Some days consist of changing plans and crowd avoidance. One day The Amazing Ms. D and I had planned to go to Museo de las Americas in Old San Juan. This is a new museum in the building of the Instituto Cultura puertoriqueno near El Morro. Things were looking good. We caught the T5 bus not 2 minutes after we got to the stop in Isla Verde. The weather was beautiful. There was no traffic and we breezed right into the bus terminal in 30 min.
Then we encountered our first problem. 3 cruise ships were in dock. That meant that almost
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A busy day in San Juan port |
8000 people were being discharged where we were at the same time. We just missed the trolley to El Morro, so we waited, and we waited, and we waited. After 45 minutes it finally showed up again, completely full with people who had boarded at the stop before ours, near the ships. No room for anyone to get on. Now, some people might complain about there not being enough trolleys to service the crowd, but one must remember when travelling that things are NOT done the same way as home. It is Christmas week. I don’t know the holiday schedule for drivers or what it would have taken to change it.
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Cafe El Punto |
Instead of complaining a traveler goes with the flow. The trolley to the center of Old San Juan came by empty, so we jumped in. We went to Plaza de las Armas which is where the city hall is and our earlier discovery The Poet’s Passage. From there we walked around Old San Juan. We had lunch at Cafe El Punto on Calle Forteleza. This was a wonderful find. It is in an old house. Some of the rooms are tallers for artists, some are the dining rooms and the kitchen is in what was the courtyard of the house. The alcapurias were good and the beef empanada was excellent.
We walked into some of the souvenir shops, looking for better quality and avoiding the tourist traps.
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Truth in advertising |
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One good shop is Mi Pequeno San Juan, owned by the same artists that own The Poet’s Passage. I also picked up 2 pounds of artisanal Puerto Rican coffee to have when I get back home. We also stopped by plaza de las palomas and took some pictures. By that time it had started to rain in OSJ so we changed our plans and headed home, adding time to visit with family to our evening.
The point is – you can be tourists, make a schedule and stick to it come hell or high water. I have found that this leads to frustration and fights with The Amazing Ms. D leaving no one happy. Or, you can be a traveler and take what the day gives you. Will you see everything that you planned to? Probably not. Will you discover new things that you didn’t know were there? Most likely. Will you be more relaxed and have a more enjoyable vacation? Definitely!
Sounds like the unplanned cultural excursion that I prefer.
I hate being shoulder to shoulder when its peak time.
So like you I go the opposite way to the rush.
Good pix too ….
It’s been long enough since my residence in PR that I seem to be craving a trip back. Having lived in Isla Verde & Santurce, I’ve wanted to return for a stay in Old San Juan. You’ve just added fuel to that desire, JL.
Garry and PM You are right, I hate being caught in crowds – it’s why I have spent 1.5 weeks in Florence and I have never been to the Uffizi. I look for the smaller museums and out of the way towns. That is my favorite way to travel.
Hello Jonathan L,
What a day! Sounds like a case where changing horses midstream is a good thing. I guess that’s what traveling is all about. Taking the good with the bad and expect the unexpected. Cruise ships can be a nuisance especially when they unload all their passengers on unsuspecting adventurers like yourself. Glad to hear it worked okay in the end. Love the pics too.
Old San Juan is my February destination for next year, so thanks for the preview! I hope you’ll be writing more about it in coming months…