February 14th, 2016
This winter in order to get guaranteed warm weather you better go way south, past Florida…..needless to say, my friends, Jody, Cindi and I took off for La Isla del Encanto, otherwise known as Puerto Rico. I think the best time to go to Puerto Rico is February. The temperatures? 77 degrees to about 84 degrees. I cannot believe that on my last day there I was complaining that it was too hot. Well, that stopped me on my tracks when arriving in Baltimore it was a mere 34 degrees. Brrrrrr!!!
My friends had not been there. I told them that the airport could be a little hectic. Guess what? It made a liar out of me. Smooth arriving and picking up the luggage. It early evening, and after a little wine on Ashford Avenue in the Condado section of San Juan we took off for some Puerto Rican fare.
Ashford Avenue is a tourist destination. Oceanfront hotels and a great avenue to do some shopping, exercising or hitting some of the hotels for a little nightcap or some gambling.
We decided to stop at Orozco’s Restaurant at 1126 Ashford Ave. Tel. 787-721-7669. This little restaurant has surprised me on other visits. Even though is in a tourist area, the food is true Puerto Rican. It is small and cozy. You can sit street side or go inside. Latin music is always playing.
A little Sangria for us….it was the first of many Sangrias on the island.
We ordered some Corn Fritters or Sorullos de Maiz. Every restaurant has them. They are served with a sweet sauce. They are stuffed with a little bit of cheese. I was trying to have my friends get a taste of “comida criolla”.
Plantains are a staple of the Puerto Rican cooking. They are used like a potato. You get it in different ways…..tostones (fried plantains) or Mofongo. The traditional Mofongo is shaped in a mortar, adding bacon crumblings, garlic, and broth until mashed to the right consistency. Then it would be turned over on a plate and served with broth on the side. The purists still like it that way like my cousin, Sonia, who was with us through the whole week.
Through the years as innovative chefs in the island learned that the Mofongo could be stuffed…..a new way of serving started. You can get it stuffed with lobster, crab, beef, pork, you name it. We ordered the one stuffed with beef.
Another walk after our meal completed our first evening in Condado.
May 31st, 2014
My uncle Guiso, who is in his 8Os said to me…”this is true Puerto Rico, local color at its best”. Uncle Guiso does not go on the computer, let’s hope. Here is a photo of part of my group as we enjoyed La Placita in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on a Saturday evening.
It is Saturday and going to La Placita is something Puerto Ricans do every week. In reality it is the Plaza del Mercado, the true market in every sense of the word. La Plaza del Mercado was established in 1910. It was a farm that was donated to the Puertorican Government with the condition that they would build this type of market. Many years ago, before supermarkets came into the scene, people went to these markets and got everything they needed. They got to know their vendors up close and personal.
This Plaza del Mercado in Santurce is the only one in Puerto Rico with its own Code of Arms. You can see it on the photo above displayed. It is located at Stop #18 between Ponce de Leon and Baldorioty de Castro. It opens Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday until Noon. Website? http://www.placitasanturce.com.
After 6 p.m. locals gather and the open air block party begins.
You can buy drinks from the bars around La Placita, like we did. That’s my group waiting for twilight.
You can also buy homemade coconut ice cream. The best!! The vendor will be strolling with his cart anouncing “Helao de Coco”.
I know that Cuban cigars are sought after, but in Puerto Rico the cigars are also well known. Right at La Placita you will find the home of Don Rey Cigar. Don Rey Cigar has been preserving the tradition and artistry of cigar making. In 2005 they made a cigar that measured 62.5 feet and earned them the award for the longest cigar in the world given by the Guinness World Book of Records and, therefore, breaking Cuba’s record holder. If you want to know more about Don Rey Cigar, please visit http://www.donreycigar.com.
They call him El Azuceno….he sells the most fragrant flowers, and in Puerto Rican homes you can usually find them displayed in vases. El Azuceno was there that evening, but you also can find him in different areas of metropolitan San Juan.
