the only place in the Caribbean (and I've been to many) that approaches it is Aruba.
We're going there in september, quite the globe hopper I am now that a lot of money is not being consumed by booze
My wifes cousin has some kind of time share suite. Bunch of other cousins also coming.
Hawaii is nice but as said, too long a flight (for my taste). We went for our honeymoon and I was drunk, hungover and drunk again before we landed.
And back then you could smoke on the plane.
Puerto Rico voted overwhelmingly in favor of statehood on Sunday in a referendum that begins the steps toward sending representatives to Washington, D.C.
According to The Wall Street Journal, 97 percent of voters chose statehood, though turnout was only about 23 percent. One-and-a-half percent voted for independence from the United States, according to Decision Desk HQ, while 1.3 percent voted to keep the current status of a territory of the United States.
Puerto Rico will now put its "Tennessee plan" into action, meaning its governor will choose two senators and five representatives to go to Washington, D.C., to request statehood.
President Trump signaled during his presidential campaign that he is open to Puerto Rico officially becoming a state.
Puerto Rico previously voted in favor of becoming a state in 2012, but statehood opponents said the voter turnout was not high enough to accurately reflect the will of the Puerto Rican people. Some fear that they will make the same case this time around.
I would be happy to have them join as a state and begin to pay taxes &c.
Big RR wrote:Guin--Puerto Rico is a fine place to visit, and San Juan is convenient to many of the best known attractions including El Yunque (the rain forest with some nice hiking) and Luquillo Beach (one of the nicest public beaches on the island); tours and transportation are avaialable. I raised the points above only to point out that staying in San Juan is not the same as staying in a big resort right on the beach--you're staying in a city and you should be prepared for it. It is not like staying in a all-inclusive resort in Jamaica or a resort-only area in some of the other islands; it's like a more urban Miami Beach. And it is the Atlantic ocean so the water is a bit rougher. Keeping that in mind, you should have a good time.
Rincon and Vieques are nice as well, just do your homework to see what amenities are available where you are staying. FWIW, the Rincon area is on of my favorite in PR--it's about an hour from where most of my wife's family lives, and it has a number of decent restaurants (not all that common outside of San Juan). Vieques is fun too. And the absolute best attraction I found in PR is a resort town called La Parguera which has boat trips to a Phosphorescent bay (containing millions of fluorescent microorganisms that flash when disturbed. On a moonless night you can see the trails of the fish in the water. A bit far to go from San Juan (probably near a 3 hour drive each way), but worth the trip if you're in Rincon.
sue--no argument there--the travel time to Hawaii from the east coast is a serious drawback. But I do like it when I get there.
As for Caribbean experiences, my biggest problems are with vendors (especially street vendors) who are as aggressive as any panhandlers I've ever seen (e.g., in Grenada a lady followed me screaming and cursing for blocks because I didn't want to buy what she offered) or people being generally nasty (much like in NYC). Sure, there are nice people everywhere, but in some areas they are less prevalent than in others.
El Yunque and Loquillo Beach are both on the agenda. And yes, we will be staying on an urban beach, but at a pretty good-sized resort. In any event, I live on an urban beach, on the Atlantic, so I know they can also be wonderful as well.
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké
