San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua - Overview

This year's "get out of the cold winter" trip was to Nicaragua. We bought a package through Living Social that included 4 nights stay at the Villas De Palermo in San Juan Del Sur (SJDS, for short) and a number of activities. While I really wanted to travel around Nicaragua more (particularly visit Lake Nicaragua and some of the many volcanoes in the area), Mike was worried about safety concerns and I didn't really have much vacation time to work with, so we ended up just staying in SJDS. In this post, I'll do the overview and then I'll do more detailed postings about the various aspects separately.

Safety
Nicaragua is a pretty poor country, so obviously tourists need to be careful. Petty crime is common and violent crime, while getting better, still happens. However, I think much of the warnings you'll read on the internet about it are based on how dangerous it was, not how dangerous it is. We got all freaked out when reading about how dangerous it is but we had no problems and SJDS in particular seemed pretty safe. I think Managua might be a little rough (but my impression was that there isn't much to see there, anyway). Oh, and don't go to the Caribbean side of the country - there's big drug cartel problems there and apparently those regions are actually autonomous regions. Managua, Grenada and SJDS are all on the Pacific coast and they are probably the areas you should stick to.

The 2-2.5 hour drive from Managua to San Juan Del Sur was actually one of my main worries about the trip because everything we read said one of the most popular forms of robbery was to put roadblocks up (such as a big tree branch in the road) and then rob you when you stop to move it and we were in what was obviously a van for tourists. I was more than a little nervous but we encountered no problems. SJDS itself is filled with tourists and American expats and I guess they've been cracking down on crime there, so it seemed perfectly safe to me. Of course, don't be an idiot: don't flaunt your money, don't be out late at night (but there's no reason to be because there is not really any nightlife), keep your belongings close to you, etc. We had also heard that taking taxis was a bad idea (that the taxi driver or some other robbers would take you to the middle of nowhere, rob you and leave you there) but we took several taxis and had no problem. Maybe that's a problem in other areas but labeled taxis in SJDS are generally considered safe. Once the guy did pick up a few other people, which wasn't ideal because the small cab got quite crowded, but whatever.

History & Language
Nicaragua is a small country with a population about the size of Philadelphia but it has a complex and violent history of wars, uprisings, and international politics. I suggest you look into it to learn more about the history but the main reason I mention it is that there is still some political unrest so you need to be careful not to end up in the midst of a protest, which often turn violent. It seemed like these mainly happen in Managua, but a fellow traveler said that they had to take a detour on their way to SJDS because of a strike.

Spanish is the language, but Nicaraguans (or Nicas as they say for short) actually pronounce it a lot differently than I had ever heard before so I had a very hard time because I don't know Spanish that well as it is. For one, they drop a lot of their "s" sounds, particularly at the end of words. There were a few other differences that someone explained to me but I honestly can't remember them now... People who spoke better Spanish than I didn't have as hard a time, but I definitely had issues and so did Mike who has a lot more Spanish experience than I do. Also, I assumed a lot more of the hospitality (hotel and activity) people would know more English than they did. Most of them actually spoke little to no English.

San Juan Del Sur
There is sort of a finite number of things to do in SJDS: surfing is the primary activity (which actually takes place at beaches north or south of SJDS but SJDS seems to be the hub where everyone stays/lives); then there's boating, fishing, turtle or whale-watching (if you're there at the right time), zip lines and horseback riding. Unless you really like surfing, I would honestly recommend you only spend a few days there (3-4 seemed to be about the right amount). There's not much to see in SJDS itself, though it's a cute little town (population 2700). It has a central "downtown" area with lots of shops and restaurants. I will say, the food was amazing. I had one mediocre meal my whole time there (not including breakfast at the hotel which was always mediocre). The town is also beautiful and almost anywhere you go from the center of town by the bay, you're going to be going uphill so you will have beautiful views.

Cost
Nicaragua is pretty cheap, although accommodations don't always seem to match that price. But we would have amazing gourmet meals for two people with booze for about USD$30 and you could get really good meals from smaller food stands or market shops for C$60 (about $3). Taxis weren't as cheap as I thought they would be, but they weren't bad... The taxi between town and where we were staying, the Villas De Palermo, (about 3km) cost us C$60-80 ($3 or $4 - they also usually take USD too) depending on how willing the driver was to negotiate.

Things I Wish I'd Done
If I were going to go back to SJDS, I would stay in town. Most of all, I really wish I had gone to Grenada and spent some time at Lake Nicaragua and the various volcanoes there. There's a cloud forest that sounded cool at the top of dormant Mombacho, but you can also take tours of active volcanoes. The island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua also seems worth a visit. Also worth a visit I've heard is the massive market in Masaya, which is sort of between Managua and Grenada.

