Fascination of Puerto-Rican capital
The city of San-Juan proper has a population of about half of million, but within the vicinity live and work some two million people, about half the total population of the island. San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital and major seaport, plus its manufacturing, financial, cultural and tourism center.
View of new San Juan
Most visitors are familiar with the oceanfront Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde areas with their resorts, guesthouses and fine places to dine. Santurce is home to art museums, a performing arts center, offices, shops, restaurants and theaters. Hato Rey is known for its many banks, the 18 000-seat Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean – American Plaza.
“American Plaza”
One good way to get a glimpse of the city is to take a ride on the Urban Train that glides along a 10.7-mile route across the city. Each of its 16 architecturally interesting stations hosts fine examples of urban art.
Now I’m gonna tell you about my trip to supermarket of electronics BestBuy. Departure point was pier. Not just a pier, but real cruise terminal with trading, escalators, mirrors, customs checkpoints and other attributes of modern seaport.
In contrast to bilingual Miami, here English hadn’t any chance. Signboards, pointers, roadsigns were in Spanish . But taxi driver, which was waiting by the entrance, knew how to say digits and other basic words in English. For 25$ he agreed to take us to closest electronic store.
New San Juan
Streets of the city were quite nice. Wide sea-front street, houses of new types, traditional American marking and posh tropical fauna pleased my eyes. I’d like to say that San Juan seemed like most developed, large and modern city in the Caribbean.
Road junctions in San – Juan
We were driving along the ocean by fantastic road junctions without any allusion to traffic jam. There were plenty building sites and only fancy cars, but streets were not as neat as in Miami . There was a quaint metal sea-horse . Far away on the horizon in the foggy haze I observed mountains. Driving that way we got to the store in 20 minutes.
Metal sea-horse, San Juan
Everything were in Spanish there: Price-lists, staff, catalogs. For me as for Eastern European assortment seemed amazing. It’s not easy to describe all wonders present there . But personnel had some problems with English, and with discipline also. Young girls and guys in presence of customers could afford themselves to chat together. Maybe, management was on the break.
Best Buy, supermarket of electronics
After we bought everything it was extremely hard to catch a taxi . Pedestrians were not around at all (all people have their own cars), and noone wanted to get some extra money. Finally, one of the local inhabitants pointed a route to the bank, where taxi stop was located. Its interesting that bank placed five automatic cash terminals together.
Our way back was not short, but we overpassed it smoothly and with comfort under the funny sounds of Puerto – Rican radio . Driver was the same man; I’ve got a feeling that he was watching us. On one crossroad my opinion regarding San Juan became worse – I saw rotted corpse of big rat.
Other day I desided to take a walk around the old city. Sea-front Boulevard was very busy because of presence of our vessel in the port. Commerce wasn’t so deafening as in Mexico, for example, but still remained. By the luxurious banks and hotels, tavernas and squares there were many parrot owners, beggars, masked statues; coaches with horses were moving slowly and significantly. Moving by the along the seacoast I noticed plenty of splendid trees; one of them was exceptionally enormous. There were many fontains and monuments around, that place reminded me Primorskiy bouleward in Odessa in summertime, but more neat .
On the street in the capital of Puerto-Rico
Then I decided to turn inside the city. Architechture and planning were making impression: 2-3 level houses, narrow cobble-stoned lanes, slim tall palms, even shops on the cutted off corners, all intensified impression that I’m now in my native city. Dates on the buildings testified that city was built during 16-19 centuries, that’s why there were few architectural styles mixed here. Glamorous BMW and Chryslers on the roads, where only one car could pass at the time, were looking very unusual. I paid my attention to the one of the houses – they were very funny.
Puerto-Rican balcony
Local girls deserved separate mentioning. I tried to capture video with some comments but one of them outruned me, from unexpectedness I lost ability to speak and let my camera to shoot smooth swinging of the buttocks under the white nylon skirt. I can confidently claim that local creols much more attractive than any Afro-Americans or Mexicans.
Moving this way by the narrow lane, I came to the enormous slope, which was sliding down to the sea. From this side of the sea it was possible to shoot new part of The Pirates of the Caribbean. I could see a castle in good condition (”Fort San-Cristobal”), whose walls amplified already forbidding rocky shore. Surfs coloured azure sea with white border by the coast.
Puerto-Rican stronghold
Basketball ground and ghetto
Under the fortifications, straight by the water, I observed real ghetto – covered with vegetation and graffity crude one-level hovels. Teenagers were playing there and somewhy I didn’t had any desire to get there. Wooden posts were looking very ugly . On the top of the slope there was a school which contrasted a lot with other houses.
School in San Juan
Than medieval stronghold was standing in front of us. Powerful stony line of defense became as a single whole together with sidewalks. Between them and embrasures there was a short-cutted brown lawn. After I tried to come inside of the one loophole I had to jump back because smell there was awful – many travellers made their needs there.
In the corner entrance arc was located. Plackard was telling – “National Historical Site Fort San-Cristobal”. Unfortunately, I hadn’t enough time, and I just made a look at exit surroundings.
Classical stone bridge followed to massive gates, which were switching to walls, ascents and descents and other communications. There were plenty diffirent caution signs everywhere with translation into English.
San-Cristobal inside
Business part of old San Juan
Then my route was across the heart of old city. State institutions, monuments were edged with luxuriant tropical vegetation. Also I’d like to note high tower with clock and long green lizard on the highway.
What can I say in the end? San Juan is a modern southern city with Latin romantics and American level of life. Wonderful place, where under tropical sun easy to forget about everyday vanity and global economical crisis. San Juan is kind of city which you can in a day, or you can live here in a lifetime and always find something new.
Building of a bank in Puerto-Rico
