Posts Tagged ‘city’

Steve
Steve

Vive Le Renaissance of the Historic Hotel L’Impératrice

L'Imperatrice Bed/SBPR

The Caribbean is rarely thought of as a prime destination for the type of city stay vacation so popular over in Europe, but it should be. Throughout the region, you can find a wide array of stylish and contemporary hotels located in the middle of bustling cosmopolitan areas rife with fine art galleries, museums, celebrated restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and other urban treasures. Among the main cities to seek out this type of vacation experience are Old San Juan, Santo Domingo, Kingston, Havana (someday), Port-of-Spain, and Fort-de-France, where last May I visited the Hotel L’Impératrice pictured above.
Located in the heart of Martinique‘s capital city, Hotel L’Impératrice was originally built in the 1950’s and named in honor of Empress Josephine, Napoleon’s wife and one of Martinique’s most famous figures.

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Jan. 18th, 2011 | Tags: , , | No Comments »
Steve
Steve

My ‘For Dummies’ Guide to Taking Pictures in Old San Juan

La Rogativa

I am not a photographer. I’ve loved taking pictures for as long as I can remember, though. Some of them, I’m told, are even pretty good. But unlike my brother Patrick, whose photo essays of New York Carnival, Fort-de-France and people watching planes in St. Maarten are some of my favorite posts we’ve run, I’m no photo pro. This, of course, is another reason why I love Old San Juan.
The ancient city is so beautiful in so many different ways that it’s almost impossible not to come away with at least a few treasured snapshots. I have a ton of pics captured in normal auto settings from my many trips to the city through the years, but this time I decided to try something a little different.

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Oct. 13th, 2010 | Tags: , , | 6 Comments »
Steve
Steve

Imagine There’s No Cuban Embargo…

Lennon

The United States and Cuba have certainly had their fair share of differences over the years, but in at least 1 area both sides agree: John Lennon and his music are great.
Just check out the statue pictured at left. You’ll find it in Parque Lennon (Lennon Park) located smack dab in the middle of Havana.
Not Little Havana in Miami, mind you; we’re talking the real Havana down in Cuba.
Why would such a staunch opponent of all things Western culture like Fidel Castro allow a shrine to be built in Cuba’s capital to one of the greatest pop culture icons of our time?

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May. 20th, 2010 | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments »
Patrick
Patrick

McDonald’s Failure in Barbados Hides in Plain Sight

Consolidated Finance building, Barbados by Patrick Bennett

While driving east out of Bridgetown on Barbados, it’s easy to miss the Consolidated Finance building. However, observant visitors may notice something familiar about the shape of this squat building. Yep, underneath that blue and white paint job hides a former McDonald’s. The only McDonald’s Barbados has known… And may ever know.
Back in 1996, this McDonald’s location opened to much fanfare, but very quickly it became clear that something was wrong. Ask any Bajan and they’ll tell you similar reasons for the downfall of McDonald’s in Barbados: We mostly like fish, chicken and pork. We like to eat healthy. McDonald’s is bland!

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Apr. 1st, 2010 | Tags: , | 2 Comments »
Steve
Steve

Tuesday 2 Cents: Damion Rose

STA72662

Uncommon Caribbean thinks Kingston gets a bad rap. It’s a big city (by Caribbean standards) with big city problems (by any standard), but it also boasts a vibrant nightlife scene, which of course we love. We recently caught up with Kingston-native, Damion Rose, whose 10+ years as an airline marketing executive ensures that he never misses JA’s hottest fetes.
Best night to go out?
Friday. People start hanging out from happy hour and make it a long night. Also, Carnival season is in full gear from February through April, so the parties are virtually non-stop, especially at Mas Camp. Every Friday night for 10 weeks they host Bacchanal Fridays, some of the best parties of the year.

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Feb. 23rd, 2010 | Tags: , , | 2 Comments »