Minneapolis, MN - The Convention Grill

The Convention Grill is pretty much my favorite restaurant of all time. A 50s diner/soda fountain thatt's a historic landmark (it's remained virtually the same for decades) and has been in tons of food and travel magazines. Technically, it's just a diner. But it's the best damn diner that ever existed. EVER.

You might think I'm a little biased since I literally grew up down the street from it, and I have fond memories of walking out of my house only to have the delicious smells of grease, meat and onions wafting toward me. But really, I've never met a person who didn't love it. Their milkshakes, which come in a much bigger array of flavors than at most diners, are so thick you usually can't drink them through a straw, at least not at first. They are served in huge metal containers that allow you to get 2-3 full glasses worth. Their burgers are big and juicy. Their grilled cheese - my favorite - is a double-decker sandwich that comes with 3 slices of bread and 3-4 different types of cheese (you can also add with tomatoes and bacon). Their french fries come in huge portions (a "half order" is good for 2-3 people at least) and they're greasy, skin-on style and quite tasty.

So basically, save lots of room in your stomach before you go. Also, be prepared to wait if you go at the dinner rush, particularly on a nice day. It's a popular place, deservedly so.

New York, NY - Fuerza Bruta

If you don't have the budget to do a Broadway show, try Fuerza Bruta. It's not a play or a musical - it's really just a visual spectacular. You stand the whole time (so if that's a problem, this show isn't for you) and throughout the show, ushers move you around to make room for set pieces coming in and out. Almost everything happens over your head and it's a lot of awesome aerial acrobatics with dramatic lighting and music. It will blow your mind. At one point they lower a shallow pool of water over your head (it's plexiglass on the bottom) and women swim/dance through it. At the end, you might get wet - it starts "raining" in the studio and the performers come and dance with you in the rain, but you don't have to stand under the rain if you don't want to. You just might accidentally be under it to begin with, so be prepared to possibly get wet. But it's really a fun time and is just visually such a treat.

I realize that if you're reading this in the future, they show may not still be running. But it has been running for almost four years now, so I suspect it will stick around for a while longer. If you stand in line for rush tickets earlier the same day as you want to see the show, they're only $25. However, if it's a nice day out, you'll have to stand in line for maybe 3 hours or so to be sure you get tickets. They're $79 if you order them the normal way, though they have promotions all the time (you can follow them on Facebook to be alerted of these promotions).

They also have performances of Fuerza Bruta set up in other cities across the world, so check that out too if you're not going to be in New York any time soon but would like to go.

Freestyle Cruises - Know Before You Go

So-called "Freestyle" cruises are really the primary type of cruise that seems to exist anymore. Here's what it means (at least on Norwegian Cruise Lines) and some of the things you should know before you board the ship:

• Cruises are basically impossible to do on the cheap. Even if you get a "deal" for the base price, the extra costs add up quickly. Only go if you can afford to spend at least a few thousand dollars on this trip. 
• It is REALLY easy to lose track of how much you're spending. Your room key also serves as your "credit card" (they connect it to a credit card when you board) and so it's easy to feel like you're not actually spending money since it's your room key you're swiping. You are constantly waited on hand-and-foot, so it's so easy to say "sure, I'll have another drink," and it's not like you can check on how much you've spent so far by looking at your credit card statement online. They do give you receipts though so if you're diligent, you can keep track that way.
• Your time is not structured, you can participate or not participate in activities exactly as you please.  When you go to meals, you go whenever you want and sit where ever you want. That's why they're called "freestyle," as opposed to some cruises where things are more scheduled, you may sit with a certain party at each meal, etc.
• Excursions away from the boat cost extra (prices should be outlined in the list of options) but they make it super simple for you. They literally shuttle you to shore and to your destination and then shuttle you back so you don't have to worry about a thing. You may or may not have some free time to shop or eat near port after your activity. Some of the excursions will take you on a shopping detour. All of this shopping will be tourist trap stuff but some of it is worthwhile (we got a really nice stone mask in Mexico and some cheap rum in the Cayman Islands).
• If you purchase booze on shore at one of your excursions, you don't get it back until the end of the cruise. They hold it for you, supposedly for legal/tax reasons but really I think it's just so that you keep paying for the overpriced booze on the ship.
• While you probably think of cruises as time to relax and do nothing, you can actually jampack your trip. There are tons of activities on the cruise ship, most of which are free. There are stage shows, comedy shows, there are games, there are ice-carving demonstrations, barbecues, clubs, pretty much anything anyone might possibly want to do. Most of them are better than they sound, so if you're skeptical, go give it a try.
• On our cruise, you could eat for free at the primary buffet. However, the restaurants were all amazing - seriously some of the best food I've ever had in my life - and only an additional $10-15/person (not including drinks). AND, to top that all off, something we didn't learn until our last night there is that for that $10-15/person, you can literally eat as much as you want. We assumed it meant one appetizer, one entree and dessert. Nope. You could order 10 appetizers, 4 entrees and 7 desserts and try a few bites of each if you really wanted to. Now, I don't actually recommend this because it's super wasteful (and cruises are overindulgent enough), not to mention the increased potential for overeating (the average cruise attendee gains a pound a day). But it comes in handy to know if you can't decide between two appetizers and just really want to try both.
• Internet was not free, which always makes me mad. And I don't think there was any wi-fi, you could only access the internet from their computer lab. This may be different from ship to ship though. Then again, this may have been a good thing for keeping us truly disconnected.
• There are spas and a gym and they'll try to sell you all sorts of expensive stuff. The gym is free and is very nice but they'll try to sell you stuff while you're there. Needless to say, the spa is very pricey.

