De la edición digital de primera hora, enlace al articulo original al pie de este post

Residentes del Viejo San Juan abogaron hoy para que se active un sistema de transporte masivo durante los fines de semana en ese sector, a raíz de las congestiones en el tránsito durante gran parte del periodo navideño.

La petición fue hecha luego de que ayer, viernes, en la noche las autoridades policíacas tuvieron que desviar el tráfico a la altura de El Capitolio y, como consecuencia, muchos negocios nocturnos tuvieran que cerrar sus puertas a pesar de que, irónicamente, la ciudad estaba atestada de público. La Asociación de Vecinos del Viejo San Juan, a través de uno de sus portavoces, el abogado Ramón Olivencia, urgió a los gobiernos municipal y estatal que establezcan el servicio de guagua tipo machina, que con éxito se ha utilizado durante las fiestas de la calle San Sebastián.

Olivencia dijo que ahora que el Partido Nuevo Progresista domina el Gobierno estatal no puede haber excusa para que no se adelante esa iniciativa de transporte.

“El Viejo San Juan simplemente no puede esperar a que se complete la extensión del Tren Urbano, que ni siquiera ha comenzado, para entonces ampliar las alternativas de transporte”, manifestó el abogado sanjuanero al recordar que para establecer el sistema de guagua expreso no habría que invertir en infraestructura nueva, pues ya existe un carril exclusivo desde la última estación del tren en Santurce, y también está en funciones el sistema de Acuaexpreso desde Hato Rey y las lanchas desde Cataño, aunque estima habría que mejorarlo y darle publicidad.

Olivencia opinó que si San Juan aspira convertirse en un centro turístico de calidad mundial no puede depender únicamente del transporte de vehículos privados ya que es imposible mover a tanta gente en automóviles que, además, aumentan la temperatura del casco urbano.
“Este fin de semana miles de turistas locales e internacionales se vieron imposibilitados de llegar hasta el Viejo San Juan, de la que tantos visitantes disfrutan particularmente en esta época navideña”, dijo Olivencia.

Añadió que, sin duda, ello afecta el turismo, “pues gracias al mundo cibernético se ha propagado la realidad de que el transporte en la capital, y el resto del país, es uno sumamente anticuado”.

Olivencia también comentó que los turistas que se hospedan en el Condado o en el Distrito de Convenciones necesitan de un sistema confiable de transporte en masa, sencillo y eficiente, que no congestione las calles de la zona histórica ni sus limitados estacionamientos.

http://www.primerahora.com/diario/noticia/otras/noticias/residentes_del_viejo_san_juan_piden_sistema_de_transporte_masivo_en_fines_de_semana/355069

We have taste tested much of the coffee around Old San Juan, but this one wins the prize by far.
In 2006 Café Cola’o was opened by local entrepreneur Erica Reyes, using coffee grown in the mountains of Puerto Rico. This local grown coffee has a smooth, full-bodied flavor, which attracts tons of locals, as well as tourists to the little Café which is located at Pier by the ferry to Cataño.

Not only is the staff very friendly but they are very qualified too. You can tell that they are “real” baristas because they put creative designs with steamed milk on your coffee.  So not only do you get a tasty coffee but one that is esthetically eye-pleasing as well.

They offer the regular coffees like Café Latte and Cappuccino in various sizes, hot and cold, but if you are a Starbucks fanatic and can’t live without a syrup mixed into your coffee, Café Cola’o’ has got you covered with their creative specialty coffee flavors, without the Starbucks specialty prices.  After trying all of them we found the Nutty Desire and the White Nut Cappuccino are our favorites.

You can either enjoy your hot coffee in the cool, air conditioned inside of the Café or you can take an iced coffee with a pastry or a healthy snack to the outdoor area and enjoy the view of Cataño across the bay.

We know that once you tried this good flavor, you will want to take it home with you, which Café Cola’o made possible by selling their coffee beans such as a House Blend, Hacienda Ana, Seleccion Caracolillo among others.
See you there!

Written by:
The Sunshine Girls
Nina & Nora

Paseo del morro trail

On Monday the 3rd of August 2009, Old San Juan was blanketed by rain. All through out the day, I’d listened to the radio tell me how I should not to venture outside without an umbrella. So what did I do? I started walking around town with nothing but a shoulder bag, a book and my notebook.

The day was quiet for a Monday, no shortage of workers or visitors, but the town had that sleepy quality that usually comes with rainy mornings. I had been walking around Calle San Sebastian sampling the fried food from the few vendors that were open when 1 pm rolled around. I was amazed that it was one in the afternoon and there was no sun in the sky and the air was still cool.

