In Old San Juan

Four of us who started together at Illiois years and years ago have since separated and are now teaching in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada. I am the only one still at Illinois. We are now in year 13 of an annual trip, and this year our choice was San Juan. We are in a hotel right on the water, spread across a number of colonial houses with nooks and crannies, lots of little outdoor patios, called The Gallery Inn. There’s a rooftop patio looking straight out over th watr, it is glorious.

These trips are not for touring and museums, mainly for just walking and talking and eating. We got here yesterday afternoon and had our first meal of mofongos. We were all pretty exhausted because two had been on the red-eyes and the other two had left home on 5 am flights. In bed by 11, up at 8 and then the day was just as we envisioned — started with a good coffee, then a saunter through Old San Juan, lunch in a great little empanada place. After that we went to the forts, pretty amazing. We just walked and talked and ate, just as we had planned.

Many of the old colonial houses have been restored since the hurricaine, so the old part looks amazing. We are so lucky to be able to do this, here’s hoping for many more.Read more