistas of beautiful scenery. But back then the city was located high up to afford vistas of attacking British, French or Dutch navies. The history of San Juan was one of subjugation of the native population by Spain and then endless wars to preverve Spanish domination.


The Plazuela de la Rogativa with a view of the Governor's mansion - La Forteleza - in the distance. The statue commemorates a battle with the British who, seeing an approaching relgious procession, thought it was Spanish military reinforcements and fled in disarray.

We continued walking up a steep, cobbled ramp. When we reached the top of the hill we were greeted by an incredible sight: the famous Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, also known as "El Morro." This massive fort was built in the late 1500's and the fortress walls here were designed as part of a network of defenses that made San Juan La Ciudad Murada (the Walled City). One attempt after another was made by various countries to unseat the Spanish from their prized city, but each failed, due to the impregnable El Morro. We approached the fortress across a vast field. On each side was water: the Atlantic to the north, the Bay to the south. This vantage gave the Spanish a 360° view of any approaching enemies.


Walking around a corner El Morro came into view - massive and impregnable even to our modern eyes. Click the picture for a large version of this panoramic photo.


Hard to capture in photos, the fort here is viewed from far away and sits at the very end of the headland protecting the old, walled city of San Juan.


Looking back to the old town from the fortress - the old colonial buildings and the Bay of San Juan. What a great place for a bike ride, no?

We continued on route from one quaint plaza to the next and finally arrived at a lovely little square featuring the statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, cast in New York from captured English cannons during a battle in 1797. Here also was one of the oldest places of Christian worship in the New World, the ancient Iglesia de San José. Some cute cafes and restaurants lined the plaza's periphery.


Say hello to Ponce and the ancient Iglesia de San Jose, perhaps the oldest Christian church in the Western Hemisphere.

Just why this conquistador is honored with a statue is a puzzle when one reads the story (courtesy of Wikopedia) behind his appointment by the Spanish crown as Governor of Puerto Rico in 1509:

In 1508, Ponce de León founded the first settlement in Puerto Rico, Caparra (later relocated to San Juan). He was greeted with open arms by the Taino, Cacique and Agueybana, and quickly gained control of the island. As a result, Ponce de Leon was named Governor of Puerto Rico in 1509. Ponce de León and the other conquistadors forced the Tainos to work in the mines and to construct fortifications. The Tainos subsequently died in great numbers after exposure to the European diseases the sailors brought with them and to which the natives had no immunity. Ponce de León, however, became rich while serving as Governor.

Ponce went on to "discover" Florida and is probably the first European to set foot on what is now the United States. The story about the Fountain of Youth was a fiction that seemed to surface in tales written years later in the 1560's. Actually in 1513, dismissed as Governor by the Spanish crown in favor of Columbus's son, Diego, Ponce sought a spiritual rebirth of fame, fortune and glory (by exploring and discovering Florida, said by the Indians to be a land rich in gold, slaves and land). It was that spiritual renewal he was searching for, not a physical rebirth brought on by drinking magical waters, that motivated his two trips to Florida. The second of those voyages won the conqueror, not glory but a poison arrow in his butt which was followed shortly by death in Havana, Cuba.

Juan Ponce de Leon's body is entombed in the ancient Catedral de San Juan, which was next on our tour. This has been restored to its former grandeur and today, as we entered to explore it we were surprised to find that a beautiful wedding was just ending.


The beautifully restored Catedral de San Juan - where Ponce De Leon is entombed.


This wedding was ending just as we entered the cathedral to have a look around.


"Say queso everyone!"

Frommer promised a "two hour" tour, but hastened to add that that would be "without stops." We started after lunch at two and now it was well after five. Everything always takes longer than you think it will. We hired a taxi after negotiating the price and were driven back to our hotel. Joseph was calling for us at seven for dinner in a local restaurant, Metropol. That turned out to be a wonderful and authentic experience. The place was packed with local San Juaneros and the food was inexpensive and wonderful. It was the perfect ending to a very full and exciting day.

¡Puerto Rico - Me Encanta!

Feb 9, 2006

We escaped from New York this morning at 5:00 a.m. It was 25 degrees when Thomas, our driver, called for us to take us to JFK. We were escaping the frozen north for warmer climes - Puerto Rico. Our friend Rachel, celebrating her 60th birthday, invited some friends to join her in San Juan. We didn't hesitate a moment. We said farewell (again) to Pumpkin (our cat) and flew away, knowing that a possible blizzard was to arrive in New York in just a day or two.

Some four hours later we debarked our Delta jet in a warm and beautiful Puerto Rico. We were a world away. A taxi took us on a short ride to the Ocean Park section of San Juan and the Andalucia Guest House on McLeary Street.


The Andalucia Guest House in San Juan.

Emeo, our host at this sweet and modest guest house, was very friendly and filled us in on our new neighborhood. He explained how to catch a bus to Old San Juan and the fancier hotel zone , just west of the neighborhood where our hotel was located. We weren't meeting Rachel and the others until Sunday, at which time we would switch to the Ritz Carlton. Stacey and I arrived a few days earlier and we reserved the Andalucia as a less expensive alternative, wanting to explore the island a bit on our own and stay in a "real" neighborhood, the better to savor a more genuine Puerto Rico than we might not get to see in the posh resort in El Condado later on.

