Historic joints

Santo Domingo is "the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the North and South America. The Christopher Columbus' family lived here. Above is the presidential palace, not so old, but below I think is the Casa Colon or similar, built by Christopher's son or brother... I've had a couple rums and my memory for facts and figures is getting patchy.

Beware the Ron

Beware the Dominican Rum, it only took a couple of ounces to make me woozy... but it tastes good!

semana santa-holy week

Semana Santa

Easter Week, or Holy Week, is a big deal in Dominican Republic, not just for the church people, but it´s a big party time too as best I can tell.

Many people leave the cities and go to a beach somewhere. I´m staying about 25 kilometres from the capital Santo Domingo at a beach community called Boca Chica. It´s packed this weekend with families and partyers from Santo Domingo. Presidente beer sponsors various events including beach volleyball. It wasn´t just for fun, the players seemed to be quite good and it included teams from Canada... at least there was a Maple Leaf flying along with the other participating countries. I wish I had taken photos of the bleachers at the respective mens and womens courts... lots of spectators at the women´s... nobody at the mens. There was a three on three basketball court too.

union square

Went out walking just before sunset and came upon Union Square. It was alive with music and lots of people. During this trip, I wanted to go to a specific site I've seen on the Amazing Race and this square was on the show a year or two ago so that's one goal reached. I went to a movie, The Lookout. It's pretty good.

yankee stadium

Going to see the Yankees at Yankee Stadium was alone worth the trip to New York. The game wasn't so great, but the experience was fantastic. I've never been in a place with 55,000 other people before. Especially lots of New Yorkers. They seem to say pretty much what's on their minds so there was lots of comedy up in the stands, anger at their own players.. YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!.. at the Yankee pitcher who got pulled in the 5th inning. This city seems like a place all its own, I'm not sure if there's any other like it in the world.

ranger fans

the ranger fans are pretty passionate about their hockey however.... and they seem to have lots of traditions... at different points in the game apparently triggered by the time on the clock, lots of the fans yelled out "Potvin Sucks!

A guy wearing a Leafs Wendell Clark jersey also got yelled at a few times.... especially when he stood up to cheer after a Toronto goal... "Hey Clark, SIT DOWN!, SIT DOWN!" in thick New York accents.

Former Ranger Esa Tikkanen who was on the Rangers Stanley Cup team in 94 was in the stands right behind me and was mobbed by autograph seekers.... so much so some security guys came and rescued him.

rangers versus leafs

I went to a Rangers-Leafs game Sunday night and sort of nodded off a few times in the second period because I didn't sleep at all Saturday night on the flight out east.

Toronto got smacked 7-2.. great! And even better Darcy Tucker got a thumping when he started a fight with Sean Avery.

In a city with many black people, there weren't any at the game except those working at the concessions. The guy sitting next to me said black people just aren't interested in hockey. Maybe that's part of the reason hockey just isn't catching on in the states.

washington square

I'm staying at the Washington Square Hotel (recommended by Laurel Parry.. a shout out to Laurel), it's in the centre of the left photo above... in the 1950s, Eleanor Roosevelt lived in the building on the left in the left photo.. imagine that! This is the Greenwich Village neighbourhood, lots of coffee shops, clubs and restaurants. There's a huge choice of food you can get, so of course I've been eating cheese sandwiches and fries... NOT.

new york

First stop on my trip.... New York. This little guy waiting outside a coffee shop was one of the first New Yorkers I met. There are lots of dogs here being walked by their people... a few are big, but most are small.