To say that the Dominican Republic has had an unstable political history is an understatement. The country gained independence in 1844, and since then, 54 individuals have served as President over a total of 66 various periods, not including military juntas, councils of state, or other interim leaders. And this isn’t even speaking of the…
It is no question that in the 1920s, the Dominican Republic was in bad shape. Political instability is an understatement; the country had 28 revolutions in a 50 year span. The country was in debt to the US, for which repayment the United States took over the Dominican militarily, as well as taking control of…
Uno y dos y tres y cuatro. Robert’s voice marks the beat as our group of about thirty practices a simple turn, women rotating under the right arm of the men. I count along with him, trying to look at my partner - we rotate every minute or two so that the group can get…
In 1492, Christopher Columbus used the remains of his flagship Santa Maria to build a small fort where the Ozama River emptied into the bright blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Four years later, in 1496, on a return visit, Columbus established a colony on the spot. Today, Santo Domingo remains the oldest European-built city…
This is, without a doubt, one of the ugliest monuments I’ve ever visited. The Faro a Colon, or Columbus Lighthouse, is a masterpiece of brutalism, a $70 million towering edifice of cement, visible from all over the city. It is perched atop a hill in eastern Santo Domingo, just across the Ozama River from the…
The day includes some of the things I dislike most in the world. Loud music, and specifically people dancing to it when I can’t get away, is not something I love. Likewise, overly intoxicated people, who tend to be the ones dancing. Even sand is something not destined to make Jonathan a happy guy, especially…
It is impossible to miss the statue. Almost brutalist in its stone starkness standing atop a square building, it was lit up at night as my Uber from Santo Domingo’s airport took me into the city, skirting the Colonial Zone on my way to my hotel. I dismissed it. A few days later, passing by…
Last January, A and I went to Puerto Rico for two weeks. Afterward, she declared the trip to be just what she needed after the stress of the holidays. I told her that as long as we were dating, I’d take her to the Caribbean every January. So here we are, another January, and another…
Editor’s note: Vancouver is seriously one of the most wonderful places in the world. My guide, which you can see here, covers some of the same places as this beautiful piece by Sam Spector, although he fills in some important gaps. This is one of the reasons I love having other voices on The Royal…
Two children are born on the same day, and live two hundred feet from each other. They speak the same language, and are maybe even related going back a few generations. And yet, these two children will have completely different lives. One will have opportunities the other cannot even dream of. And this is all…