My empty-mindedness led me down Calle del Cristo and further down into la Caleta de San Juan, until I was face to face with the San Juan bay. The air hit my face and made me turn right, following the El Morro trail. I was staring out into the bay as I walked on the trail, never minding my way. I started seeing a lot of stray cats, on top of the rocks in the shore and walking through the bushes that lined the wall. Their soft meows and quick shuffles at the sound of my approach entertained me to no end. A minute later, I looked around and saw not one being around me, person or animal.

That same minute, I felt the first few drops of rain hit my forehead. Gazing up, I saw the entire sky falling down on me. Hurrying up the pace, I tried to protect my books and started walking faster trying to reach the end of the trail. And when I did, I wanted to shoot myself out of a cannon.

The smoke in my head cleared, and I realized I was at a dead end. El Morro trail ends in a roundabout, and you have to turn back the way you came. I was stuck under the rain, on the wrong side of the wall. Worst part about it, is that I’ve been to that place many times before. If I would have paid more attention…id still be dry.

My clouded sense of adventure, and the fact that the weather was so cool, made me completely forget about the impending rain and the fact that I was walking down a dead end street. I solemnly accepted my fate, turned around and walked all the way back towards Paseo de la Princessa.

I sat down to dry in Old Harbor with a liter of beer. My books were ok. And I tried to get into my head the lessons I had learned that day: 1) Always pay attention to the weather reports, and 2) always mind your feet when your brain is out for lunch, or you might end up on a dead-end and wet. I needed that second liter of beer.

*picture: google pics

Tattooing is one of the great timeless art forms. Each civilization has had its own method and purpose behind the tattooing of their bodies. Some civilizations thought that carving the symbols of the gods in their skins would grant them a view into their wisdom and knowledge. Other had markings that defined them as warriors, and were designed to frighten and demoralize the enemy. Today peoples thoughts on tattoos are mixed at best. Some get them to symbolize special moments in their lives, while other like them simply because they look cool.

Today every city worth its salt has a good and reliable tattoo parlor. It’s as necessary as the 24 hour convenience store, and usually it’s way more clean! In Old San Juan we have Senzala Tattoo, and not only is it as clean as can be, it also houses excellent skin art.

Located on 354 San Francisco street, Senzala has a quaint entrance that you could miss if you’re not looking for it specifically. The residents are Eddie, Demian, Manolo, Hendrix and Angel. (Im sure there are more, but those are the ones I could see and recognize, sorry guys).These guys will tattoo and pierce you to you hearts content and leave you in good health.

So next time your in O.S.J. take some time out to visit your friendly neighborhood tattoo parlor and let your imagination soar (or sore, whatever the case may be). But if you already have something in your mind, like a design or a piercing idea, it might be best to give the guys a call and arange for a meeting, their number is 787-722-3676 .

If you’ve had your tattoo done at Senzala then send us pictures and we’ll be glad to post them up.

*pics taken from Senzala’s webpage: www.senzalatattoo.com

EDIT: Found this right after writing the previous post.

While searching the net for information about the Senzala article, I came across a very cool tattoo of our very own El Morro castle.

This picture is from Johnny Berrios, a tattoo artist from Easthampton Massachusetts, who im sure is Puerto Rican or at least latino (his last name is Berrios, so yeah thats kind of a given!). Aside from the iconic fort, he also has a sleeve tattoo of Roberto Clemente which you NEED to check out! Drop by his site www.johnnyberrios.com and comment on the awesome art he displays on it.

If you have a tattoo with an image of Old San Juan, like “La Garita del Diablo” or something of the sort, send us a picture of it ,and well do a write up for it!

On Saturday August 1,2009 the alley located at the top of the La Tanca street welcomed dusk with the bombastic rhythms of Bomba and Plena. The narrow sidewalk that houses two bars one in front of the other, was mobbed with revelers of all races and ages, dancing in a manic frenzy that enveloped every one around. If you were there, you were not “just watching”.

I came across it, in my search for a cold beer to start the night on the city. I kept following this faint beat all through Norzagaray street, when I stepped into the alley, my feet took over and instantly made me join in the celebration. “Who are these people” – was my question to every person I met while bumping into them on the way to the bar located on the middle of the alley. “I don’t know, but they got a party going on”: this sums up nicely every answer I got.

