Of course the parties, where family and friends are coming together to celebrate. One of our favorites are the parrandas, groups of people walking around the city with instruments and their famous songs that everybody can join in on. The plaza is filled with people, music and kids with their firecrackers until late at night. Talking about the plaza you have to mention that our plaza (Plaza de Armas) is adorned with festive Christmas lights that put us in a cheerful mood every time we look out onto our balcony.

Another thing we love about Christmas is the food and drinks. Typical comida navideña includes lechón, pasteles, arroz con gandules and morcilla. As for dessert you should definitely try arroz con dulce, tembleque and flan.

We had our first taste of the Puerto Rican tradition “coquito” last year, when a friendly bartender mixed us one up. This one is of course not the only drink you can find at Christmas time, but it is for sure one of our favorites. Therefore we set out on a mission to find the best coquito in Old San Juan.

Our first coquito of the year was from a local jeweler’s wife, after we heard lots of raves about it, we got a bottle and what they said was true. Creamy, not too rich, just the right amount of spices and liquor. Christmas had begun…

Our next taste was at the Christmas party at the Sheraton hotel. This coquito, a lot lighter than the previous ones we had tried, was so delicious that you just wanted to keep on drinking.

We tried a few more before we found the next rival coquito at a New Year’s Eve house party, homemade by grandma and let’s face it grandmas always know how do to do the traditions best. Of course it was a secret recipe and unfortunately we left the party without getting the recipe.

After tasting many coquitos made by locals around Old San Juan we decided to taste test the restaurants of Old San Juan, stopping first at Aureola where a good friend works. Much to our dismay we found out technically restaurants are not allowed to sell coquito, but by chance encounter we met a friendly gentleman who informed us his wife made the best coquito. Intrigued we told him about our article, at which point he so generously got us a bottle form one of his restaurants. This was a twist on traditional coquito incorporating the customary ingredients with some extra kick by adding things such as frangelico. This too went on our favorites list, a nice twist on conventional with the right balance as not to have an overpowering taste of liquor.

While we didn’t accomplish our mission (of finding the best coquito in the old city) we did enjoy the season trying. We have come to the conclusion there are way too many good coquito’s to pick a number 1. We hope you enjoyed the holiday season as much as we did and have a wonderful new 2010.

Nina & Nora

Siguiendo este reportaje sobre las restriccones a las fiestas de San Sebastián pueden adquirir mas información de parte de la Asociación de Vecinos del Viejo San Juan en un reporte del Nuevo Día por Yalixa Rrivera Cruz.

Agradecemos que dejen comentarios con sus ideas respecto al tema.

Aqui esta el articulo entero:

Restricción a las Fiestas podría causar más problemas

Asociación de Residentes del Viejo San Juan alerta sobre determinación de limitar horario de la celebración

EL NUEVO DIA
viernes 1 de enero de 2010

Por Yalixa Rivera Cruz

La Asociación de Vecinos del Viejo San Juan anticipó que la restricción de horarios de clausura de las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián podría verse como un acto de provocación entre los asistentes que acudan al tradicional evento que se celebrará del 14 al 17 de enero.

El licenciado Ramón Olivencia Gayá, portavoz del grupo de residentes, indicó que será muy difícil para la Policía controlar las decenas de miles de personas que asistirán a las Fiestas para que se retiren a una hora determinada.

“Nosotros entendemos que no había necesidad de imponer restricción en el horario de clausura de las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián porque hace bastantes años que ocurren en normalidad sin grandes incidentes que lamentar”, explicó Olivencia Gayá.

Las opiniones del portavoz surgen tras la aprobación ayer de una nueva enmienda a la ordenanza municipal que impone un horario de clausura a los comercios en operan en la ciudad amurallada.

Según establece la nueva ordenanza municipal el jueves los negocios deberán cerrar a la 1:00 a.m., mientras que el viernes y sábado podrán permanecer abiertos hasta las 2:00 a.m. El domingo el horario de clausura será hasta las 12:00 a.m.

El alcalde de San Juan, Jorge Santini, había expresado que esta fue determinación hecha a petición de los vecinos y comerciantes.

Sin embargo, Olivencia destacó que a ellos -como residentes del caso histórico- nunca se les consultó sobre la posibilidad de implementar esta medida.

