A Visit to Plaza del Mercado in Santurce with a Stop at a Local Park

A few weeks back, we went into San Juan to check out the Coffee and Chocolate Expo. This was not an all day affair so we planned to check out a couple more places in Santurce and stop by the Asian grocery store on
Ashford Avenue.

The goal was to visit a small park along the way and then go on over to the Plaza del Mercado in the heart of Santurce.

After the Expo, we got back on Highway 1 going towards Old San Juan, then took the loop to the left that brings you around to Ashford Avenue (heading east over a short causeway). We covered this area extensively in the post about San Juan’s Gay Pride Parade. The Asian grocery store is located here. They were out of fresh Lychee… no big deal. After that stop, we headed on down Ashford which eventually splits and becomes Magdalena Avenue. At this point, Ashford Ave. becomes one way heading the other direction. About 3 blocks down Magdalena is Plaza Antonia Quinones.

Plaza Antonia Quinones

A small, quaint park with lots of charm.

As can be seen in the shots, there is a formal stage used for local events. There are also a couple of statues, a small area for children to play, lots of old shade trees and plenty of benches.

There was almost no one here, but literally no parking either.

The park is situated in an area with lots of apartment complexes so I’m not that surprised about parking. I parked in a bus lane long enough to get some shots and me First Mate stayed with the car in case she had to move it. I did see the occasional spot open up, but they were always quickly filled.

There were a couple of Cops on duty, basically watching over the park… I like that, though vigilance is still the rule of the day.

The two statues were very different from each other.

One was a playful bronze piece created by Lindsay Daen in 1989 and features a very popular character from Puerto Rican folklore- ‘Juan Bobo’. A child who is forever getting into mischief and doing ridiculous things. In this one, his mom had sent him to the river to fetch her a pail of water, but instead of a pail, he took a straw basket instead… because he wanted to collect more water than the bucket would hold. You get the idea.

Reminds me of a bad joke I once pulled on my brother when we were kids, but I don’t know you well enough to tell it.

The other statue was a large, beautiful stone carving of a sitting woman. Very delicate and very well done. Unfortunately, I did not see a plaque for it.

In one corner of the park, there is a small playground. Swings and such.

There was a dad there with his kids… they all looked like they were having a good time.

Even with all the traffic on
Magdalena Street, it was a very nice park.

On to Plaza del Mercado of Santurce!

This is one of those rare gems you stumble across now and then. Not a real tourist hot spot, but a place popular with the locals with lots of activity.

A couple of travel guides mention it and I have seen Plaza del Mercado listed on line.

This is somewhat of a generic term as most towns will have a dedicated ‘Mercado’ where fresh produce can be purchased.

Coamo has one. The difference is, this one is a ‘social focal point’.

We were there mid-afternoon…lots of people milling around.

It’s not too hard to find, either.

As we left the Plaza Antonia Quinones park, we took a right onto Cervantes Street, off Magdalena. It ends in one block at Wilson street, we took a left here. We went down Wilson for less than a block and then turned right, on to Primavera Street. Primavera runs for about 2 blocks before it passes under Highway 2/Highway 26. There is a bunch of interesting graffiti there, but we did not stop.

We continued on about 2 more blocks to Roberts Street… another righthand turn. Straight ahead is the Mercado.

Unfortunately, this is where GoogleMaps goes ‘wonky’.

When you get to the Mercado, it’s a one way, the opposite of what GoogleMaps shows. No big deal. The Mercado is not formally marked on GoogleMaps, but it’s the large rectangular building with a black roof. Roberts Street runs up to it and then turns left, snaking around it.

NOT to the right.

If you see any street parking at this point, take it.

We ended up turning right onto Dos Hermanos Street, which takes you on around and past the Mercado. Just before Aldea Street there is a small, funky parking lot on the right. We took that.. at $6 bucks, it was better than driving in circles thinking we might find a place to park. The lot was half full when we got there, full when we left, about 2 hours later.

Like I say, this area is very popular with the locals.

I got great shots of the building, locals outside and interior shots of what the stalls looked like. I scored a pound of raw ‘Pepitas de Pana’ with the intention of trying to get them to germinate. I know they need to be roasted as I tried to eat a green one. They were similar in appearance to large Hazel nuts. I forgot to photograph them… D’oh! They are all in starter trays now.

After that, we walked across the street to ‘Taberna Los Vazquez’ for a beer and munchies. We chose Vazquez only because they had outside seating in the shade.

Most local bars serve some kind of ‘Fritura’ or deep-fried Puerto Rican fast-food and this place was no different. We scored a couple of Papas Rellenos. They are made from fluffy mashed potatoes with a little bit of meat in the center. Though these are considered ‘finger food’, they literally fell apart in our hands.

Very fresh, very hot and very, very good!

That they could fry these without falling all apart is pretty impressive. I would certainly order them again!

After our little break, we headed for the car and back home to the south side of the island. This was yet another fantastic day to be in Puerto Rico. I feel blessed.