So I didn’t know who was playing, the street kept getting more crowded by the minute and my exits had been closed up by the new comers trying to figure out what was going on. On the short time that I was there the group played 5 songs never stopping to take a break. The players were sipping their drinks in-between music changes, and every few songs one of them would drop his instrument and run to the bar to get the group refills.

After the second beer I realized I was never going to get a still shot. So after half maneuvering, half dancing my way out of my safe corner, I moved out into San Sebastian street Everything from then on would be great, I knew it would. After you decide to hangout, and then the world thrusts you into a party such as this, you know Fortune is smiling at you. I’mk putting this in the Day to Day category, because this is what the City’s like, you never know what Old San Juan will show you. Enjoy the night.

A friend of mine had a big problem when she moved in to an apartment in Old San Juan. The street in front of her building was being re-paved during the first few months of her stay and it caused her apartment to become infested with the little visitor everybody hates: cockroaches.

Now I know what your thinking: “ohh come on, he isn’t going to talk about insects, is he?”, and to answer you briefly, yes I will talk about insects. Because I will show you how to get rid of them!

This post isn’t specifically about San Juan in the way that most of my other posts are, but it’s no secret that old buildings in general attract those little creepy crawling visitors, and in a 400 year old city there are a whole lot of places for them to hide. The good thing is that dealing with bugs, and roaches specifically, can be easy with this simple Do It Yourself method that can be used in all kinds of places: from private residences to businesses!

First: you will need: Boric acid powder, rice flour, Karo or pancake syrup, a Popsicle stick and a mixing bowl. By the way, I think its kind of obvious that dealing with boric (or pretty much any) acid is dangerous. So use it outside or in a well ventilated area, wear a mask for protection, and obviously at your own risk. In fact read its Safety Data Sheet before even thinking about trying this.

Second: Using the bowl, mix all the ingredients. The correct mixing order is : 2 parts boric acid + 2 parts flour and enough syrup to make a peanut butter like consistency.

Third: Using the Popsicle stick, dab portions of the paste on the places usually visited by the roaches, under sinks , in dark spots, behind the fridge, underneath the counters and anywhere else you might have seen them. The trick here is to put the paste in dark places so the roaches are always tempted to go to it, day or night.

Using this simple and cheap method you can guarantee that your house and/or business will be clean from pests, and wont smell like pesticide all year long!

A very special thanks to instructables.com where you will find this and other helpful tips!

1- Medical Emergencies: On San Francisco street, in front of the Plaza de Armas you will find two drugstores stocked with every essential item for minor scrapes, bruises, as well as emergency medicine runs. One o them is a major chain store, while the other is a local pharmacy. If I would recommend one I would say to go to the local one, (more inexpensive), but if you have your prescriptions on the more famous one, that’s the one you will need.

2- Security emergencies: For all the police related problems that happen in Old San Juan, you will need to head to the Puerta de Tierra Police Headquarters. If you’re in a car accident, lose your possessions, or are accosted, this is the place you need to go to make an official complaint. Old San Juan is always crawling with police officers so if something were to go down, you will usually find one near to your location. The Headquartes is located on Fernandez Juncos Avenue in Puerta de Tierra, near the fire department and the McDonalds.

3-Transportation emergencies: Nobody is going to get mad at you if you miss your bus back to your hotel because you were too busy finding the perfect souvenir. (Well maybe your wife/husband.) So for those: “I have to get out of here quick”- emergencies, you need to head to the corner of Tetuan street and Fortaleza street. There you will find a brigade of Taxi’s ready to take you wherever your lodging might be. These cabbies can be found round the clock, into the late hours of the night looking for fares. I would recommend care in selecting the taxi, they can be very competitive with each other and they are not afraid to fight for a fare! Don’t let this scare you, it just means that you will always be able to find the ride you need….or let go in the first place. Cabs painted white are part of the Tourist taxi program and have set fares for most routes, check ‘em out here on their website http://www.cabspr.com

As always be sure to practice safety at all hours! Old San Juan might not be as big as New York City but the same rules of security apply: mind the traffic, be courteous, don’t walk alone late at night, and if you have doubts as to your current surroundings go into a business and ask.

Know any other places where you can find help on the OSJ? Sound off in the comments below!

During the summer, the Company for the Bussiness and Cultural Development for the Isle of San Juan, known as CODEVISA, does not sponsor this event since it works partnered with the Art School of Old San Juan. Still, some art galleries do open late on summers and keep the tradition alive.