“Reconocemos que se trata de un grupo de personas de alto poder adquisitivo, en su mayoría norteamericanos que se han mudado recientemente al Viejo San Juan y que pretenden hacer de este vecindario una urbanización cerrada”, explicó el residente, que lleva más de 13 años viviendo en el Viejo San Juan.

El también abogado expresó que las fiestas son una tradición cultural de gran arraigo entre los puertorriqueños ala que asisten niños, jóvenes y familias para compartir en armonía, por lo que no hay necesidad de establecer restricciones.

“No obstante, hay muchos residentes que sí estaríamos de acuerdo en que se limite la publicidad excesiva de alcohol, se establezca un servicio de transporte público expreso tipo machina por la AMA, se aprovechen las lanchas de Cataño y Acuaexpreso, y se amplíe la oferta cultural”, añadió.

El hecho de que se haya aprobado la medida no significa que la Asociación de Residentes desiste en su intención de que se elimine el mandato municipal. “Nos mantendremos atentos, y alertamos al Alcalde a que desista de imponer los horarios limitados”, comentó.

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

Este es un recital poético musical utilizando viejas canciones llamadas del ayer y poesías de todos los tiempos.

El diseño de este concierto es muy ameno y representativo de una diversidad de estilos musicales diferentes, entrelazados con poesía puertorriqueña e internacional. Las canciones serán iterpretadas por el cantautor argentino, radicado en Puerto Rico por más de veinte años, Carlos Lazrte. Los compositores escogidos son: Eduardo Falú, Félix Luna, Ariel Ramírez, Brunilda García, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra y otros.

El conocido declamador David Ortiz Angleró tiene a su cargo la selección y la declamación de las poesías de poetas tales como: Alberto Cortez, Julia de Burgos, Luis Cernuda, Paul Éluard, Mario Benedetti, Pablo Lanco, José Antonio Dávila, Alfonsina Storni, Pablo Neruda, entre otros.

De Corazón a Corazón se presentará el 19 de septiembre en el Café Teatro de La Fundación de la Cultura Popular en la Calle Fortaleza esquina a la Calle del Cristo, al lado del Restaurant La Danza en el Viejo San Juan, comenzando a las 8:00 de la noche. El costo del boleto es de $15.00 por persona. Esta es una actividad para ayudar a la Fundación en sus finanzas para que pueda continuar su trabajo cultural.

There are various places in Old San Juan where you can enjoy a pizza. But if you’re like me, you pledge allegiance to one place, under god, indivisible, for cheapness and hunger for all. To me this place is Pizzicorre, located on Calle Luna #255, a friendly neighborhood pizzeria that serves great slices at amazing speed.

I decided to go and do some “hands-on investigating”. And the first thing that caught my eye was that the place is a little on the small side. Making take out orders the most convenient, unless the place has room, then by all means get a table and take in the relaxing retro style of the place. The tables are comfortable and the staff is very diligent, so your food usually only takes a couple of minutes to get ready. The design has a nice Grease meets Johnny Rockets vibe.

On my visit I ordered 2 slices (Peperoni and Hawaian) and a glass of beer (Corona). This rounded out to about 10$, with the slices and beers costing 3.50 each. The food took a good seven minutes to get to me and it was hot and still all gooey from the oven. The slices were slightly crispy but at the same time soft and firm, it had no burnt flavor and the toppings were very good. Although I will say that for a 3.50 slice of pizza I imagined slices like the ones pizza places give in New York, huge almost half moon slices. While that was not the case, the freshness made up for it.

Pizzicorre has a wide range of combinations to choose from, including: Vegetarian, and Greek pizza. (No idea what it is, but I plan to find out in a future visit). Also worth mentioning is that they have a very reliable delivery service and it’s free! So if you can’t make it then call 787-725-4025 and problem solved.

Hawaiian

All in all Pizzicorre serves the cheapest but greatest pizzas you can enjoy in the Old city, so bypass the fancy shmancy places with confidence, this is the place all the locals and residents go to. This is true San Juan pizza. Enjoy.

Here we have one of the coolest bars  in Calle del Cristo on Old San Juan, sporting its new Electronic/Industrial club redesign. Don Pablo has become one of the most stand out bars in the zone by always keeping the party into the late hours and always having thumping music on deck. And I’m sure that the huge drink size and their comfortable prices also have something to do with its success.

