November 9, 2008
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/09...gewanted=print
36 Hours in Santo Domingo
By MARC LACEY
WHETHER one believes it was Columbus who actually discovered America or not, he clearly left his mark on Santo Domingo, the breezy capital of the Dominican Republic and the most vibrant of Caribbean cities. Columbus’s remains are said to be there, and a bronze statue honoring the explorer sits in Zona Colonial, where one can retrace his steps and find solace in an otherwise chaotic city. Exploring, after all, is what Columbus did, and you’ll find plenty of reasons to keep wandering. And in the oldest European city in the New World, there’s the oldest church in the Americas, the first paved road and the first sewer system. But Santo Domingo also offers plenty that’s new and trendy, like an elegant restaurant buried in a cave once used by pirates, and a seaside walkway that features towering condos on one side and the ocean that carried Columbus to the island on the other.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) COLUMBUS’S CORNER
If Santo Domingo has a nerve center, it may be the gritty but always crowded El Conde Restaurant (Calle El Conde at Arzobispo Meriño; 809-688-7121). Order a cold Presidente beer and take in the sights (and pigeons) of the Parque Colón, a leafy square in the heart of the Zona Colonial. Across the square is the Catedral Primada de America (Calle Arzobispo Meriño, Parque Colón), which dates back to the 1500s. Also nearby is the Museo Alcázar de Diego Colón, (809-682-4750, rsta.pucmm.edu.do/ciudad/alcazar/website), a museum on the Plaza de la Hispanidad, that used to be the residence of Christopher Columbus’s son Diego.
6 p.m.
2) PEOPLE GRIDLOCK
Santo Domingo’s traffic is an infuriating mess. Find yourself stuck in it and you might wish you’d stayed home. But foot traffic is another thing entirely, and no place packs in more bodies than El Conde, a street closed to vehicles and filled with pedestrians and merchants of all stripes. There are too many knickknacks for sale, but the people watching is first-rate and there are plenty of surprises along the way, like the facials that are sometimes performed on the sidewalk for the equivalent of $10, tip included.
8 p.m.
3) COLONIAL EATING
When hunger calls, duck into Mesón D’Bari (Calle Hostos 302; 809-687-4091), a mouth-watering Dominican restaurant in a restored colonial home. To start things off, order the empanadas, which come filled with seafood or vegetables. Then try the grilled crab, a specialty here, or a plate of spicy shrimp that will have you have thirsting for a cocktail. Dinner will run about 875 pesos or about $24 at 36 pesos to the dollar. Enjoy the live bands, which feature anything from salsa to jazz.
10 p.m.
4) FRYING TO THE BEAT
Work off your meal by walking the safe streets to El Sartén (Calle Hostos 153; 809-686-9621), a tiny bar where you’ll find some first-class Dominican joie de vivre. There are far glitzier nightspots with velvet ropes, burly doormen and revelers dressed like it’s New Year’s Eve. But no place has the energy of El Sartén, which means the frying pan and can feel like one when everyone is packed together, dancing to loud meringue and bachata music. Plop down in a curbside plastic chair and look inside as gray-haired Dominicans show off their old-time steps. Or better yet, grab a partner and join in the fun.
Saturday
10 a.m.
5) MINING ABOVE GROUND
Amber and larimar, a sea-blue stone, are native to the island, and are carved to make beautiful figurines and jewelry. For stunning examples, check out Ambar Maldo Gift Shop (Calle La Atarazana 1; 809-688-0639), one of many such shops in the colonial area. Or get a lay of the land at the Museo Mundo de Ambar (452 Arzobispo Meriño; 809-682-3309), where one can learn about the uses of amber resin through the ages.
1 p.m.
6) STOGIE ROLLING
You don’t have to be a smoker to enjoy watching the Dominican Republic’s beloved cigars being rolled. At a cigar shop called Museo del Tabaco (El Conde 101; 809-689-7665) you can witness the entire painstaking process, from moist leaves to hand-rolled beauties. You can see it from the sidewalk, but for a whiff of the pungent leaves, step inside. Either way, don’t buy the Cuban cigars that are sold along the sidewalk. Buying them runs afoul of the American trade embargo, but most are fakes anyway.