Those of you who are not art fans or connoisseurs can still enjoy one of the favorite party nights in Old San Juan. Similar to the San Sebastián Street Festival, celebrated on January, Gallery Nights is characterized by the special appearance of many local musical guests, big party drinks, and gigantic crowds. It is mostly located in the San Sebastián Street, but other bars around the city offer a festive crowd. For instance, bars and restaurants in Cristo Street such as Don Pablo and Bodega Chic keep their music up and their drinks on with a different type of crowd (a little bit more chic). My favorite bars on this night, “El Batey” and “Karamelos” also put on a fiesta with more of a artistic and indie motif for those of you who want to enjoy the party, but not be part of the large multitude in San Sebastián Street.

As your day to day blogger, I’ll be sure to go tonight to my favorite bars mentioned above in order to do some “research” (by that I mean, drinking and partying) in order to comment on it tomorrow. Be sure to make a trip today to Old San Juan and have a few drinks. And if you spot a short guy drinking heavily, be sure to buy me, I mean him, a drink!

Sources: CODEVISA <http://www.codevisa.org/nochesgaleria.html>

*Picture(s) taken from Google Image.

The Totem pole that stands in the Quincentennial Plaza, is one of the most recognizable structures in Old San Juan, right next to “El Morro Fort” and “La Garita de San Juan”. It has become the center stage for much of the day to day social activities, as well as the annual “Saint Sebastian Street Festival” and the monthly “Galleria Night”.

On a normal day you might see tourists taking pictures in the morning, students from all over the island mingling with local children in the public walk-through fountain in the afternoon. As the evening falls you could be entertained by the skater kids practicing their chops on their skateboards or a local troubadour who will delight you with songs for your spare change.

On “Galleria Night” you might have a hard time walking through, as the place is littered with makeshift kiosks from local artists that sell everything from t shirts to real pineapple cups. The Saint Sebastian Street Festival is the Puerto Rican equivalent of Mardi Gras, with college kids from all over Puerto Rico and the USA ,coming together for one week of fun and celebration. But aside from all the activities that go on on its vicinity: What does the Tótem “stand” for?

Created and named by artist Jaime Suárez, the Tótem Telúrico stands in the Quincentennial Plaza celebrating Puerto Rico’s history. It stands there as a reminder that history is above us, the supreme structure of our civilization.It stands as an example of strength of our culture. Its majesty is only over shadowed by the events it commemorates: the arrival of Cristobal Colon and the Spanish Conquistadores to our shores.

Today we realize that Arawaks who left South America and came up the Lesser Antilles are the real “discoverers” of our great Island, but the significance of November 19, 1493 to the European world is what is celebrated in the Quincentennial Plaza. The Tótem Telúrico represents how one tiny island, meant a whole new world for Europe.

So now you know, next time you stand before the Tótem in OSJ, remember the faces of your fathers, all of them tower in front of you.

*all pics taken from google images.

We met at Plaza de Armas, where the heat was unbearable. We walked to St. Germain on Sol Street where I had an amazing red pepper soup (room

temperature, with a cold ginger and brown sugar tea, mmm!). What was really interesting was the table in front of me. There was a group of about

eight high class women paying a thirty dollar bill with their hundreds. I commented how they were presumptuous and greedy, Roberto backfired me with how they were pregnant and middle aged. Maybe both of us are jelous.

We kept talking about money and how low income limits you to spend on nice things. But, this financial dilemma was not enough to keep us from having nice cold beers at four in the afternoon in what it felt a hundred degrees. So, we walked in to a cool and chic café at the corner of Cristo Street and Caleta de San Juan called Karamelos, where we had about three beers each before getting into the question of money again. Of course, Roberto and I brought the topic of winning the lottery and how we would spend our money. “The bread of the world is wrongly distributed”, I commented. “Well, keep spending on lottery tickets and maybe you’ll gain some”, Roberto backfired (again) with sarcasm.

We (and this time, included the waitress of Karamelos) kept on rambling about what we would do with lottery money. She said she would travel all over the world, Roberto seconded her opinion but added how he would also pay his student loans, and I added how I would spend my money in properties (big surprise). Well, I’m not used to being greedy, in fact, I had a “feedback conversation” with my best friends yesterday and they all agreed on how I was a free spirit (being vegetarian and all). But yeah, I would spend my money in investments like houses, stock market, art and, of course, alcohol. We had nothing else to talk about, so, we said goodbye.

Now, it’s all about being greedy and whiny. When it comes to a hot Wednesday, sometimes it’s allowed to whine and eat. And San Juan is the great place to that before five in the afternoon (and not getting judged)!