Puerto Rico Salsa Congress, Carolina: Isla Verde /Dean
San Juan Metro June-2004, By:Travel and Sports Staff
Get to know the Metro
San Juan Bautista, Luis A. Ferré Center, Heineken Jazz Fest, Salsa, Artisans' Fair, Bacardí Rum D
Metropolitan San Juan is made up of the City of San Juan and the municipalities of Carolina, Cataño, Bayamón, Guaynabo and Trujillo Alto. Within the municipalities there are well-known subareas. For San Juan, the main sub-areas used in Puerto Rico Guest™ include Old San Juan, Condado, Hato Rey, Isla Grande, Miramar, Ocean Park, Puerta de Tierra, Puerto Nuevo, Río Piedras and Santurce. Within Carolina, the best-known subareas are Isla Verde (which includes the LMM International Airport) and Piñones. So that’s it. Now anytime someone tells you about their favorite restaurant in Puerto Nuevo, or a great museum in Santurce, or a bank in Hato Rey, you can find it.
In 1521 Juan Ponce de León’s fledgling colony moved from a swampy settlement to a small island in a large bay. From that time until the 20th century, the district we know as Old San Juan was the undisputed capital of Puerto Rico. However, as the Island population increased, so did the need for more space. Outlying districts grew up and eventually became important in their own right. Along with Old San Juan, all of these districts—Condado, Miramar, Isla Verde, Ocean Park, Santurce, Hato Rey, Río Piedras, Puerto Nuevo, Guaynabo, Cataño, Bayamón, Trujillo Alto and Carolina— form the diverse urban communities known as Metropolitan San Juan.
First stop for most visitors are the coastal districts of Condado and Isla Verde. Once “bedroom communities” for the well-to-do, they retain a number of the once-common elegant homes. Today, these districts are the city’s main tourism centers, with resort hotels and inns, restaurants and shops, and, of course, beaches. San Juan’s long beaches are great for walking, lounging, and bathing in warm waters under a hot sun. Sports operators here hold classes for the basics of wind surfing, kite surfing, board surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving.
For virtually everyone, daytime is beach time, but on June 23, San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist) eve, you can also be part of a nighttime beach crowd. San Juan Bautista is the patron, or protector, saint of San Juan. Every town and city in Puerto Rico has a patron saint, and traditionally patron saint festivals were held for ten days around the saint’s official day. Today, many aspects of the old traditions have changed, but thousands still flock to the beach on San Juan Bautista eve, partying for hours as they wait for the stroke of midnight, when they walk into the water three times to ensure good luck in the coming year.
Although San Juan Bautista eve only comes one night a year, there is plenty to do in San Juan every night. The hotels have restaurants and casinos, discotheques and night clubs, and there is also action beyond the hotels. Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde boast the greatest concentration of nighttime entertainment. Spend a night on the town, and you’ll understand why San Juan has been dubbed the Caribbean’s cosmopolitan capital. Be sure to check out the current schedule at the Luis A. Ferré Center for the Performing Arts, where you can attend everything from serious opera to lighthearted theater to pop concerts.
Jazz lovers make a special trip to San Juan the first week of June to be part of the internationally acclaimed Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest, held in the casual, audience-friendly, open-air Tito Puente Amphitheater in Hato Rey. Each year the festival is dedicated to a jazz master, and this year’s honoree is Gato Barbieri. Other performers include Spyro Gyra, Monty Alexander in a tribute to Bob Marley, the Tony Pérez Quintet, Dianne Reeves, and Los VanVan.
Salsa aficionados also make their way to San Juan at the end of July when the Salsa Congress, now called Que viva la Salsa, meets at the Wyndham El San Juan in Isla Verde. The convention puts on lively exhibitions featuring international professional dancers.
Old San Juan features the highest concentration of art and craft museums, exhibitions and shops on the Island. The beginning of June, the old city celebrates the Artisans’ Fair of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. More than 125 artisans from all over the Island set up booths, and the atmosphere is made even more festive with a sampling of local delicacies, music and dance.
On the western side of San Juan Bay, the city of Cataño enjoys a wonderful view of Old San Juan. Cataño is the site of the Bacardí Rum Distillery, largest in the world. It has long been a favorite tourist stop, known for its spacious grounds and an open-air rum-tasting pavilion. A new visitor center offers an intriguing glimpse of the workings of the historic Bacardí factories, both in Cuba and in Puerto Rico, and individual self-guiding audio presentations let you take the tour at your own pace. Mid-July Cataño celebrates its patron saint, La Virgen del Carmen. Among the festivities are a triathlon and the popular Cruce a Nado, a competitive swim from Old San Juan across the bay to Cataño. After the swim, townspeople form a procession to take a statue of the Virgin to the sea. Slightly farther west is Bayamón and the well-known Luis Ferré Science Park. When there, be sure to stop by the antique car museum.
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San Juan Metro Article Archive
2007-04 Easter Week Church Tour, Danza Week
2007-02 Metro San Juan
2007-02 Noche de Galerías, Concerts, Noche de Jazz, Cinemafest
2006-12 Time to Shop, Local Festivals, Decorations, Octavas, Octavitas
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