The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

PR International Auto Show 2010 (PRIAS)

View of Car Show from Second Level of the Plaza Las Américas in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Plaza Las Américas Revisited.

the 12th annual event is billed as the world’s largest auto mall show, featuring a vast assortment of cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans, hybrids, dragsters, ATVs and motor bikes. All under one roof with an estimated crowd draw of over 1,000,000 folks spread over 2 weeks. This year, it runs from October 18th through the 31st.

Its worth noting that for a mall of over 40 years old, you would never know it by its general appearance. Immaculately maintained and continuously updated, it is a jewel in the crown of San Juan. It reminds me of the main mall in Honolulu. Just as upscale, but not quite as pretentious.

If you were ‘born to shop’, you’ll love it here.

I took the opportunity to check out a quad-core 27″ iMac at one of the few Apple Resellers on the island as well as the Sony Style store (I shoot with Sony Alpha). I was not here to shop per se, but to scope out the car show.

We were there on Sunday, October 24th.

This mall always has a crowd and Sunday was no different. Folks from all walks of life were there to checkout the new rides on display. It made for a very festive atmosphere. [Read more…] about PR International Auto Show 2010 (PRIAS)

Site Updates: Calendar, Travel Tips & Site Map

The Menu Bar at the top now features a long winded collection of ‘Travel Tips’ with lots of new images and observations you’ll not find anywhere else.

I’ve also added a dynamically updating Table of Contents/Site Map Page. This will give surfers an alternative way of looking up stuff. At the top of the page is an ‘Options’ panel that will let you sort content as you would like.

The 3rd update is the addition of a ‘Calendar of Events’ in the right-hand Side Bar. I became frustrated with accurate, easy to search, ‘listed-by-date’ info. Discovering a ‘cool-new-thing’ after the event had ended has been problematic.
The listings are all the way to the bottom so I can let it spill down the page. I’m still updating it, searching for errors, but it’s live now. Clicking on any title will take you to a very short Post with location and contact info. Most contacts speak Spanish and most sites are in Spanish as well.

PLEASE, if you see an error, leave a short comment on that Post and I will fix it Pronto! Likewise, if you have a ‘non-commercial’ event open to the public, send it to me via a comment and I’ll add it. I need date, when, where and contact info. Submissions are subject to confirmation. Thanx Tons!

Lastly, Always verify the date and time of something before you go.

Most of this info was found on the Web and I do not have the time to double check all of it for accuracy. It’s a dynamic calendar and will display the 50 most current activities. Enjoy.

The next effort will be to update the Maps/Where’s Roberto? Page.

In addition to fixing my own maps, I’ll be adding a few antique maps I found on the Library of Congress Web site. Copyrights have long since expired on them. More details next time.

The weather should start to mellow out in a couple more weeks. It’s been very wet here. Too wet to travel, but great for the banana plants and mangoes.

Off the Charts.. Unique Destinations Outside PR

Site Updates in the Works…

The ‘Off the Charts’ Category will eventually feature ‘Other Destinations’ dedicated to Alaska, Hawaii, New York City and Seattle (among others). A trip to the Dominican Republic is in the early planning stages. Arrg!

A Chilly Day in Anchorage, Alaska

“We are in the middle of hurricane season so the weather is pretty flaky.
New posts will be added as weather permits. This gives me the time I need to add a few new pages, add categories, update maps and add new ones. Thanx for your patience, the Scurvy Dog o’ Puerto Rico..”

Hurricane IGOR Skips Puerto Rico

Igor was Downgraded as it Passed Bermuda

When I told my friends in Alaska, I had decided to retire to Puerto Rico, they all thought I was crazy – “You’ll get maimed in a hurricane or lose everything you own”. I looked into all that before I ever visited PR.

Puerto Rico is not near as prone to hurricane destruction as is the coast of Texas or the Southern States or even New Brunswick in Canada. Hurricanes are just getting fired-up when they pass us by.

That’s not to say Puerto Rico has never been hit. I’ve met a lot of folks who lost property when Hurricane Georges (Cat. 3) passed through in 1998. It was real bad. Many folks were without electricity and water for 2 weeks or more. Cold beer (cerveza) was a rarity. One enterprising pub rented a refrigerated truck to cool off cases of soda and brew which sold out rapidly every two hours or so – as fast as they could encolden them!

Most Puerto Ricans keep an eye on the weather
from mid August through the end of September.

Downgraded to Cat 1, as it Passes Bermuda

Tropical storms and hurricanes are one of the key reasons 98% of all new homes are built of cement. Remember the “Three Little Pigs” story? Cement is relatively cheap, compared to building with wood. What’s more, all wood exposed to the elements must be treated against termites.

Cheap 2×4’s from Home Depot don’t cut it.

This short animation was done to show what a hurricane looks like as it passes through the Caribbean. Capturing the stills off the NOAA site and building them into an animation was fun. I added descriptions to the islands and countries and a little music too. That music is courtesy of the Free Music Archive. Those images are no longer available at the NOAA site. You can see and read more about the Cat 4 Hurricane Igor of 2010 at NASA’s Web site. Their sensors detected 170 degree (F) differences within the storm!

Anyone can use this for any purpose. No big deal.

‘Thank You NOAA and NASA, for making these images available’

Closing note, I hope this will be my last nearby involvement with Caribbean hurricanes or tropical storms. Somehow, I doubt it.

Talk Like A Pirate Day.. Tomorrow, Sept 19th

Ye be an insolent sea dog to pass on this here special day..

WARNING: Mature Content, not intended for folks under the legal drink’n age or self-righteous bilge rats. Ye be warned…

‘Been plan’n this here tribute to “Pirates ‘n Rum”, ever since I stumbled on to this here reference in Wikipedia.

Credit for creat’n ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’ goes to two Rum pots in Albany, Oregon.

Ol’ Chumbucket an’ Cap’n Slappy came up with the idea in 1996. The scalawag Dave Barry (a syndicated humorist) helped it along with a story he did in 2002. If it’s in Print, it has to be true, right? The two scurvy dogs have their own YouTube vids and much, much more. ARRGGG!!!!!

note: i have had a link here for years to the scalwags’ website but it has not been kept up to date. i’ve replaced it with the wikipedia page for the time bein’ – one day they may be back to entertain ye…

There be several points to this here post..
Most of em’s about drink’n Rum. ARRG!

This be a day for carrousin’ and general mischief. [Read more…] about Talk Like A Pirate Day.. Tomorrow, Sept 19th