San Juan

11.13.2019 - 12.03.2019 85 °F

Want to feel like a kid again, eat great food, hike through a rain forest, soak up the sun, relax? Visit Puerto Rico. I can go on and on about how Puerto Rico is a great place to visit because I had a fantastic two weeks there. The people are friendly and helpful, transportation is easy to navigate (bus/Uber/car rental). If you are in the touristy area, restaurants and bars can get expensive, so do yourself a favor and check out more local restaurants to eat - I wouldn’t try the local bars if you don’t know the neighborhood.

The most fun for me was playing in the ocean. The water is warm, the waves were strong and the seaweed was plentiful. Also, when you play in the ocean garden, you can expect to find seaweed in places that is totally unexpected.

There are a lot of areas in Puerto Rico that are in need of a major makeover. There is a very present police force which is comforting, but begs the question, why? Every housing development is behind some sort of gate, windows and doors are covered in bars, and the graffiti is prominent. There are still many buildings that either require major construction or are totally abandoned from Maria. I never felt threatened, but I also wouldn’t walk the streets or the beach at night by myself. As a tourist you may not see the gritty side, but I would take the city bus so I saw the local neighborhoods up close. I have no idea if these neighborhoods are safe or not - I never felt threatened so maybe what I saw was just the way the people live.

Bottom line, I will visit this city next year and rent a car so I can explore more of the island.