 
Surrounding La Placita, many restaurants and bars have opened and all of them compete to see which one is the most popular. La Placita is a place where many Puerto Ricans come to socialize after work. Puerto Ricans are gregarious and love to party.
We went to Tasca El Pescador. Usually, know for their good food. On that particular night, it left us very disappointed. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. It should have been excellent. Everything we order was so local. The service was definitely lacking.
Like I was saying….Puerto Ricans love to party and dance….and when it is on the streets, it is even better!
February 13th, 2014
 
You cannot blame me for the continuation of my posts on the Island of Puerto Rico. Have you looked outside today? Delaware Beaches are getting rain but the tri-state area is getting snow. So, Puerto Rico, is a quick get-away for many. Only a few hours from major airports in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, PA. No passport needed. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the U.S. English is spoken for the most part throughout the island.
One of my favorite cities in Puerto Rico is Old San Juan. Strolling through Old San Juan will set you back over 500 years. Gorgeous cobblestone streets, wear comfortable shoes. This walled city is so unique that the United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. It is a 7 block museum, where people, live, shop, dine, and party.
A few months ago a friend stayed in Old San Juan with her husband. Both were so surprised to see and experience how Spanish the island is. Not Latin American but Spanish from Spain…food, buildings, and traditions.
I don’t have to think twice when someone asks me where to stay in Old San Juan. My answer is always the same: El Convento Hotel, located at 100 Cristo St. Tel. 787-723-9020. Website? http://www.elconvento.com.
 
Hotel Convento…the word convento is convent; it was a Carmelite Convent 356 years ago. In 1959, under Operation Bootstrap….Operation Bootstrap gave U.S. companies tax incentives to come to Puerto Rico. Hotels, Pharmaceutical companies and Oil companies came to the island looking for those benefits.
Robert Frederic Woolworth, heir to the Woolworth fortune, began converting the convent into the El Convento Hotel in 1959. Since then, other major renovations have taken place in the 1990s and in the 2000s. The hotel has 58 rooms, and several restaurants.
 
El Convento has a rooftop pool. Visiting the Island of Puerto Rico would not be complete if you do not visit its beaches, as well. El Convento has beach and pool privileges at La Concha Hotel located on Ashford Avenue in the Condado section of San Juan and in Isla Verde at the Marriott Hotel. These are both great beaches if you are in San Juan.
The forecast for the Delaware Beaches looks pretty good this week-end. Hard to believe that you think it is warm when the temperatures raise to 40 degrees!! Oh, well spring is around the corner.
See you,
February 1st, 2014
Morning at Hacienda Pellerano started with a little rain. That’s to be expected, you are in the islands.
But now the sun is coming out and we are getting ready to continue in La Ruta del Comelon, where today’s outs and abouts take us to La Ruta del Lechon, Guavate, in Cayey.
Breakfast at Hacienda Pellerano was light and delicious…..Crepes and Fruits!!
Stay tuned!! Buen Provecho.
January 5th, 2014
It has been a long time since my children went outdoors to get grass for the camels and put cookies out for The Three Wise Men; it has been, definitely, much longer since I did that myself growing up in the island of Puerto Rico. The presents we got were more like stocking stuffers, and were left under the bed. The camels used to make such a mess!! Too bad we have to grow up!!
Puerto Rico celebrates all holidays in a big way. Their Christmas season starts early and ends on February 2nd with the Octavitas, which are the 8 days after Three Kings Day. You might as well wait until all that is done with because the term “manana” takes a different meaning.
Three Kings Day is also a Christian Feast Day; the Epiphany, with origins in the Eastern Christian Church. Epiphany means manifestation or appearance. This is a celebration of Jesus’ birth and the visit of the Three Wise Men, who were Persian priests.
If you are visiting Puerto Rico you are lucky because this is the best time of the year to really enjoy the “comida criolla”. Puerto Rican food has its own flavors…the spices are amazing.
