PR Day 1 and Day 2

When I first landed in the airport in San Juan, it was the early evening time. Our ride greeted my boyfriend and I outside the airport, we immediately sprayed ourselves with our military grade bug spray and packed into the rental vehicle his mother got. We drove a good I believe it was forty minutes south to our hotel in Caguas. At night, each little city area we passed seemed beautiful and the dark silhouettes of the mountains in the background gave me a feeling of nostalgia. See I stayed in Panama for about a month one summer and the landscape is pretty similar, and the crazy driving as well. But we arrived at our hotel and unloaded our things into our hotel room on the fourth floor.

Our hotel, the Four Points in Caguas, was amazing. As soon as we pulled into the parking garage we noticed our hotel had a casino attached to the side. A casino, usually we only get that at the Hard Rock down here in Florida but we had one. We didn't go to the casino the first night, we saved that for another day. But anyway, we checked in at the front desk and noticed the hotel also has a gallery attached between the casino and the hotel lobby. We also noticed the diner area with a bar that looked out to the pool area. The first night it rained so we also didn't go swimming. But we did drink our first night in Puerto Rico.

My boyfriend isn't a big beer fan and I am not one either but we had no idea what to order so our first beers in Puerto Rico were Corona Extras. They were very good with our lemon and lime slices on them. We drank and ate dinner in the diner area, he has a quesadilla and I had chicken with rice and beans. Later on his family came down and ate and drank with us as well. Turns out his whole family also were staying at this hotel with us. At the dinner table we discussed the funeral arrangements that were to come also places we were to eat dinner at.

Our first night was pretty simple, two beers and prepare for the viewing.

The next day we rose early and set out to the city of Cayey, which is even further south than Caguas. I got some pretty good scenery snap chat videos on our trip further south.

The city of Cayey was small but this is my mother-in-law's hometown and I felt it had several major cultural aspects. I am not sure how Catholics and Puerto Ricans mourn their dead but our viewing lasted from 9:30 am until 9 pm. We didn't stick around the funeral home all day though, at some points when we became restless we would get up and walk through the city of Cayey and go on little adventures while also meeting many citizens who knew my boyfriend's family.

Anywho, I heard pretty interesting stories about Cayey pertaining to my boyfriend's family history. When we arrived the city was practically empty, most of the people were at church and the church fair because it was Sunday. We wandered around going up to different businesses, many of which were also empty or closed. Around one or two o'clock, his mother took us to have one of the best tacos I've ever had. We went to a little restaurant in Cayey called Ramonita's Tacos. There I tried their chicken and pork tacos, the chicken is my favorite. As well as inhaling the wonderful tacos which I drenched in their hot sauce, I tried the beer of Puerto Rico, Medalla.

These two did in fact brighten up my day as well as fill my belly. Highly suggest this restaurant to those wanting to grab a quick and filling bite to eat.

We also grabbed a bite to eat after the funeral at the restaurant next door to Ramonita's. La Hamburguera Tropical Bar and Grill was equally as delicious as its neighbor. They also had music and a dance floor set up. Along with our drinks my boyfriend and I danced a little and ate with his family who came from their locations to Puerto Rico.

Hollywood Beach

As I prepare for my upcoming trip to a Caribbean Island, I find myself thinking back to the beaches I have experienced within my own life time. One of my favorite beaches here in South Florida, is Hollywood Beach. I have mentioned Hollywood Beach before in a previous post, but I figured I would elaborate on why it is one of my favorite beaches.

Hollywood Beach, a 2.5 mile long stretch of oceanfront restaurants,shops, and resorts. It is a place that I consider a piece of paradise at home. Located between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach, it is a place that is within a reasonable distance from what is considered suburbia.

There are many things to do at this beach besides swim, There are several volleyball courts set up in the sand, as well as playgrounds located at two locations on the boardwalk. There is also an amphitheater were local bands perform and bring crowds together with the sound of music.One of the newest resorts, Margaritaville, has been bringing more tourists to the area, making Hollywood Beach more popular.

While conducting my interviews for the locations I met two wonderful women from Texas on vacation. Their names were Gloria and Veronica, they were told by Gloria's brother that Hollywood beach "is one of the most beautiful beaches in the South." To me growing up here, I didn't realize the growing popularity of my hometown beach.

I met a man named Glenn, he was a New York resident who recently moved down to South Florida. He told me he has been living in Florida for 14 days, and he has been at the beach 10 out of the 14 days. Very unique, he told me the people here were very different than those in New York.

I have also spoke with the owners of the Surf n Spray Ice cream parlor. Store owner Tom and Kathy, were very nice and open to the thought of an interview. When I interviewed them, they mentioned that they have been in business for 17 years. I grew up with this ice cream parlor, it was a tradition for me to get pizza and ice cream on the beach. Kathy, told me that they serve thousands of people every week and they meet people from all over. People like Tom and Kathy really inspire me, they love their business and love what they do, they seem to be happy serving and meeting new people.

There are over 50 different shops and restaurants at the beach. As I mentioned in one of my previous post, Florio's is my favorite place to eat at Hollywood Beach. For this article I chose to also broaden my horizons and try some of the other restaurants that are on the beach. My friend and I took a trip down to Nick's Bar and Grill and give it a try. Nick's Bar and Grill is very popular and has been around a good few years.

I had the chicken wings and a side of fries, my friend had the seafood salad and fries at Nick's Bar. I was completely satisfied with my dish. My Russian waiter and waitress were very friendly as well, striking up conversations with my friend and I as well as recommending dishes. I'd say I would definitely go back and visit again.

I also tried the Taco Spot on the Boardwalk. I would always walk past the Tikki styled building never giving it a second thought until that day I went with my boyfriend. The food was delicious, I never had a better chicken taco on a corn tortilla with a side of rice,beans and corn until I went there. The service was nice, the food was amazing, I scarfed the food down in under 10 mins. The drink I had was also satisfying, a Miami Vice, I almost never have alcoholic drinks on the beach but this was one of the best, it had me feeling loose and less stressed after I finished my drink.

Not only are there several places to eat and shop at but I like seeing the people and the unusual stories one can tell at this location. I met a man named Lester who told my friend and I one of his experiences at Hollywood Beach. "I was eating at Florio’s pizza joint, and my waitress and I saw a guy walking fully clothed. He looked normal until he turned around, the man has a huge rip in the butt of his pants, and he had no underwear on. My waitress almost threw up," said Lester.

The only problem I see with the beach besides parking is the trash build up at the beach. Litter is a problem at most beaches in South Florida. As a kid I would find cigarette buds, plastic cups and wrappers, as well as other forms of trash on the sand and water on the beach. I have actually participated in a beach clean up and I feel the need to attend again this year. Hollywood Beach is very strict with litter, if caught littering one can be fined up to $500.

Luckily I found a organization that comes together to clean up Hollywood Beach and others nearby. Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer organization, hosts annual events to clean up Hollywood Beach, the next scheduled cleanup event takes place Saturday, September 17 2016 from 9 a.m. to noon. To register email coastalcleanup@broward.org, include your name, contact information, which site you would like to participate, and number of attendees. I highly recommend to those who want to do something for their community to participate.

All of this started in the 1920’s when John W. Young came to what is now City of Hollywood to create his “Dream City in Florida,” between 1925-1926, Young built the Hollywood Board Walk to visitors to the oceanfront and to entertain them. Young referred to the City of Hollywood as “Hollywood-By-The-Sea.”