8 p.m.
7) DOWN-UNDER DINING
Caves are thought to be dank, bat-infested and lacking glitz. But not Mesón de la Cava (Avenida Mirador del Sur 1; 809-533-2818; elmesondelacava.com), an underground restaurant that shines. Well-heeled capitalinos enjoy seafood Dominican style inside this limestone hideaway, which is said to have served as a campground for pirates centuries ago. The service is impeccable and the offerings diverse and delicious, especially the traditional shrimp in cilantro cream sauce, a Dominican delicacy that will have you longing for more. Many entrees are below 700 pesos. This is spelunking in style, so remember, after polishing off that bottle of rum, that you have to climb back up those narrow stairs.
10 p.m.
8) DANCING WITH THE BATS
If being underground suits you, head down to Guácarataína (Avenida Mirador Sur; 809-533-1051; www.guacarataina.net), a nearby disco inside a sprawling grotto. Featuring several bars and dance floors, this cave does not draw the crowds it once did, but it remains a wonder and offers memorable concerts. On a recent Saturday, there were just a handful of revelers spread throughout the cavernous property, but the drinks were good and the atmosphere unlike anything else above ground.
Sunday
10 a.m.
9) A SCRUNCHED SANDWICH
Eating at Hermanos Villar (Avenida Independencia at Esquina Pasteur; 809-682-1433) is not necessarily relaxing, but the popular diner does not disappoint. The house specialty is sandwiches made of flattened baguettes and served piping hot with a variety of meat, cheese and vegetable fillings, for about 70 pesos. If you come with a group, order one extra-long sandwich for all and munch away to your heart’s content.
Noon
10) NOT ALL ATTICS ARE EQUAL
In the small plaza in front of the Sofitel hotel is a Sunday-only flea market that offers attention-getting artwork, crafts and bric-a-brac that could have been taken from Caribbean attics. The sellers are a motley crew, and so are their wares. Bargain hard for that aging map, gem-studded dagger or necklace made from shells. Nearby is the seaside walkway, the Malecón, which is closed to traffic on Sundays and fills with revelers who sip rum and other mysterious liquids out of paper bags, as they soak in the breeze. Peer out into the ocean, away from the sky-high condominiums going up, and you’ll see nothing but blue.
2 p.m.
11) RE-DISCOVER COLUMBUS
A cab ride away on the other side of the Ozama River is the Columbus Lighthouse (Parque Mirador del Este, 809-591-1492), a museum built 10 stories high and in the shape of a giant cross. The lighthouse, which was inaugurated in 1992, to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival in America, is equipped with high-powered beams that can blast the night sky. But it’s rarely turned on, to help relieve a national power crisis. Plus, neighbors did not take kindly to looking out of their darkened hovels to see the government blasting luz into the heavens. Inside, you’ll find artifacts from throughout the Americas and, if the Dominicans are to be believed, the remains of Columbus himself.
THE BASICS
Numerous airlines fly between Santo Domingo and New York, including American, Continental, Spirit, JetBlue, Copa and Delta. A recent online search found fares in November and December from about $400.
Named after one of the first governors of the Americas, the Sofitel Nicolás de Ovando (Calle Las Damas; 809-685-9955; www.sofitel.com) offers 104 elegant rooms, luxurious views of the port on the Ozama River and a lap pool. Rooms start at $218 a night.
For a more affordable stay, try Boutique Hotel Palacio (Calle Duarte 106, 809-682-4730, www.hotel-palacio.com), a converted mansion in the Zona Colonial. The 48 comfortable and quiet rooms overlook a central courtyard. Rooms start at about $97.
Hotel Doña Elvira (Calle Padre Billini 207; 809-221-7415; www.dona-elvira.com) has a dozen cozy rooms, some overlooking a mosaic-tiled plunge pool. Rooms for two start at $79, and include a breakfast.
Re: 36 Hours in Santo Domingo
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