San Juan is Puerto Rico's capital and the country's major commercial and economic center. Its bay and port take in the biggest chunk of imported commodities and goods the island nation purchases. This is a beautiful and oddly ambiguous city whose Spanish style has prevailed through the years regardless of its dependence to an English-speaking country. Indeed, there're two well-defined cities when it comes to San Juan: the Old San Juan and the rest of the capital. The building boost of recent years teamed up with all the frenzied commercial and financial activity indicate the reason why San Juan has become the populous burg it is today. San Juan has developed -chiefly since the 1950s- a modern easy-going style very much like the Florida cities, featuring wide avenues with rows of palm trees and huge stores lined up on both sides. On the other hand, travelers could drop in on shopping malls, galleries, squares, bars and restaurants that combine the Caribbean cuisine with the traditional Spanish food. Nightlife in the city has options and choices galore. For those willing to kick up their heels and have great fun, there are noisy and crowded disco clubs waiting for them. For the calmer kind of guy with a taste for culture, there are classic music concerts all year round at the Fine Arts Center. Some hotels put on glamorous musicals and shows featuring even some world-class acts and artists. And for the bolder tourist, there are countless casinos teeming with gambling opportunities worth giving a crack at. As you walk past the wall guarding the old city, the beach area jumps up before your eyes. Miramar County, Ocean Park and Verde Island cluster the best areas featuring a great service infrastructure in numerous casinos, scuba diving centers, ballrooms, state-of-the-art hotels, splendid mountain and sea views, luxurious restaurants along the coast and picture-perfect villages founded back in the old colonial times but almost unaltered. San Juan is the site of choice for lovers, businessmen and tourists from the West Indies alike.
