4 March 2016 - Puerto Rico

I love the Caribbean. Why? Mostly because of Hollywood movies. My first taste of what was south east of the USA comes from the movie Weekend at Bernies' 2, a fictional comedy that takes place on the St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Realize this was a film that came out when I was 11 years old and man did it crack me up.

Ten years later, Disney would remake Pirates of the Caribbean.

Of course all of these are works of fiction, so what really exists if you fly south east from Florida towards Brazil? One of my favorite places, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but you can just call it Puerto Rico. This island is a unique mix of North American, Spanish, African, and South American. Most people speak Spanish first and English second.

This was, I believe, my 4th trip to PR. Every trip thus far has been for business. I keep telling myself that I need to come here for vacation. I think I will do just that next January after the new year!

This trip had me at the Hilton Caribe resort. I recently discovered that my employer has a work discount here for around 175$ a night vs the 300$ that is regular in this area. If you know me, you know I love the ocean, especially being able to go float on the waves. Puerto Rico is also known for it's Rum and the hotel bar had one of the best mojitos I have ever tasted.

 

 

Later on in the week I was able to meet up with a friend and spend a little time in historic Old Town San Juan. This place is a great spot to grab some food and do a pub crawl. You will find random musicians and bands playing right in the alleyways.

During my previous trips it was recommended to me that I visit a pizza restaurant called Piliros. It was good pizza indeed. We got there around 7:30pm and it was a 40 minute wait for a table. Worth it!

Overall it was a good work week. I have to head back to my office in CA for work then I will be back in PR next weekend for the Half Marathon. Stay tuned for that story!