Tuesdays: an ordinary day of the week with a blocked schedule. Fortunately, Old San Juan feels different. Every first Tuesday of each month, Gallery Night happens. Most art galleries stay open late to show new and permanent collections, while bars and pubs open late to serve the wild crowd.

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.

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”.

Old San Juan. A place where the modern world meets with the past, and siphon reality into timeless experiences. Walking down its narrow streets in the late hours easily carries a person into the late 17th century… were not for the cars that litter the sides of the road. It is a pleasurable and momentous occasion, to have to suddenly stop, and look around, because you don’t know if you are still in your time. Like crossing a portal into centuries gone by.