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!

Welchey

Welchey is something of a jet-setter – whether returning to a favorite destination or discovering somewhere new, he’s always happiest when on an out of town adventure. His travels recently took him to Puerto Rico; it was his first time on the island, and he stayed at the lovely El Convento in Old San Juan. The hotel, a former convent, is filled with beautiful colonial antiques and has many charming nooks and crannies.


One of Welchey’s favorite things about staying there was the nightly wine and cheese reception, held on a terrace overlooking the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. He very much enjoyed socializing with other guests over a glass (or two) of red, and needless to say he did not miss a single one.


Welchey is not really a beach kind of guy, so he spent much of his time in Puerto Rico wandering the charming colorful streets of Old San Juan. The weather was hot and steamy, so he was very happy to have spotted blizz, home to delicious guava and passion fruit frozen yogurt, on his first day there. It was the perfect way to cool off, and he made certain to stop by on a daily basis; on one occasion, feeling particularly decadent, he enjoyed his yogurt with a slice of tres leches.


Despite his fondness for Old San Juan Welchey did venture out to Casa Bacardi, as he wouldn’t think of missing an alcohol themed attraction, however touristy it might be.


The journey there involved a ferry ride followed by a shared taxi, but he felt it was well worth it. Welchey took advantage of his language skills (a necessity for any self-respecting jet-setter) and joined the Spanish tour, which left sooner and was much less crowded.


After learning all about the history of rum and Bacardi he made use of his two free drink tickets and sampled a few of the company’s products. Although he was feeling rather peckish, he was not tempted by Casa Bacardi’s processed cheese nachos, or the French fry vending machine at the ferry station, despite its promise of hot crispy fries in 90 seconds.


Welchey also made his way to the neighborhood of Santurce, where the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico is located. A lover of art, he cannot visit a city without hitting a cultural institution or two. The museum, which opened in 2000, is well worth visiting, and he enjoyed its permanent collection of colonial art, as well as the temporary exhibitions Williams Carmona - Verdades que me fatigan and Puerto Rico: Human Geography – Images of the 21st Century. Welchey also took a stroll around the museum’s sculpture garden, a peaceful oasis in the middle of the city.


Having gotten his daily dose of culture he ventured down to the oceanfront community of Condado, but was quickly frightened away by the hordes of badly dressed gambling-loving tourists. He thus made a hasty retreat back to Old San Juan…just in time for some wine and cheese. So much more civilized.