The PR PRimer you PRobably PRefer not to PeRuse.

Friends,

The last hours of my first trip to PR (Puerto Rico) are as good a time as any to ponder some insights travel booklets may not give you. In all candor, I haven't read any, so, it's possible you may find some overlap. In any event, here are a few:

Folks here use kilometers to measure distance, but speed limits are denominated in miles per hour. How long it takes to get anywhere is anyone's guess and requires some serious math. Then again, drivers are so patient, it always takes longer than you think.
Old San Juan’s defensive walls still surround much of the city, serving their original purpose of preventing tourists from reaching the beach. Of course the iconic garitas (sentry boxes) along the wall make for great photo opportunities. Pirates, schmirates.
Once you finally make it to the ocean front, before getting into the crisp, clear water, make sure you find yourself a nice posita (shallow beach sheltered from the open sea by rock formations) and have plenty of 10 oz. Medalla beer. While locals say the smaller size prevents the beer from getting warm, I suspect they may drink too slowly.
You can get very cheap Air BnB lodging. Granted, it may come with plastic windows (glass is a luxury in the barrio) and you may be afraid to go explore the hood after dark, but the music blasting through will make you feel like you partied all night —and the cocks crowing will have you up bright and early. Quote the rooster at 5 AM: “up and at ‘em”.
Good food is plentiful. Try the alcapurrias, mofongo, dufongo and trifongo. And you can’t miss that other local Puerto Rico delicacy: Krispy Kreme — it don’t get more authentic than that!

This place is so pretty, I couldn’t resist sharing a few photos from the trip. Enjoy, and thank you for indulging me!

A cannon ready to ward off tourists.

The "La Perla" barrio where the "Despacito" video was recorded (we later learned we were lucky to have an uneventful visit to the beachside bars).

A garita on the defensive wall at sunset.

An abandoned pier at a posita near Luquillo.

One of Puerto Rico's iconic culinary delights courtesy of my good friends Fatima and Billy.

A street in Old San Juan.

Happy Friday!

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Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...

Gilding the Donut

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!

The Wrong Word

Friends, Do you ever find yourself starting to say a word, realizing it’s the wrong choice and trying to change it while speaking — making it worse? For me, it’s happened more times than I care to admit. A recurring faux pas for me occurs at the part of the mass where the congregation says “when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, o Lord, until you come again”. For some reason my brain wants to say “profess” instead of “proclaim” — which would essentially mean the same thing. Unfortunately, in my clumsy attempts to fix my mistake mid-word, what comes out sounds like “profane” — totally the wrong vibe. Good thing the entire congregation is saying the same thing in unison. If someone heard me they might think the priest was consecrating a donut, instead of the host. Happy Friday!

Friday Donuts

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