I’m sure that they get straighter as you get drunker

The nightclub ambiance is ever present, even though it might look like its just a bar. The place is spacious, with room to sit and places to rest drinks all over, so if you’re dancing, your drink wont end up on the floor. And when you’re tired lounge it up till you can get back up again.

The bartender didn’t want to be in the pictures, so I got her in the shadows

The place looks amazing, serves great big drinks, has a cute and able bartender in the back, and packs in the people as the night goes on…what more could you want?

Look at those big cups..of drinks.

So go and party the night away and then comeback and tell us what you think! Cheers!

]]> http://www.livesanjuan.com/night-life/the-neon-glow-of-the-electric-night-don-pablo-redesigned/feed/ 0 http://www.livesanjuan.com/uncategorized/dealing-with-little-big-problems/ http://www.livesanjuan.com/uncategorized/dealing-with-little-big-problems/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:05:37 +0000 Toxic_Lunch http://www.livesanjuan.com/?p=357 Nobody likes to think about them…but they are there!

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!

First of all we’ve been selling craft beers in Candela for a while now and have met a few people that like going out and tasting as many different types of beers as they can in one night.

One of the clients we met the other night came up with the idea of doing an official sort of thing where you could come up and taste different beers at different spots in the Old City, so we decided to do it this Saturday the 25th of July since a lot of people are leaving the island and we’re going to be staying right here. We’re trying to make this Beer Hopping an event for our friends that are sticking around. We also think it’s a good idea to keep it small this first time around so we can beta test and work out the kinks for the next time we do it. If you’re reading this consider yourself a friend. You’re very welcome to join us.

Since we have a lot of friends with kids we decided to do it this Saturday at 8pm starting out in Don Pablo where we will have some samples for $10. That way people can taste and comment on the different kinds of beers. We will start with very light beers which are a great starter.

Sometime between 9:30 and 10 pm we’ll head up Cristo Street to Bodega Chic where we’ll have a few different beers with a sample of food, mainly appetizers, designed by Chef Brahim so the people can keep drinking and tasting some quality beer and food. Hecho en Casa

At 11:30 sharp we will hop over to Candela on San Sebastian street where we have the biggest selection of beers (more than 30 different brands) I’ll start djing at midnight in the back so you can taste some more and start familiarizing yourself with our music and selection. Believe me we’re going to have a lot of fun. So try to be there with us. Feel free to post ideas and ask any question in the comments we look thourgh them all the time. If you’ve been beer hopping before and have some tips , please let us know.

We’re waiting for a shipment of the last brands we’ll have available, once they’re here I’ll be making a few recommendations before Saturday so you know what to look out for. Stay tuned for some info on the beers, music, food and websites to visit.

Candela

When there are so many bars and taverns in one place as Old San Juan, standing out becomes the primary goal of any bar owner who wishes to stay on top of the game. The most important part of any tavern is the bar: the oasis that must service the patrons. Nobody wants to drink in an Oasis where the water is dark and murky or where the surrounding vegetation is decayed and ugly.

How it looks is usually the first clue as to how it will taste. The same principle is applied to the bars of any establishment. Nobody wants to drink in an uncomfortable, decayed bar where the licor seems to have been standing in the same place for the last decade. This is where we come in, the quality brigade, we’ll show you what we consider to be the best Oasis in OSJ and its up to you to go and drink!

First oasis we shall stop in is Candela, located on San Sebastian street in Old San Juan. A lounge bar, the place is famous for its continuous hosting of live music and its 20$ jars of the mix drink of your choice. The live music is usually of the Jazz, electronic, trip-hop, and latin percussion varieties, and always has a DJ at hand just in case.

Staring into the oasis

The place has no dress code, but it is usually inhabited by the trendy and fashionista crowd, so expect some looks from them if you are a jeans and t-shirt man like me. But it does not matter, the place is so roomy and comfortable that you will find your happy place and forget about everyone around you. As a matter of fact, the other people will be the last thing you will focus your attention on, seeing as how the Post Modern decor of the place will draw your attention most of the night. It reminded me of the Korova Milk bar in Stanley Kubrick’s: A Clockwork Orange.

The bar has a soft neon lighting, with a contrast that benefits the Post Modern art deco. A perfect place to bring a date or to just lounge afterhours with friends to share thoughts and the night. Here are some more shots Candela: enjoy and cheers!

Post Modern

The view after a couple of beers

* Photos by Toxic Lunch