I was quite the globetrotter in early November traveling from Detroit to Phoenix to Toronto to San Juan in the course of a week. Moving from cold overcast to dry sunshine to wet snow to humid heat within a matter of days, made packing challenging as I strategized how to fit professional and casual clothes for these diverse weather conditions in my carryon (I refuse to check luggage). Arriving at my last destination in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the late hours of the night, I patiently waited for my Uber outside the airport in the humid heat, sweating with my winter coat over my arm.
I’d come to San Juan to judge a local entrepreneurship competition. This was a one day commitment but given the miles I’d logged over the week, planned to take an extra day of needed r&r in PR. My first time in San Juan, I was eager to explore as much of the city as I could in my one day. Coincidentally, my niece who had lived in San Juan the prior summer, was in town to catch a cruise ship and she and her boyfriend offered to play tour guide for the morning of my free day. So we met for breakfast near my hotel on Condado Beach, borrowed bikes from the hotel and set off to explore the waterfront.
The first leg of our ride was due east down Ashford, a major boulevard with two narrow lanes of traffic in each direction, high curbs and no bike lane. As it was early Sunday morning, there were few pedestrians so we were able to comfortably ride down the sidewalk, occassionally having to maneuver around broken concrete or bump up and down non handicap accessible curbs. Once we’d passed the private beachfronts of the condominium complexes lining the water, we turned north towards Ocean Park and found an access road to ride along the public beach.
Eventually, we picked up a bike trail. At times, the path was littered with palm fronds, sand and debris washed up by the surf, not surprising given the strength of the tropical storms that batter the island. At one stretch, the sand on the trail was so deep that we had to walk our bikes. We stopped at Isla Verde Beach for a short water break, taking advantage of the shade of the palm trees on the beach to cool down and appreciate the view.
Nearing the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, the trail once again left the beach and paralleled the main highway. Fortunately, we were separated from traffic by concrete partitions because the broken pavement forced us to weave and swerve to spare our tires ; as we pedalled adjacent to the main runway, we glimpsed the underbellies of commecial jets taking off overhead as we dodged potholes. The road turned north once past the airport and again morphed into a hard packed gravel trail lushly vegetated with sweeping views of the ocean, a much easier, less intense ride.
We crossed the boardwalk that connected two peninsulas separated by an inlet of water, a natural area with expansive sandy beaches and crashing surf. Eventually, we reached the small town of La Posita and stopped at a beachside cafe for water and shade. Not sure whether the trail ended or was just camoflauged with piles of washed up sand, we decided to turn around and head back. My fellow bikers had a cruise ship to board and I had more of San Juan to explore. The ride back was a bit harrowing due to heavier auto and pedestrian traffic. However, before forfeiting our bikes, we indulged in a double scoop ice cream cone at a deliciously air conditioned cafe in Condado. Nothing like 25 miles of biking in the heat to stimulate one’s sweet tooth and ease any guilt!
After wishing my niece and her boyfriend bon voyage, I caught an Uber to Old San Juan. The second oldest city in the Western Hemisphere, San Juan has a rich 500 year history, much of it still preserved in San Juan Antiguo, the original 16th century Spanish walled city situated on a small cay connected via bridge to the main island. Traffic was bumper to bumper into old town, so at my driver’s suggestion, I quit the vehicle and made my way on foot up a steep narrow street to the entrance of Castillo San Cristobal.
The Spanish settled in San Juan in 1521, and by 1530 the city had become an important colony boasting a hospital, university and library. Originally named San Juan Bautista, St. John the Baptist, by Christopher Columbus, the city later became know as Puerto Rico, meaning rich port. Legend has it that a confused cartographer switched the names of the city and island resulting in the city becoming San Juan and the island Puerto Rico. Given its strategic importance as the gateway to the Americas, the Spanish began construction in 1634 of a hill top fort overlooking the San Juan harbor to protect the city from foreign invaders. Between 1766 and 1783, the Spanish enlarged this fortification and when complete, Castillo San Cristobal covered over 27 acres, walling in the city of San Juan, protecting it from attack from both sea and land.
Today the fort is a National World Heritage Site and historical museum that tells the story of life in the old city through its collection of 16th and 17th century artifacts. About a third of the walls of Fort San Cristobal were demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the old city, but the rest of San Cristobal is being extensively renovated.
