December 2015 Hemispheres Magazine - page 84

ambitious,youshouldmeetchefHectorRosa.“Wecallitthe
NewPuertoRicanKitchen,”hesays,“thefoodofthefuture.”
Rosa lets themarket-fresh ingredients do the talking,
oftenwithasubtletwist:chorizowithguava,papaya,tomato,
andavocado;fettuccinewith chicharronesdepollo, sataysauce,
andanalfredo-inspiredceleryrootpuree;and,fordessert,a
breadpuddingmadefromKrispyKremedonutsthatwinks
at the roleofAmericanmasscultureon the island.
“Santurce is a zone that’s been stigmatized,because the
slavesandworkersused to livehere,”Rosa tellsme.“Asraw
as it isnow,youdon’talwayshaveaneighborhoodwhereyou
know it’sgoing tobeamazing.”
Notfarfromhere isLAB:LaboratoriodeArtesBinarios,a
starkspacebookendedbymodernistcementwindows latticed
withgeometricconcretegratings.Thevast spaceworkswell
forChemiRosado-Seijo,whose latestproject involvesskate-
boardingon custom ramps around theworld,spreading the
dirtfromhiswheelsinabstractswirlsand loops.“Theshapeof
theramp,thepersonskating,thedirtfromthatcountryaffect
thecolors,”heexplains.“It’sabstractionandperformanceart
andmodernism together.”Across thehall,RicardoMorales
Hernándezpaintsmassivemonochromaticworksthatexpand
onhisdaughters’doodles.
It’sonlyafive-minutedrivefromSanturcetomynextstop,
but the twoplaces couldn’tbe less alike.Condado is aSouth
Beach–esque stretch of condos and resorts, including the
CondadoVanderbilt,aSpanishRevivalpropertybuiltin1919
(bythefirmbehindGrandCentralTerminal)andrestoredto
full glory late last year.I’mhavingdinner at thehotel’s1919
Restaurant,aplaceofsleek leatherchairsandmother-of-pearl
chandeliers.TheMichelin-starredchefhere,JuanJoséCuevas,
combines influencesfromSpainandhisnativePuertoRico.I
grabaseatoverlookingtheseaandtuckintoaplateof cochinillo
(sucklingpig)ravioliwithburrata,caramelizedeggplant,and
Ibericoham,andapaella-inspireddishofrabbit,bombarice,
maitake,conch,andoctopus.
I’m spending thenight across the street at theMediterra-
nean-themedO:LiveBoutiqueHotel.This iswheretheReal
HousewivesofAtlantastayedwhile intown,butdon’texpect
paparazzi—or catfights.Inspiredby theowners’wedding in
Sorrento, thehotel feels like a sanctuaryyou’d find inCam-
paniaorProvence,withfurnishingscraftedfromcentury-old
reclaimedwood. It’s a little shot of theOldWorld in a city
that’sbecomeavibrant symbolofwhat itmeans tobe“new.”
HAVING IMMERSED MYSELF IN URBAN
SanJuan,todayI’mturningmyattentiontothenearby
countryside—specificallyElYunque,theonlytropical
rainforest in theU.S.National Forest System,a 40-minute
drive from the city.My tiny rental chugs up the side of a
mountain,whichgetsdenserandgreenerasIgo.Prettysoon,
I’msurroundedbywaterfalls, prehistoric-lookingferns,soar-
ingpalms,andexoticparrots.
THREE PERFECT DAYS 1898 YEAR SPAINRELINQUISHED CONTROLOF THE ISLAND TO THEUNITED STATES
THEMOSTSCENICWALK inOld San Juan is thePaseodelMorro, whichhugs thebay
along thebaseof Castillo San FelipedelMorro, the city’s imposing16th-century
citadel.While the fort is impressive, the thing that truly strikes you about thepath is
the cats—dozens anddozens of them—loungingor slinking about. Unlike street cats in
other parts of theworld, these seem tobe remarkablyhappy andhealthy. There’s a
reason for this: Avolunteer foundation called Save aGatoprovidesmedical care to the
cats, while local residentsmake sure theydon’t gohungry. “We take careof those cats!”
says thepoet Lady LeeAndrews. “They’re likeour housecats—all of them.”
“PEOPLESEEELYUNQUEASASPIRITUAL,
MYSTICALLANDMARK.ITUSEDTOBECALLED
THESACREDMOUNTAIN.WHENTHEFOREST
SERVICETRIEDTODOTIMBER INTHE ’80S,
THEYWEREUP INARMS.SOWESHIFTEDFROM
TIMBERTORECREATION,ANDNOW ITFEELS
LIKEAPRISTINEAREAWHATGODCREATED.”
RAYMONDFELICIANO
ElYunqueNational
Forestarchaeologist
THEGATOSOFOLDSANJUAN
DAY THREE
InwhichNicholas scalesa junglepeak(sortof)andgoes
birdwatchingat theSt.RegisBahiaBeach
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