The foods to look out for and I am going to be missing here, in Delaware, are:
Pasteles – these look like tamales, but no comparison whatsoever. My grandmother made the best. They take a long time. Made with plantains or yuca or casava. The filling is made out of meat or chicken. I prefer the pasteles that have olives, capers, chickpeas, and well seasoned as well. You can find pasteles year-round but they really show off during the holidays.
If you are in South Florida you can find Puerto Rican food at Benny’s. Two locations. I have been to the one on 2500 S.W. 107 # 1, Miami, FL 33165. Tel. 305-227-1232. The other location is at 295 NW 82 Ave., Miami, FL 33126. Tel. 786-458-8240. You can visit the website at http://www.bennyseafood.com. They also ship.
Lechon means pig as in roasting pig…and the Ruta del Lechon will take you to Guavate near Cayey. Plenty of “lechoneras” roasting pigs, accompanied with “arroz con gandules”, blood sausages or morcillas, tostones, and mofongo. You can do a google search and put “Guavate la Ruta del Lechon Cayey Puerto Rico” to watch You Tube.
The local hot sauce is definitely, “hot”.
I know they make so many desserts in Puerto Rico, but my favorite is the simple flan, made with milk, sugar, and eggs, that’s it!!
From the Delaware Beaches visitors to Puerto Rico are pretty much in search of waves. Rincon and the western side of the island is a favorite of many. Hopefully, they can also travel to the island. Puerto Rico has a lot to offer and the scenery is gorgeous.
If you are passing through the town of Humacao…..granitos is what you need to be looking for. They sell them in street corners but I got to visit where they make them. Indigenous to Humacao; you cannot find them anywhere else. With a bold and hot cup of coffee…priceless. Made with rice and cheese and, of course, fried!!
 La Coca Falls, El Yunque In Pinones, near San Juan, another surfing spot and eating destination….fresh coconut water!!
Love Old San Juan. It is my favorite place. I like everything about it. Such an old and historic city. If you are visiting Puerto Rico, please take time to visit.
A city surrounded by forts; El Morro and San Cristobal. Over 500 years old.
Walking and shopping in the Old City.
Stay at El Convento Hotel.
Take a cultural and food tour with Flavors of San Juan…http://www.sanjuanfoodtours.com.
And a must when the temperature rises in PR….a local Piragua or snow cone. They are truly the best! Love the cream and here was my “Piraguero” preparing mine in his new stainless steel cart.
It is about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening and the temperatures are supposed to be the coldest in the next couple of days…..
 From Palmas del Mar, looking towards Vieques and Culebra Need I say more? Happy Three Kings Day!!
September 28th, 2010
Once again I found myself traveling to the island of Puerto Rico. I have told you that I grew up here and coming back stirs all kinds of emotions. This time I flew from Baltimore, Maryland, and the flight was quiet; that was strange because loud is more like it should have been.
The airport in San Juan was quiet, as well, and the luggage was on time. What was going on? I hope this Island of Enchantment was not changing.
That was just a little teaser, soon enough there were the traffic jams, the loudspeakers on top of cars; I don’t know what they were announcing since elections are not at this time. Potholes, many, as well as crowded streets.
But then, as I unpacked and went on a walk with Margie on the beach in Isla Verde, I smelled it again. It was that smell; only indigenous to this Caribbean Island; salitre. It is that salt mixed with seaweed and I don’t know what else but brings so many good memories of growing up in Puerto Rico.
The palm trees and the coconuts on this stretch of beach are particularly beautiful. I think it is funny that if you live here you do not notice the scenery, but it is only when you are away that you learn to appreciate it.
I am the best public relations spokesperson for the Puertorican Piraguas. They are the best, truly delicious. The moment I saw the cart in Ocean Park I stopped and I had one with cream, tamarind and frambuesa. I have a picture but it will come in the next post. I am traveling today. Just watching the “piraguero” do his thing; shaving the ice and pouring the syrups was priceless, to me.
A surprise birhtday party, a family reunion, seeing old friends again, eating chicharrones de pollo, walking on Ashford Ave., yes, it has been a nice week-end.
