An American Abroad

Nelson’s Dockyard: A Quart of Goat’s Milk Each Day

I got a lesson in British naval history while I visited Antigua. I stayed less than a mile from where one of the greatest heroes of Great Britain spent one of the quieter periods of his career. Today, the facility where he was stationed is a UNESCO … [Continue reading]

All Alone in Antigua

Last year around this time, I spent an extended Labor Day weekend in the Dominican Republic. This year, I thought I'd do something similar on a different Caribbean island. I chose Antigua because it was close and inexpensive to get to and because … [Continue reading]

El Local en Santurce and La Maquinaria de Tortura

I was at El Batey a couple weeks ago and got talking to the guy on the next barstool. This is something I've rarely done at other bars, but there's something about El Batey that brings out my extrovert side. He told me he was in a band called La … [Continue reading]

Cataño, Inadvertently

The idea was that on Sunday morning, I'd drive to the neighboring town of Cataño, catch the ferry across San Juan Bay to Old San Juan, and then stumble around there until I found some way to get into trouble. This seemed like a great way to visit a … [Continue reading]

Windy Day at Playa Último Trolley

My favorite beach in all of Puerto Rico is in the San Juan neighborhood of Ocean Park. It's called Playa Último Trolley -- Last Trolley Beach -- because it's near the final stop on the now-defunct San Juan streetcar line. I've gone there almost every … [Continue reading]

Women Who Ride, Women Who Travel

For several years now, I've made a similar post to Facebook every Friday morning. I put up a photo of a woman riding a motorcycle and caption it "It's FRIDAY and the streets are OURS!" To my surprise, this weekly post gets a lot of love every … [Continue reading]

One Year in Puerto Rico

One year ago today, I moved to Puerto Rico to take a job as a Managing Editor for a web startup that reviews and compares consumer goods and services. I’d never set foot on the island before. I’d never worked full-time as a writer. I had no clear … [Continue reading]

Casa Blanca: Ponce de León is Not at Home

I know I had the right address: 1 Calle San Sebastián in Old San Juan is hard to miss. When you get there, you can't go any farther. There was even a plaque by the door identifying the place as Casa Blanca, the residence built for Juan Ponce … [Continue reading]

Lote 23

A shiny Airstream caught my eye as I drove past. There was a row of buildings cheek-by-jowl in a blighted area of Santurce -- and then there was an open space with this silvery sausage of a trailer set at one side. There were people milling around … [Continue reading]

El Museo del Mar

I've always been interested in sailing, boats, and life at sea, even though I have very little experience with any of it. Part of this interest comes from my wanderlusting soul, but there's a geekier element to it too: I like the stuff of sailing. … [Continue reading]