When most travelers visit the Dominican Republic, they choose beaches and resorts in a place like Punta Cana or Puerto Plata. If they come to the capital of Santo Domingo, it is for a day, or even less, on one side or the other. Well, I am not most travelers. The last thing I want…
It’s been a week (as of writing this) since I got back from Santo Domingo, after an amazing two and a half weeks in what can only be thought of as chaos in paradise. I’m sitting at a local coffee shop in Los Angeles, reflecting on the trip, on what I saw, what I experienced,…
Life here in Santo Domingo is good. No, it is great. A and I begin our day with coffee, a blend from here on the island. Every afternoon, we have rum o’clock as we watch the sun set. And while we choose not to partake, evenings often include the smell of high quality cigars floating…
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…