Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Casa Museo de la Música
HISTORICAL HOME
(15 Calle Santiago Vivaldi Pacheco, around the cnr from Casa Franceschi; 1-3pm
Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat & Sun)
Musicians might find a bit of diversion in this former
home of local composer Amaury Verey Torregrosa, though the wilting creole house has
little inside except some faded sheets of music and old photos.
FCentro de Arte Alejandro Franceschi
MUSEUM
(cnr 25 de Julio & Batence; 8am-3pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat & Sun)
The city's
immaculate little art museum is housed in a 1907 building chock-full of Victorian oil paint-
ings and gilded frescoes.
Eating
For something inexpensive to eat, stroll down Calle Comercio, which has good cafeterias
and cafes. The same strip also has a franchise of the delightful Ponce institution,
King's
Cream(27 Comercio; 9am-8pm)
.
Restaurante La Guardarraya
PUERTO RICAN $
( 787-856-4222;
www.laguardarraya.com
; Rte 127 Km 6; mains $7-13)
You'll see
the signs announcing Chuletas Can-Can all over the island, but this charming 1957 insti-
tution is the place that invented the dish. What is it? A slab of pork, with the ribs and fat
left on, prepared with a row of delicate cuts so that when the whole thing gets deep-fried,
the fat blossoms to resemble the underskirt of a cancan dancer. Intense? You better believe
it. Sided with rice, beans, plantains and a pitcher of water it makes for an
amazing
(if dec-
adent) meal. The historical ambience of the restaurant - it's set on stilts in a tropical forest
clearing outside of Yaoco, with lazy fans spinning overhead, waiters with well-groomed
mustaches and lots of pride - makes for one of the best dining experiences on the island.
Guánica & Around
A plush resort east of town draws international travelers, but Guánica doesn't much notice
the happenings of the relatively rich and famous: it exudes the feel of a simple fishing
village where folks unwind after a long week of tending the lines at open-air bars along
the
malecón
(waterfront promenade). The village sprawls from the edge of a scrubby town
square and a row of bars and restaurants facing a large factory across the bay. However,
