Along The Way

Passing through Nagua on a cloudy day. It's one of those many places that serve as a quiet respite from the busy resort areas.

Jamaican Anaconda

This West Indian snake is non-poisonous, but it is known for spitting its venom. Check it out HERE.

Change Is Inevitable

My beloved Melia Santo Domingo is the latest establishment to endure the "improvement" phase happening throughout the colonial city. That was my hotel of choice before switching over to the Hotel Mercure Comercial with friends. Ah, the memories!

The new Starwood Hotels & Restaurants Worldwide hotel will reopen on Santo Domingo's Malecon seafront boulevard. The company says it is recognizing that Santo Domingo is a leading corporate destination. A US$6 million renovation is underway at the former Melia Santo Domingo, the Malecon-fronting property.
The premises will include the first Starbucks in the Dominican Republic. 24-hour dining will be available at the Cafe Casabe. While primarily targeting the business traveler, the hotel will also offer programs with the Westin beach hotel at Playa Blanca and Four Points Starwood hotel in Punta Cana Village, making it possible to combine city with beach and golf activities.
The Santo Domingo hotel will offer all the familiar Sheraton services, including high-speed Internet in all rooms. Likewise, as part of the standards that come with the brand, Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds will be included and are specially designed to meet the 5 Diamond Stars of the AAA.
Meeting space is being doubled, an additional 10,000 square feet is being added at the Sheraton Malecon Terrace.
Also coming is Sheraton Fitness operated by Core Performance with state-of-the-art fitness programs because the chain believes that travel and fitness go hand in hand.
General manager Dwight Tabales says they are working for the hotel to become the best business hotel in the city.
The Sheraton has a history on the same location. Some 35 years ago it originally opened as a Sheraton. Now the hotel owner company, Hoteles Nacionales is proud to make the investment with Starwood Hotels to bring the iconic brand back to the city. The franchise has been secured for another 15 years.

Dominican Week

Dominican Week 2013 in the United States starts today, Monday 13 May with the raising of the Dominican flag at the residence of the Dominican ambassador in Washington, D.C., Anibal de Castro and the formal presentation at the World Bank of "Doing Business" on a report that stresses today's Dominican Republic. The event, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) seeks to strengthen the ties between the Dominican Republic and the United States. The program of activities goes from 13 May until 17 May and includes activities with US government officials, local business people and representatives of the Dominican Diaspora both in Washington as well as New York City.

Needing Neto

Need more of Neto? Get your fix HERE!

More Of Miami

                                          picture of Little Haiti Cultural Center

Wrapped around cool blue waters, postcard-perfect sunny weather and the supertoned bodies of the rich and infamous, Miami's gift of a deep-rooted, multicultural experience is ideal for travelers seeking more than just the city's well-known attractions.

This cultural path leads away from the South Beach strip and starts in the city's historically Black and immigrant neighborhoods where the ties of Caribbean, Cuban, West African and the Old South all intertwine.

The first of these neighborhoods is Historic Overtown. The area was the center of commerce for Blacks in the early 1900's. Today, visitors are transported back to its rich history by walking around the business district where restaurants, galleries, churches and museums are scattered among the homes. The Lyric Theater, built in 1913, was once the entertainment hub for Blacks. The 400 seat venue anchored the area that became known as "Little Broadway."

A tour farther south takes visitors into Miami's oldest community, Coconut Grove, where sea-loving settlers from The Bahamas built the first community in the late 1800's. A drive along Charles Avenue still reveals glimpses of where West Indian pioneers created a new frontier, with the first Black school, cemetery, church and library. Every summer, the Goombay Festival is held in Coconut Grove with Bahamian Junkanoo music and a parade to commemorate these first settlers.

Slightly west of Coconut Grove, Little Haiti carries a culturally festive charge that bustles with the rhythm and scents of Haitian architecture, creole cooking and lively artwork. One of the most visible signs of how the Haitian influence has shaped the area is reflected in the changing of its major street from NE 2nd Avenue to Avenue Felix Morisseau-Leroy, after a Haitian icon.

Still, there is no place that comes alive like Little Havana. From old men smoking cigars and playing dominoes to the rhythmic sounds of Cuban music, Little Havana is the perfect place to come for a true ethnic immersion into pre-Castro Cuba.

