Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hilton, the interior of the fort is rarely open, though the exterior walls and ramparts are
usually accessible and offer rather fetching views of Condado across the inlet.
El Capitolio
NOTABLE BUILDING
(Capitol; 787-724-2030, ext 4616;
www.senadopr.us
; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri,
8:30am-6pmSat&Sun,toursbyappointment)
Sandwiched between Av Muñoz Rivera
and Av Ponce de León, just east of Fuerte San Cristóbal, is El Capitolio of the common-
wealth. Resembling a smaller, Romanesque version of the US Capitol, the building com-
mands an authoritative position in Puerta de Tierra overlooking the wave-lashed coast. The
much-revered constitution of the commonwealth, which moved the island a step closer to
its citizens' dreams of freedom from colonialism in 1951, is on display inside the 80ft ro-
tunda. Regular sessions of the legislature meet inside, while rallies for and against state-
hood occur outside every time the government calls for an islandwide plebiscite on the is-
sue.
Parques Muñoz Rivera & Sixto Escobar
PARK
Spanning half the width of Puerta de Tierra between the Atlantic and Av Ponce de León,
the green space known as
Parque Muñoz Rivera
dates back over 50 years and injects
some much-needed breathing space into the surrounding urbanity. It has shade trees, trails,
a kids' playground, and a 'Peace Pavilion,' which sometimes hosts community events.
Parque Sixto Escobar
- named for the famed Puerto Rican boxer - was the site of the
eighth Pan American Games, held in 1979, and is now home to an Olympic athletics track
and the gusty Balneario Escambrón.
CONDADO
Beachfront Condado swings to the sound of jangling money - and equally clangorous slot
machines. In the 1960s, this is where Puerto Rico's explosive tourist boom was first ignited,
spearheaded by exiled Cuban businessmen and rum-drunk Americans in search of the next
big thing. But, as fashions ebbed and flowed, Condado's moment as the next Miami Beach
never quite arrived. Instead, the more refined action edged gradually east to Isla Verde
and abandoned Condado became a lonely hearts club for an unsavory crowd of prostitutes,
pimps, drug dealers and high rollers crying into their piña coladas.
It was in the 1990s that things first started to turn around and by the mid-2000s they had
almost come full circle. As mainstream tourism headed east, Condado plugged the gaps,
attracting assorted celebrities, gay socialites and those in search of the odd hotel bargain.
