SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —It’s easy to see why cruise-ship passengers stopping here for a few hours or, like us, for a couple of days might be tempted just to stay in Old San Juan.
Transportation? In addition to the customary ways to get around tourist-trap areas, there’ s a trolley that circles what used to be called the San Juan Islet in half an hour, give or take a little congestion.
History? Two forts by the mouth of the harbor tell the story of Puerto Rico — that’s “rich port” when translated from Spanish.
We opted for San Cristobal, partly because it was an easy walk, and the visit was the best $3 we’ve spent so far.
Security? A server at a late-night food and beverage stop (The Brickhouse) told us she’s walked home after work at 4 in the morning for the last seven years without fear or an incident.
And then there’s Leo. Wanting to make the most of our short stay, we stopped at the main tourist office. This is something we never do. Usually, we’re ad-libbers in strange cities. While walking the streets, we stumbled across the tourism office, and Leo Rosso was waiting. He puts a good face on Puerto Rican tourism, but he’s so much more.
In addition to being a wealth of information, which you expect from a tourism specialist, he’s also a wealth of knowledge. A most interesting part of his
story is that some years ago he worked as a teacher in New York City and paid $200 rent for his apartment, enabling him to save $18,000 for traveling to places like South Africa for the end of apartheid and India, where he lived for six months on $1,700.
It was Leo who said the forts are a “must-see” for first-times, hastening to mention they “are well-kept.” He was right on both counts. San Cristobal is a sprawling testament to how Puerto Rico belonged to Spain for its first 400 years and to the U.S. for the last 112. Three bucks to get in, and three hours before we got out.
Where else do you get value like that?
That’s it…we’re done.