Things you should know - Frequent Flier Miles

Here is a really good guide to managing frequent flier miles, from the NYTimes. It also has links to other good resources. I personally have taken advantage of several promotions to rack up about 60,000 Delta SkyMiles, having taken very few actual flights in the past few years. Hopefully I'll be going to Europe or Guatemala later this year with them.

New York, NY - Risotteria

One of my favorite, more affordable restaurants is Risotteria, in the West Village. The menu is primarily - you guessed it - risotto. They also have gluten-free pizzas and panninis, but the risotto is to die for so I'm not sure why anyone would get anything else. On top of almost everything on their menu being gluten-free, they also have tons of vegan and vegetarian options so it's a great place to go if you have a group of people with dietary restrictions.

Unfortunately, logistically it's not so great for groups. It's TEENY TINY and they don't take reservations so there's always a wait around the dinner hours. I would not recommend going with a group of more than four people. And honestly, I don't know why they don't get a bigger space. Customers are constantly going elsewhere because of the long wait and I'm sure they could rake in enough money for a bigger space with the added customers. Plus people might be able to sit further than 4 inches away from each other. They do have take-out though, so maybe that's the best option.

Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall

Union Hall,* located in the lovely brownstone-laden neighborhood of Park Slope, is my favorite bar in all of the five boroughs of New York City. The main floor has cozy couches, shelves of books that give it a great homey feeling, a fireplace and a great beer selection (plus the drink prices are pretty good to NY - a well drink will cost you $5-6). In the back they have a small space you can reserve for private parties. They also have pretty decent bar food. But of course, one of the things Union Hall is most known for is its bocce ball courts. There are two courts and if you're there on the weekends, get their early to sign up. For those of you who don't know, bocce is an Italian lawn sport where you have a small ball (the polina) and you try to get your teams balls closest to the small ball. In the case of Union Hall, you play on sandy courts inside the bar (see below). It's a laid back game, perfect for playing with a drink in your hand. It can also be a fun way to meet new people. There are some players who take the game a little too seriously though - once I played a duo who brought their own balls! Also, you have better chances of getting on the court if you stick close. A lot of people put their name on the list and then walk away and don't really bother checking back in, so you can usually hop in on one of their spots if you stick close by. For those of you bocce enthusiasts looking to play more often or without the crowds, you can join their bocce league.

And I haven't even gotten to the downstairs yet... Downstairs is a concert venue where they have some pretty great shows (and some not so great ones of course). I think they also have poetry, comedy and even a science night there sometimes. The best thing of all though is Friday nights: Karaoke Killed the Cat. It's the best karaoke I've ever been to (although Live Band karaoke at Webster Hall in Manhattan comes pretty close because with an actual band behind you, you really feel like a rock star). Most of the people who go up are great entertainers. Irony seems to be key to the entertainment - you get two of the whitest white hipsters rapping or you get a tattooed metal head singing a ballad, etc. All in all, it's a really good time and people are very supportive of each other. It's always packed pretty shortly into the night and everyone in the audience is dancing and singing along. The only downside is that you also need to get there pretty much right when it starts though in order to get your name in line to sing.

*NOTE: not to be confused with Union Pool, a hipster bar in Williamsburg, OR Union Bar, a yuppy bar in Manhattan.