Little B

Little B, like Welchey, loves to travel, so he jumped at the opportunity to join him on his Puerto Rican adventure. He too likes to take in cultural sites, however Little B’s priority when traveling is to try as many local delicacies as possible; he has been known to spend a significant amount of time wandering city streets in search of a treat or two. Since he is vegetarian his choices can be limited, but that just gives him an excuse to eat more dessert or drink more cocktails, the two things he's generally craving anyway.


Speaking of cocktails, he had one of his favorite treats, a frozen passion fruit rum concoction, at the bar Maria’s, where he spent an evening sipping cocktails and singing along to Mexican ballads.


Little B was not too familiar with Puerto Rican food, so he was eager to try some local dishes. While much of the cuisine is meat or seafood centered, he did find numerous plantain, yucca and sweet potato concoctions to try. One evening he dined at Café Puerto Rico – he certainly wouldn’t rank his meal amongst the best he’s had, but he was able to get some mashed plantains with vegetables, and he loved the tres leches (a cake he is somewhat obsessed with).


Little B discovered one new delicacy on his trip, the mallorca, a sweet, fluffy, buttery egg bread, which tastes surprisingly good warmed up with some cheese. He indulged in this treat at the aptly named Cafeteria Mallorca – while certainly not a fancy place he recommends it for people watching and a somewhat more authentic local experience.


On his last evening in town Little B dined at The Parrot Club, where he had some of the yummiest yucca he has ever tasted, as well as a sweet potato cake that was quite divine. He washed down his meal with bubbly, apparently not a popular choice as a coworker had to show his poor waiter how to open the bottle (who knew Cava would cause such a commotion). For dessert he ordered tres leches (of course), this time a chocolate and toasted coconut version (tasty, but Little B is a purist and prefers that the original not be messed with).


Lest you think Little B spent all of his time in restaurants and bars he did actually get out to see the city. He loved Old San Juan’s colorful houses with their lovely balconies, and was particularly fond of a statue in the plaza in front of his hotel. Another highlight was the Castillo San Cristóbal, with its magnificent views of the city.


The site covers 27 acres and is the largest fortification built by the Spaniards in the New World. Little B walked the ramparts and explored the tunnels, covering every inch, knowing that all of the climbing and walking would provide the perfect excuse for another treat!