Travels in the 2nd half

Our tour guide, Andy, stopped and told us to wait while he went into a jewelry store on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan. A few minutes later he came out with the key to an apartment building across the street. He opened the creaky gate and, as we looked up the steep stairway, said “It’s worth the climb.” San Juan, Puerto Rico, is one of the oldest European cities in the Americas, and its buildings are a unique collection of Spanish colonial architecture. It is so unique that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Unfortunately a large number of these treasures have been allowed to deteriorate over the years. The Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawing Society (PRHBDS) is working hard to educate people and help turn this tide.   Alcalde de Viejo San Juan Convento y Casa de Salud de Siervas de Maria The PRHBDS is an organization of professionals including architects, urban planners, engineers and educators that has a goal of promoting an...

The scene is like a post card. The sun is setting on Calle Sol. Face the west and it fills the street placing everything except the lit street lamp in silhouette. Look to the east and the yellow sun makes the pastel colored buildings glow. It is a beautiful end to another day in Old San Juan. I have been coming to Puerto Rico every year or two for the past twenty-odd years. Many things have changes, even in Old San Juan, but I still get the same feelings that I did when I first came here. It is comfortable here, and I feel transported back in time. Founded in 1521, this city is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas. Its colonial character has been preserved due to a series of laws and the fact that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. This prevents construction of new buildings in the old city. It has also helped that the streets are so narrow that large construction vehicles would never make it through. Old San Juan is a neig...

Winter in the city is underrated. People who don’t live here think that city dwellers huddle around the radiator, dashing from apartment to subway to work, and then reversing that trip in the evening. The reality is that we get out in all kinds of weather, and the cold is no barrier to a walk in the park, in fact it might even add something to your stroll. There is a strip of land that sits between the West Side Highway and the Hudson River. Technically it is part of Riverside Park, but until about 10 years ago it was totally undeveloped. Now there is a paved bike and walking path, part of the bike trail that circles the island of Manhattan. You can get to this escape from the city from either 125 th street or inside the park and the 98 th street highway turnaround. Once you start this walk there is no exit, going forward or back are the only options. During good weather this path is a mecca for bikers and runners. It also draws people who want to sit a...