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IMG_8044 - Version 2, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_8035, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Frozen Octopus San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_8045, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Tres Monjitas Lite Orange Juice. San Juan, PR. 2008.

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IMG_7382, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

So we are clear, the 'Supermarket Finds' feature is not entirely literal. Food products of all kinds, particularly interestingly packaged food products all fall under this category.

MayoKetchip, seen here, was found on the table at a god-awful food shack outside of the Yunque National Park in Puerto Rico. I definitely didn't try any of it, but I suspect it couldn't have made the food much worse.

The funny part is that this 'authentically puerto rican'

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IMG_8137, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_6700, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_8230, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Stray cats roam all over Old San Juan, especially in the more residential blocks. People feed them and nearly every block you'll see a tin platter out with cat food. I'm not a fan of the little creatures myself, so it's all lost on me.

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IMG_8144, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Old San Juan, PR. 2008.

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IMG_6716, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008

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IMG_7724, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

The Parrot Club is one of many flashy, new style restaurants on Calle Fortaleza in Old San Juan. We had lunch there the last time we went to Puerto Rico and had some of the best Cuban sandwiches I had ever had. This time we wanted to try out dinner. It was great.

The pork chops I had, above, were much thicker than traditional chuletas, which are usually either pounded flat or just cut very thin. These, as you can see were grilled, instead of fried and gigantic. Tammi and I were amazed that they gave me two, but fear not, I managed to polish it off.

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IMG_7010, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_7932, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008

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IMG_8030, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

I found more than a few additions to my Recession series down in Puerto Rico. Even in Old San Juan, the tourist and shopping center of the city, there were around a dozen closed down storefronts that we came across.

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IMG_6858, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Plaza de Armas, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_7375, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

This was the first sign I saw when we got to El Yunque National Forest, the rainforest up in the mountains of Puerto Rico. If I was just slightly concerned about hiking through the woods 3500 feet up, I was considerably more alarmed by this warning. Posted on the Men's room door. Ew.

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IMG_7173, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Typically, I abhor resorts. I didn't fly thousands of miles just so I could sit in a hotel all day. It's not my thing. I travel to explore, to discover new places, foods, booze and so on. I learn a place through osmosis, by wandering it's streets and getting lost, matching up landmarks with the streets on the map. Or something like that.

In any case, this trip wasn't for all that. Tammi and I both needed a time out, not an adventure. We stayed at the Caribe Hilton, a resort stationed across the lagoon from Condado and about a mile away from Old San Juan. The location is sort of in the middle of nowhere, but conversely, closer to more things.

Clearly we didn't spend the whole trip within the confines of the resort the whole time, but we both found our proper perches, Tammi in the hammock and me at the pool bar. I have to admit, that if any single thing justifies the existence of the resort, it is the pool bar. Sitting in the pool or jacuzzi taking in the sun with a beer is the good life, it can't be denied.

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IMG_6914 - Version 2, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_8037, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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IMG_7386, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

These posters were plastered all over the windows in an office across the street from our hotel, along with the giant words "HILLARY 2008." What struck me about it is the pose. When I pointed it out to Tammi, she said it reminded her of the work of Shepard Fairey in his Obey Giant campaign. It's true, the profile and the flowing flag in the background are very reminiscent of the authoritarian posters that Fairey references.

Honestly, I haven't seen that many Hillary posters in Brooklyn, so maybe these things are all over the place on the mainland, but it seemed unusual to me.

If it is targeted to PR, is the design a cultural thing? God knows the Caribbean and South America have a penchant for authoritarian regimes, but Puerto Rico hasn't ever had one as far as I know.

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IMG_6993 - Version 2, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2008.

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Tammi and I got back from San Juan last night. It was exactly the relaxing break we needed from a fair amount of stress we've both been under lately. It wasn't a busy, run around everywhere sort of trip, but we managed to eat pretty well and bar hop a bit.

I'll have some posts up in the next few days, including tomorrow's Supermarket Find.

(Btw: If you've noticed a bunch of random test posts in the last couple of days it's the result of much back and forth with my host's helpdesk. I think most of the issues I was running into over the last several months are resolved. This should mean a smoother, more regular posting schedule.)

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IMG_7691, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Next week Tammi and I are taking some much needed downtime to spend a few days in Puerto Rico. As I'm digging through whatever notes I have from our last trip, I'll post about it. ::c::

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IMG_7805, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Hacer. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2004


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