ABOUT THE AREA
Table of Contents:
 About San Juan
Home to one-third of Puerto Ricans, San Juan is the political economic, and cultural center of the island. It is one of the oldest cities in the Americas. Although San Juan is sprawling metropolis, most of the tourists visit Old San Juan, a 7-square block area that was once enclosed within a wall by the Spanish. Old San Juan was once the most powerful fortress in the Caribbean.
Some of the major attractions in San Juan can be viewed on the map below. These include:
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- El Morro (the main defense site of the fortified city),
- La Princesa (once the most feared prisons in the Caribbean),
- La Fortaleza (home to the governor of Puerto Rico),
- Cuartel de Ballaja (once the military barracks),
- El Convento (once a convent, now a hotel and will be the site for the closing reception on Thursday)
- Catedral de San Juan
- Museo del Arte
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Old San Juan is filled with souvenir shops for trinkets, including the coqui, a frog and ubiquitous symbol for Puerto Rico. There are also galleries and boutiques that
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ABOUT THE CONDADO AREA
Linked to Puerta de Tierra and Old San Juan by a bridge built in 1910, the Condado was once known as the Riviera of the Caribbean. This beach-bordering district is wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and several large inland bodies of water, including the lakelike Los Corozos and Lagunas Condado. Several hotels, restaurants and beaches line the area.
When walking out of the Condado Plaza Hotel, turn left. There are several local restaurants that specialize in cheap seafood and Caribbean/Latin American cuisine. About a 10 minute walk from the hotel is a Pharmacy (across the San Juan Marriott hotel), ice cream parlor, boutiques. There is also a free public access to the beach.
The esplanade along the main avenue in the Condado area is also great for those who want to run or walk. Please do so with caution.
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ABOUT EL YUNQUE NATIONAL FOREST
Located on the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles group, the El Yunque National Forest is the sole tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. The forest’s relatively small 28, 000 acre size belies its importance. It differs significantly from all the other U.S. National Forests because of its year-round tropical climate and immense biodiversity.
The rugged Luquillo Mountains that rise to 3,533 ft. above sea level comprise most of the forest land. Their steep slopes can sometimes receive rainfall of over 200 inches (508 centimeters) at higher elevations! Caressed by gentle easterly winds the forest has an average temperature of 73° F (21° C), and seasonal changes are almost imperceptible. It is the ideal climate for exuberant tropical vegetation. The rain forest is noted for its biodiversity; it is “home” to thousands of native plants including 150 fern species, 240 tree species (88 of these are endemic or rare and 23 are exclusively found in this forest). The El Yunque National Forest has no large wildlife species, but hundreds of smaller animals abound in this gentle forest, many of which exist nowhere else on the planet!!
Each year we welcome about 600,000 visitors from all over the world who come to sample the rain-forest’s eco-tourism pleasures while developing a greater understanding of its ecological importance by walking our many beautiful trails.
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WHERE TO DINE
Puerto Rican cooking is similar to both Spanish and Mexican cuisine. It uses indigenous seasonings and ingredients as coriander, papaya, cacao, and various fruits and tubers. Cocina criolla (Creole cooking) can be traced back to the the original inhabitants of the island, who thrived on a diet of corn, tropical fruit, and seafood. Later, the Spanish added beef, pork, rice, wheat, and olive oil to the island's cuisine.
Appetizers & Soups--Lunch and dinner generally begin with hot appetizers such as bacalaítos, crunchy cod fritters and empanadillas, crescent-shaped turnovers filled with lobster, crab, conch, or beef. Soups are also a popular beginning. There is a debate about whether one of the world's best-known soups, frijoles negros, is Cuban or Puerto Rican in origin. The most traditional Puerto Rican dish is asopao, a hearty gumbo made with either chicken or shellfish.
Main Courses--The aroma that wafts from kitchens throughout Puerto Rico comes from adobo and sofrito -- blends of herbs and spices that give many of the native foods their distinctive taste and color. Pastelon de carne, or meat pies, are the staple of many Puerto Rican dinners. A festive island dish is lechón asado, or barbecued pig, which is usually cooked for a party of 12 to 15. Most visitors to the island prefer the fresh fish and shellfish. A popular dish is mojo isleno (fried fish with Puerto Rican sauce).
The Aroma of Coffee--It is customary for most Puerto Ricans to end a meal with the strong, black aromatic coffee grown here. Originally imported from the nearby Dominican Republic, coffee beans have been produced in the island's high-altitude interior for more than 300 years and still rank among the island's leading exports. You can ask for your brew puya (unsweetened), negrito con azúcar (black and sweetened), cortao (black with a drop of milk), or con leche (with milk).
Rum: Rum is the national drink of Puerto Rico, and you can buy it in almost any shade. The island is the world's leading rum producer.
Below is a list of restaurants (taken from Frommers Puerto Rico) of restaurants in the neighborhood.
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WHERE TO SHOP
Calle San Francisco and Calle del Cristo are the major venues for shopping in Old San Juan. Malls in San Juan are generally open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm, Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Regular stores in town are usually open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm. In Old San Juan many stores are open on Sunday, too.
Native handcrafts can be good buys, including needlework, straw work, ceramics, hammocks, and papier-mâché fruits and vegetables, as well as paintings and sculptures by Puerto Rican artists. Among these, the carved wooden religious idols known as santos (saints) have been called Puerto Rico's greatest contribution to the plastic arts and are sought by collectors. For the best selection of santos, head for Galería Botello, Olé, or Puerto Rican Arts & Crafts.
Puerto Rico's biggest and most up-to-date shopping mall is Plaza Las Américas, in the financial district of Hato Rey, right off the Las Américas Expressway. This complex, with its fountains and modern architecture, has more than 200 mostly upscale shops. The variety of goods and prices is roughly comparable to that of large stateside malls.
Unless otherwise specified, the listed stores can be reached via the Old Town Trolley.
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RELEVANT LINKS
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