I am thinking that there are a lot of things that need to improve in this island. The economy for once and with that improving, maybe the crime situation can be improved as well.
But, no, I don’t want anything else to change including the traffic jams, potholes, and the crowded streets. Afterall, it is what makes the island; it would not be Puerto Rico without all these imperfections.
I will talk to you later….hasta luego…nos vemos….
May 28th, 2010
A week ago I flew from the Philadelphia Airport back to the Island of Puerto Rico. I was really looking forward to that grade school reunion. I know that really does not exist, right? Well, the Igualitos made it happen.
The airport was quiet again, and my gate was not as rambunctious as the last time. We also left on time, which is a miracle in itself, if you are leaving from the City of Brotherly Love.
The plane was full to capacity and the person sitting next to me was not saying much. He was plugged in, but not for long since I engaged him in conversation about his passion; bikes, as in motorcycles. Harleys to say the least. I told him that I did not think that women looked that great from the rear on any bike; doesn’t matter how good they are. But, it is that sense of freedom and adventure, he said; agreeing with me about that rear view, at the same time.
Arriving at Hacienda Pellerano was a treat, once again. My room was ready, my robes were hanging, the pool was clean, the mango tree had beautiful leaves, and my hostesses, Mr. and Mrs. P. were ready to put up with me.
On that evening, as we were eating outdoors, the night was just amazing. Not steamy hot as during the day but a calm breeze. The combination of the good company, great food, engaging conversation and the symphony of that Island’s indigenous frog, the ever present, Coqui, made it surreal. And, Priceless!!
And, that is how my trip to Puerto Rico started….
Should I continue? Of course, I will.
Even though I have not been visiting La Isla del Encanto for many years, I will have to tell you that there is nothing like Old San Juan. That old city of 500 plus years is just beautiful and the combination of its buildings, views, blue cobblestones (adoquines), restaurants, festivals and narrow streets brings very good memories.
I mentioned narrow streets but Old San Juan is also the home of one of the narrowest houses in the world. It is called La Casa Estrecha, and it is located on Tetuan Street (Calle Tetuan). And, you cannot miss it since its bright yellow color makes it stand-out. The house is in the Guinness Book of Records.
 Tetuan Street There are 12 Narrowest Homes in the World and this is one of them. Sometimes its designation is that it is the narrowest.
 La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House) Space constraints, plots and sometimes even spite have made people build these houses around the globe. They have sprouted under the tightest spaces.
La Casa Estrecha in Old San Juan has taken the meaning of coziness to a different level.
From the outside it measured 5’4″. But, from the interior walls it is only 5 feet wide. It has 2 stories high and it stretches 36 feet back. It really was a residence, but I believe that it is going through renovations in order to become an art gallery; probably more fitting.
Yes, I am continuing…
Anyone that knows me, knows that I have always said that the Snow Cones or Piraguas in Puerto Rico are really the best. I am a Frustrated Piraguera. Since I did not have one on my last trip, I decided that I needed to have one on that day and in Old San Juan. It was late in the afternoon and a light rain was falling over the City.
Getting stuck in a traffic jam at that time of the day was a little unnerving, but that happens in Old San Juan and you just put up with it.
I was looking for the old, wooden, yellow and red piragua carts. Guess what? Those wooden carts do not exist anymore. They have been replaced by stainless steel ones and the piraguero told me that the old ones contained too much humidity.
I finally get my Piragua (snow cone). I watched him shave that ice, right from the block of ice and, what happened with the cone? Now they are served on a plastic cup. He shaped it just like old times, but will it taste the same? You bet, it did. It was delicious and my favorite flavor was just as good; Cream.
 Shaping the shaved ice
 My favorite - Cream Sorry, Washington Heights in Harlem, New York. I went on a quest for your snow cones a few years ago and I have to tell you just like I told you then, that the snow cones in the Island of Puerto Rico are the best, no question about it.
That’s all for this morning….there is plenty more from that Island… and I hope you keep reading about it….
Talk to you later…
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