There were few visitors in the fort, so I wandered the grounds by myself enjoying the peaceful solitude, imaging what life was like in old San Juan in its heydey. A furry friend was lazing on the top of one of the fort’s buttresses; I must have startled him, because as I reached down to stroke his fur, he snarled and clawed my sandalled foot! I discovered that San Juan is a city of cats – I saw several prowling, perching and sleeping felines throughout town.
The guard platform along the sea provided a magnificant view of El Capitolio, the capitol building of Puerto Rico. Built in 1919 and inaugurated in 1929, El Capitolio houses the chambers of both the Puerto Rican Senate and House of Representatives, similar to other US state capitol buildings. I learned a bit of PR history during my visit – Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the US after the Spanish ceded it via the 1899 Treaty of Paris as a settlement of the Spanish-American War. I also learned that although its system of government is similar to that of other US states, Puerto Rico has three, rather than two, main political parties – an appealing alternative given the hyper partisanship of US federal and state politics!
Many of the 16th and 17th century buildings and homes in Old San Juan have not only been preserved, but restored with colorful painted facades. From atop the fort’s barracks, I look over a sea of pink, green, yellow, blue and grey edificaces in colorful contrast to the darkening sky. San Juan architecture is an interesting mix of Spanish colonial, Baroque, Gothic, Neoclassical and modern and reflects the continued development and growth of this 500 year old city.
Although I could have spent more time exploring, it was time to leave the fort – there was more to see in Old San Juan and so little time left. I walked the cobblestoned promenade high above the ocean following the Calle Norzagaray. Sections of the old fort walls were still visible, and now landscaped with grass, made good spots for an impromptu picnic or social gathering. Traffic along the promendade was bumper to bumper (no wonder some of the walls were taken down) and I made quicker progress on foot than those idling in vehicles. The apartments, homes, shops and restaurants lining the promenade were a riot of Carribean colors!
Nestled below the remants of the walls on the rocky Atlantic coast, is the community of LaPerla. Best known as the location for the 2017 hit music video Despacito, LaPerla was a shanty town housing slaves and workers in the nearby slaughter house that sprung up in the 19th century. Later a haven for gangs and drug lords, today LaPerla has mostly cleaned up its act and is known for its art, food and urban culture as well as its restored multi-colored shanties.
Next to LaPerla but inside the city walls is the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery, commonly know as the Old San Juan Cemetery, Dating back to 1863, this is the final resting place of many of the island’s important citizens. Signage explained that the oceanfront location of the cemetery symbolizes the journey to the afterlife, originating from the Spanish superstition and fear of death.
Fort El Morro, or more properly refered to as Castillo San Felipe del Morro, occupies the northwestern most point of old San Juan. Named in honor of King Phillip II of Spain, the fort was built in the 16th century to guard the entrance of San Juan Bay from seaborne enemies. Between El Morro and San Cristobal, the city of San Juan was protected on all sides. Now a World Heritage site, El Morro is one of San Juan’s most beautiful and visited tourist sites. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to enter the fort but instead sat on the large grassy knoll and people watched – this is a popular place for locals to picnic, stroll, kick soccer balls and fly kites.
This was also the best spot in the old town to watch the sun set. The sky flared red, yellow and orange as the sun dipped below the horizon, illuminating the banks of clouds overhead. I wish I had more time to explore the area – across the inlet was a Bacardi rum factory, billed as the world’s largest premium rum distillery. In addition to tours and tastings, it offers mixology classes where people can custom blend their own rum recipe! Additionally, all the small inlets and waterways were a kayaker’s dream to paddle. Alas, next time!
It was getting late and I had an early flight the next morning so I left the waterfront and took a short cut through the midst of old San Juan. I passed the Plaza Del Quinto Centenario with its distinctive totem. Created by Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suárez, Totem Telurico was fabricated from ceramic and black granite in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Located in the midst of water jets that spray from the ground (which unfortunately were not available for a cool down from the sticky heat), the Totem symbolizes and celebrates the Taino Indians, the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico and surrounding islands, prior to the arrival of Columbus.
I left the congestion of the old town, thinking it would be easier to call an Uber. I was sticky and tired and looking forward to my air conditioned room and bed. To my dismay, I realized my phone battery was dead so I tucked into a restaurant for assistance; it was packed and took some time to get the manager’s attention, but once I did, she graciously phoned a cab service. It was a 40 minute wait but I did get back to my hotel safe and sound, albeit a bit later than planned. My short time in San Juan left me exhilarated and certainly whet my appetite to see and experience more of this amazing island and culture. I fell asleep planning my list of things to do and places to see when I come back next year (hopefully again as a judge) and promised myself more than 48 hrs in San Juan.