There is more to Miami than mojito-fueled party spots. It;s just a matter of getting beyond South Beach to soak in the culture.

sources: ebony.com, blackhospitalitymiami.com

Seconds For Scorpion

Here's another video clip of one of my favorite Jamaican models. See the unedited version of Scorpion HERE.

Alexander The Great

See his full photoset and video HERE.

Cultural Fair In Santo Domingo

The annual Santo Domingo International Book Fair is underway at Plaza de la Cultura. While books are the main focus, there is also an extensive all-day program of cultural events, complementing the book presentations and author readings. 

An estimated 700 foreign writers have been invited, including US film director and writer Shelton Jackson Lee, known as Spike Lee who will give a reading. Others include Argentinean writer Juan Gelman, (Cervantes Award 2007, Queen Sofia Award 2005), Spanish writer Jose Ovejero, (Alfaguara Award 2012), Colombian novelist Santiago Gamboa, Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, Cuban novelist Leonardo Padura-Estelar, Argentinean novelist Cesar Aira, Uruguayan poet Alfredo Fressia, poets Mayra Santos Febres and Ana Maria Shua, Ecuadorian authors Cristobal Zapata, Francisco Herrera Arauz, Carlos Gustavo Rodriguez Jaramillo, Daniel Leonard Wild Stapel, Paola Sanchez Perugachi, Andrea Moreno Wray, Patricio Montaleza and Yonny Marcil Nazareno.?? 

The program also includes readings by outstanding Dominican writers Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, Jorge Tena Reyes, Jaime de Jesus Dominguez, Hector Luis Martinez, Ilonka Nacidit Perdomo, Angela Hernandez, Jeannette Miller and Indira Sierra Suero.


This year the fair commemorates the Bicentennial of the Birth of Country Founder Juan Pablo Duarte, the Centennial of the Birth of National Poet Pedro Mir, the 50th anniversary of the presidency of Professor Juan Bosch in 1963, the 150th anniversary of the restoration of the Republic, and the 50th anniversary of the rebellion of Manolo Tavarez Justo. www.cultura.gob.do/Noticias/Articulo/tabid/78/smid/456/ArticleID/1434/reftab/70/Default.aspx

Andre Is Awesome

More Marriage News!

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguayan lawmakers voted Wednesday to legalize gay marriage, making the South American country the third in the Americas to do so.
Supporters of the law, who had filled the public seats in the legislative building, erupted in celebration when the results were announced. The bill received the backing of 71 of the 92 members of the Chamber of Deputies present.
"We are living a historic moment," said Federico Grana, a leader of the Black Sheep Collective, a gay rights group that drafted the proposal. "In terms of the steps needed, we calculate that the first gay couples should be getting married 90 days after the promulgation of the law, or in the middle of July."
The "marriage equality project," as it is called, was already approved by ample majorities in both legislative houses, but senators made some changes that required a final vote by the deputies. Among them: Gay and lesbian foreigners will now be allowed to come to Uruguay to marry, just as heterosexual couples can, said Michelle Suarez of the Black Sheep Collective.
President Jose Mujica, whose governing Broad Front majority backed the law, is expected to put it into effect within 10 days.

Tasty Tino

See Tino in action HERE.

Humpday

Dominican Wins Powerball

NY Daily News- "He doesn’t forget about us,” said family friend Federico Colon. “He comes and visits the people he grew up with. Maybe next time, he’ll come in a limousine.”

The instant millionaire, who bought the winning ticket at Eagle Liquor in Passaic, opted for a lump-sum payout. He will receive about $152 million after state taxes, officials said. It’s the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.

Another visit to the Dominican Republic for Quezada could be imminent.He’s rapidly cutting his ties to Passaic. A for-sale sign went up Wednesday at the tiny, family-owned Apple Deli Grocery.
Before the store went on the block, Quezada had already announced his retirement from the bodega business.

His last Dominican trip came around Christmas 2011 — and the locals are definitely looking forward to his next trek.
“He’s putting Jarabacoa on the map,” Colon said. “His dream came true. Thank God.”


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/powerball-winner-bodega-sale-article-1.1300527#ixzz2P3302kZZ

Humpday!