We unpacked. It was one o'clock (an hour later than New York as Puerto Rico is in the Atlantic time zone) and headed out to Kasalta, a well-known Puerto Rican restaurant, just down the block from our place. This was a great local diner filled with neighborhood residents and workers from the area. I had a soup and half-sandwich special: delicious chicken soup and pernil (roast pork). Stacey had a chicken salad platter. Nice!


Even though it was really hot outside, I still wanted to try a bowl of Kasalta's Puerto Rican chicken soup -- and it was worth it! Delicioso!


The busy scene at Kasalta, a well-known diner down the street from our guest house.


Stacey crosses McLeary Street after lunch at Kasalta.

Having our first taste of the local cuisine, we returned to our guest house and changed for the beach. Part of the lower price of Andalucia was that it was not on the water but a block or so from the beach. No problem. We walked to the corner, opened a gate - many of the neighborhoods (not to mention all of the homes, are gated. Puerto Rico is poor (more on that later) and there is crime, so ... the gates. On the other side of the gate was a lovely neighborhood with wonderful houses on tree-lined streets leading to a magnificent, white and wide beach on the Atlantic. Brilliant blue skies, warm and gentle water and breezes -- we were in paradise.


Our beautiful beach stretched on for miles -- in the distance is the Condado hotel district with its posh hotels and high rises. We preferred our quiet and low-rise Ocean Park neighborhood.


This bathing beauty posed for me on the beach near our hotel.

We lay on the beach for several hours -- that wasn't hard to do. You could feel the chill of New York's winter just draining away. When we returned to the guest house, we decided to take a walk to find some wine so we headed over to the 24-hour Walgreens but wine is not sold in drug stores here. We were given directions to a Cash And Carry store "just five minutes away". The five minutes were more like 35 minutes and the long walk gave us a picture of the "other" Puerto Rico. The one with grinding unemployment and pervasive poverty. This was the country that most visiting Americans don't get to see. It was quite amazing, the stark contrast between the hotel zone with its fancy American stores, restaurants, Starbucks cafes and manicured streets and this area along Calle Loiza with rundown, litter strewn, decaying apartment complexes and stores that looked more like prisons, given the amount of security personnel that roamed the aisles. Instead of welcoming their customers they seemed to be in fear of them.

Clearly then, this was the legacy of the 108 years of American domination of this island. Thus was created the two Puerto Ricos - on one side, the harsh reality of colonial subjugation that caused the great immigration to New York and beyond in search of opportunity and jobs. On the other side, the posh playground for visiting cruise ships and thousands of tourists. The age-old promise, made by the developers and their politicians, is that these resorts will bring jobs and a decent standard of living but that has never been the case as wide-spread poverty for most Puertoriqueños is still the reality of life today.

After our long walk, Stacey made a few drinks for us and we slipped into the small courtyard jacuzzi. An almost full moon had risen but the sun had not yet set at 6 o'clock. We were meeting an old friend, Joe Scammacca, for drinks at eight but time seemed to move slower down here. We let go of our fast-paced New York rushing behavior and sat back in the hot tub and relaxed.


Back at our hotel - a late afternoon jacuzzi session before dinner.

•••••••••••

Joe picked us up a few minutes before eight. We met Joseph Scammacca in 1985. He was a contractor who had worked for us many times at our house in Manhattan Beach. A sweet and gentle man with a soft-spoken demeanor, Joseph was from Argentina but had settled in Brooklyn and was well-known to Manhattan Beach residents for his dedication and skill and artistic sense of design and construction. Over the years we had come to admire him not only for his work but as a person and a friend. He had told us, years ago, that he was buying a condo in San Juan, so I thought we would give him a ring and arrange to meet him. Even though we liked Joe so much, we had never had the opportunity in all those years to socialize or even to meet his wife, Lil.

Joseph drove us the short ride back to his neighborhood: Isla Verde, an upscale section of San Juan known for its apartment-condos, fancy hotels, beautiful beaches and great dining spots.


Joe, Lil, and their visiting friend, Dora with Stacey on the terrace of their Isla Verde condo.


Joseph has re-discovered his love of painting. Here he shows his work to Stacey as Lil looks on. One of his paintings hangs on the wall and many have been sold in local galleries.

After a quick tour of their apartment, our hosts took us across the street to the exquisite lobby of the 1930's El San Juan Hotel for some drinks and a snack. We grabbed a table in a cafe at the edge of the grand hall, sat around, watched the excitement and had a fun time reliving old experiences and hearing about their new life in Puerto Rico. Joseph and Lil still have a small apartment in Brooklyn so they spend summer up north and the rest of the year down here. Not bad.


Joesph, Stacey and Dorita at the El San Juan Hotel.


The beautiful lobby of the El San Juan hotel, built in the 1930's, it has Spectacular Spanish-style wood ceilings and walls with intricate engraving.

We drove back to our guest house - tired but happy. It had been a lovely first day in Puerto Rico. We planned a dinner outing with our friends for the next evening. Very tired, we fell asleep instantly.