A couple of weeks ago, one of my Twitter acquaintances (@retroguy777) asked me: “As a solo traveller, where should I go next?” This of course begged two follow-up questions from me, which were: “Where have you been before?” and “What are your interests?” He replied that his interests were “history, urban setting, architecture” and that [...]

When I traveled to San Juan last winter, I did what most tourists do–visited the forts of El Morro and San Cristobal.  These were the outposts of protection for the island of San Juan against attacks by sea and by land, respectively.  I enjoy touring historic sites whether I’m traveling with others or not, but [...]

One of my goals for my trip to San Juan was to try mofongo, a local dish made of mashed plantains.  I was finally able to do this one night when I had dinner at Raices, a restaurant on Recinto Sur Street which was recommended to me by both locals and a tourist and seems [...]

Eating nothing but Puerto Rican cuisine in Puerto Rico was a goal at which I failed miserably.  There were two nights at the Caribe Hilton when I didn’t feel like taking  a cab somewhere for dinner.  On one of those nights, I had hoped to make new friends at either the Oasis bar or the [...]

I just want to go on record as saying that, even though I am a (guilty) carnivore, I do like to go meatless sometimes.  But finding good vegetarian options can often be difficult when traveling.   Before I went to San Juan, I had read about this little cafe that served quite a few vegetarian [...]

Anyone who says that to have a luxury hotel experience, you must sacrifice character, history, and culture hasn’t stayed at El Convento. This boutique luxury hotel, located on Calle Cristo in the heart of Old San Juan, is one of the city’s oldest structures.  Founded in 1651, it served as a convent for 250 years.  [...]

One of the things you will read about Puerto Rico before going there is that the pace is much slower than what many of us are used to, particularly here in New England.  We tend to be very time-bound, rushingrushingrushing from place to place, activity to activity, trying to squeeze as much in during the [...]

Old San Juan is filled with cats.  Not to the point where you’re tripping over them or anything, but enough that it’s noticeable.  I’m sure some are pets, but many are feral cats.  Some residents think they’re a nuisance, while others think they’re part of San Juan culture and welcome them.  There’s even an organization [...]