One cannot say enough words, whether by Facebook status or wall posts or blog posts, about how incredibly amazing of an experience the 2011 NSCS Convention in San Juan was for all that were a part of it. While it is true that the events at the Sheraton were the whole reason for going down, the "downtime" was used for a whole other purpose: exploring the magnificent capital city and its surroundings.
The city of San Juan is a vibrant metropolis located on the north coast of the island, with the downtown area (or "Old San Juan") situated on its own separate island, connected to the main island by several bridges. The city is a "rich port" sitting on the Atlantic Ocean. Back in history, this was a potentially critical spot for Spanish explorers to come in and trade goods. "Rich port", when translated in Spanish, is Puerto Rico.
Chalk this one up to miscommunication. For a long time, the plan was to have the city be called Puerto Rico and the island be called San Juan (which means Saint John, as in Saint John the Baptist). However, when the cartographer put the information on the newly-drawn maps, he botched the names...Instead of Puerto Rico, San Juan, this area would forever be known as San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite this fluke, the CITY of San Juan is still a vibrant, historic city. It is the second-oldest English-founded city in all the Americas (behind Santo Domingo, DR) and would be the oldest city in the United States (founded in 1509). The colors of the city pop out like almost nothing else in the US (the closest I have seen in the US is in Charleston, SC). Strolling down cobblestone roads that are usually one-way streets, but still don't seem to be big enough for most cars, one often forgets that they are still on American soil. The city definitely has a Caribbean theme to it (obviously) and that creates a defined, different culture than that of its fellow American cities. The Spanish is omnipresent, causing even more confusing. And then, one sees a Wendy's or a Marshall's or an American flag and then the fact hits you that you're still in the US and it amazes you that much more.
The number one sight that all visitors must see when visiting San Juan are the forts. The two major forts, Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro are part of the city wall that was built to protect the city from attack from either enemy Europeans or pirates. A majority of the wall didn't survive to this date, but there is a section remaining (forts not included) that is very easy to walk along, both on the city side and the water side in some areas. The forts make up the San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico's lone site in the National Park Service, and they provide some of the best views of Old San Juan and the Atlantic Ocean. Definitely one of the best photo spots in the city...
And to think that there is the entire rest of the island there to explore. Part of me wishes I had more time and opportunity to go to other parts of the island, but at the same time, I am more than happy with the amount I saw and took pictures (4 whole Facebook albums worth) of while in San Juan. I'd rather have had the experience I had with NSCS and saw just San Juan than to not have those experiences and go around the entire island.
Yes, that is another shoutout to NSCS...I'm sure they have been bombarded with positive feedback the last few days, but they've deserved all of it, so they'll just have to deal with another one from me. ;)
To see my pics from PR, just go onto my facebook profile.
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