I once heard about a couple who went to Italy.  More than anything else, the husband wanted to enjoy the Italian culture.  The wife just tagged along.  She insisted in going to McDonalds, but he had planned an entire itinerary packed with small family owned restaurants.  One day, he couldn’t stand to hear her complaint any longer and they went to a McDonald’s.  He was speechless.  For the first time in their entire trip they were in the midst of true Italian culture… old men hanging out, talking together for hours; families enjoying a meal together; kids running around; young couples on dates…. All that and she finally got to enjoy her familiar meal with an Italian touch!  The moral of the story:  when traveling, sometimes you need to look where you least expect it to find what you are seeking. 

First of all, let’s get something straight, when you visit Puerto Rico it’s almost impossible to find places that are not frequented by Puerto Ricans… from high-end hotels and perceived tourist traps to out of the way places, Puerto Ricans enjoy our island and love local tourism.  So, if you are the type of traveler that likes to hang out with the “locals”, it will be hard not to once you are there.

Having said that, there are places that a self-respecting, culture loving, world traveler would NEVER add to his or her list, but I would like to challenge you to add them to your itinerary.   I bet you won’t regret it!

These are the places:

Plaza las Américas: with its 300 + stores, “Plaza” (as locals call it) is the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean.  There you will find the U.S.’s top retail establishments.  It is a shopper’s paradise!

I know! I know!  That description would also leave me running in the opposite direction, BUT that’s not why you, world traveler, you would go to “Plaza”.  Think of “Plaza” as the first air conditioned big box in the middle of a hot, tropical island and you will begin to understand its appeal.

This is where older couples go to hang out during the day and people watch (traditionally they hang out in the town’s plaza, but this “plaza” is air conditioned).  Teenagers and  Miss Universe wannabes (Miss Universe is like the world Cup for Puerto Rico and we’ve won “the cup” five times) hang out dressed in fashionable outfits.  Poor, middle class and rich people alike roam the beautiful halls, go up and down the escalator, visit the stores and go to the “El Morro” themed cinema.

I would certainly make it a point to go at least one day to people watch.

Chili’s: This Texas born restaurant has a place in the heart of Puerto Ricans.  I am still not sure why my fellow countrymen and women love this place so much, but you will find it full of Puerto Ricans EVERY night of the week.  Actually, I jokingly said to my husband that we should go to a Chilli’s in Austin, TX because I wanted to see Puerto Ricans… sure enough within a few minutes we spotted a little Puerto Rican flag on one of the cars in the parking lot!

In addition to Chili’s,  Macaroni Grill in Plaza las Americas is full almost any day of the week and so are P.f. Changs, Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden.  Don’t skip them!  Feel free to enjoy a menu you know at least one night.  It will  be ok… you will not miss the “culture” you came to enjoy.

 

Isla Verde beach:
A beautiful urban beach unseen from the road, because of hotels and residential buildings, you would think that this beach is mostly geared towards tourist, so you might just prefer to skip it looking for a more culturally relevant experience.  Yet, while there are several big name hotels on this strip, the truth is that most of the beach is taken up by diverse groups of Puerto Ricans.

Oddly enough, for the last twenty years I have noticed that this beach is divided into very distinct sections and naturally people are attracted where people like them hang out, so you can see different types of Puerto Ricans and decide which group you would like to “join”.  The spots have remained virtually unchanged for over 20 years, so I don’t foresee them changing anytime soon.

The furthermost right section features mostly families with small children, since there is a little area enclosed by rocks on the ocean, making it safer for the kids.  The very next area is for those wanting to rent equipment for water sports.  Then, you will see the people you might be wanting to evade in your cultural trip:  the tourists from two nice big hotels with their hotel beach chairs.  This is closely followed by a mixed group of people in their thirties, some alone, some with families, mixed in with Puerto Ricans that visit from the states, especially nostalgic New Yoricans.  Right after this section, there’s a main entrance with a bar recently purchased by Third Base right outside, but on the beach you’ll mostly find a Raegetton style crowd.   A little further, you will find the young and beautiful, the more preppie crowd and at the end, you will mostly find retired beach going folks.

Especially on the weekends, this is a very lively beach and there’s always people walking or jogging from one end to the other, playing beach paddleball, or just swimming in the ocean.  Definitely not to be missed and just a short ride from the airport!

 

Salsa nights at big chain hotels
This is a big one!  Many people come to Puerto Rico thinking that people will be dancing salsa in street corners.  The last place you would hope to find good salsa dancing is in the big hotels you are trying to avoid.  Strangely enough, this is where you will find some of the BEST salsa dancing.  There are some hotels that have local bands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Find those hotels!  Crowds of Puerto Ricans dress up every week to dance the night away .  These places get packed and the music is great!

 

 

That’s it!  This is my list.  In this small island, there’s enough things to keep you busy, nonstop for a couple of weeks of traveling.  Yet, these are easy to be missed experiences that will make your trip richer and more worth it, in more ways than one! ;-)

Happy travels!