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"The Tourist Watcher"
Guest
A few people have argued with me about a comment I made about Santo Domingo being a world class city. What is a world class city? First it has to be among the World 100 largest cities population wise. Second, it should be a modern metropolis with at least 500,000 vehicles. It should have one of the best communications systems in the world with its own Telecommunications network serving an entire nation and rammifications abroad. It should be highly computerized with a network of internet communications. It should have a large international port either by sea or airport with major ship traffic, and its airline traffic should be of world class proportions and a leader in its area.
Here are the facts: With over 140 countries in the world and tens of thousands big cities Santo Domingo is the 72nd. largest city in the world with 3,600,000 inhabitants(source:World Atlas.com top 100 cities) Santo Domingo is larger than every city in the United States except New York,LA,Chicago,Philadelphia,San Francisco,Washington, Houston,Dallas, and Detroit. That is bigger than more than 95% of the cities in the USA. In Canada only Toronto has more people.London is the only British city larger. In Germany only Essen and Frankfort are bigger.In Italy only Rome and Milano are bigger. Surprisingly enough, for those who do not believe it, Santo Domingo is bigger than Caracas.Santo Domingo is bigger than Montreal, Berlin, Dusseldorf and has equally as many cars as any of these cities. Santo Domingo will continue its incredible growth and potentially in 20 years may be the 30th. largest city in the world.
Santo Domingo has the largest Porsche dealer in Latin America, which proves its world class in purchasing power. It has been called the Mercedes Benz capital of Latin America and its has more expensive SUVs than most cities in the world. Santo Domingo has more radio stations than 95% of the cities of the world. In fact, it has so many that the government is closing dozens every month to be able to clear the airwaves.
Santo Domingo has a Vatican Embassy in a major structure, something that few countries in the world can claim. It has a Cardinal who might well be a candidate to replace the Pope. It has a world class cathedral with the remains of Columbus and its colonial and art deco zone(Gazcue)is one of the biggest in the world.Both have been named World Patrimony by the UN.
Santo Domingo is so important that American Airlines is fighting every airline in the world to try to monopolize the largest air traffic of any ethnic group in the world. In fact, Dominicans abroad flying into Santo Domingos Airport is such a huge market that they bring in excess of$2 billion dollars a year.
Almost everywhere in the city of Santo Domingo the most common sight is a cellular phone, putting this city in the top 25 cities in the world in cellular communications, some believe is in the top 10. That is world class.
What is world class? Any city where an apartment in its Central area can command prices exceeding $500,000 to $1,000,000 dollars and there are people lining up to buy them. A city where there are houses as expensive or more expensive than Beverly Hills, and there are lines of people ready to buy them. Any city where marble floor are common place in house and apartments. Any city where there are as many international boutiques as Chicago or Dallas,or Houston. How many cities in the world have the largest Liz Clairborne Boutique in the world. How many have Hugo Boss,Polo Ralph Lauren,Tommy Hilfiger,Nautica, Guess,Oscar De La Renta,Cartier and Gianni Versace boutiques. This is only reserved for big money cities.
Santo Domingo has exclusive Jaguar, BMW,Mercedes Benz,Porsche dealerships and sells almost every exclusive luxury car in the world. You do not have to special-order cars like Lamborghini,Aston Martins,Ferraris,Rovers because we have them in stock and selling like hot potatoes.
Now does anybody want to continue arguing wether or not Santo Domingo is a world class city? Someone, suggested that only in the USA and Europe you can find world class cities. Well, how come millions of Europeans and Americans are flying to Santo Domingo? The fact of the matter is, that immigration wise, there is for instance the myth that there are more Dominicans in Europe than Europeans in Dominican Republic. Wrong! There are more Spaniards in Dominican Republic than Dominicans in Spain. More English and more Germans live here than Dominicans there. Why? Are we world class or what?
More multinationals are moving to Santo Domingo outpacing many cities in this hemisphere and its banking system is as powerful as any in Latin America.
I lived in many US cities for many years, and I can attest that Santo Domingo has more, larger and better supplied supermarkets than most of the cities of the world, including as many as the city of Chicago. Some Santo Domingos supermarkets dwarf supermarkets in New York city. Carrefour for example, is as big as any Pathmark Supermarket in New York and Chicago, LA, Dallas or Houston have no store matching that size. Few cities in the world can claim having a Price Mart. Why did they move here? What is it about Santo Domingo that has every major fast food chain in the world coming here.
So, what is world class then? You may not like Santo Domingos garbage, its slums, its disorganized ways, but its got power, world power.
Here are the facts: With over 140 countries in the world and tens of thousands big cities Santo Domingo is the 72nd. largest city in the world with 3,600,000 inhabitants(source:World Atlas.com top 100 cities) Santo Domingo is larger than every city in the United States except New York,LA,Chicago,Philadelphia,San Francisco,Washington, Houston,Dallas, and Detroit. That is bigger than more than 95% of the cities in the USA. In Canada only Toronto has more people.London is the only British city larger. In Germany only Essen and Frankfort are bigger.In Italy only Rome and Milano are bigger. Surprisingly enough, for those who do not believe it, Santo Domingo is bigger than Caracas.Santo Domingo is bigger than Montreal, Berlin, Dusseldorf and has equally as many cars as any of these cities. Santo Domingo will continue its incredible growth and potentially in 20 years may be the 30th. largest city in the world.
Santo Domingo has the largest Porsche dealer in Latin America, which proves its world class in purchasing power. It has been called the Mercedes Benz capital of Latin America and its has more expensive SUVs than most cities in the world. Santo Domingo has more radio stations than 95% of the cities of the world. In fact, it has so many that the government is closing dozens every month to be able to clear the airwaves.
Santo Domingo has a Vatican Embassy in a major structure, something that few countries in the world can claim. It has a Cardinal who might well be a candidate to replace the Pope. It has a world class cathedral with the remains of Columbus and its colonial and art deco zone(Gazcue)is one of the biggest in the world.Both have been named World Patrimony by the UN.
Santo Domingo is so important that American Airlines is fighting every airline in the world to try to monopolize the largest air traffic of any ethnic group in the world. In fact, Dominicans abroad flying into Santo Domingos Airport is such a huge market that they bring in excess of$2 billion dollars a year.
Almost everywhere in the city of Santo Domingo the most common sight is a cellular phone, putting this city in the top 25 cities in the world in cellular communications, some believe is in the top 10. That is world class.
What is world class? Any city where an apartment in its Central area can command prices exceeding $500,000 to $1,000,000 dollars and there are people lining up to buy them. A city where there are houses as expensive or more expensive than Beverly Hills, and there are lines of people ready to buy them. Any city where marble floor are common place in house and apartments. Any city where there are as many international boutiques as Chicago or Dallas,or Houston. How many cities in the world have the largest Liz Clairborne Boutique in the world. How many have Hugo Boss,Polo Ralph Lauren,Tommy Hilfiger,Nautica, Guess,Oscar De La Renta,Cartier and Gianni Versace boutiques. This is only reserved for big money cities.
Santo Domingo has exclusive Jaguar, BMW,Mercedes Benz,Porsche dealerships and sells almost every exclusive luxury car in the world. You do not have to special-order cars like Lamborghini,Aston Martins,Ferraris,Rovers because we have them in stock and selling like hot potatoes.
Now does anybody want to continue arguing wether or not Santo Domingo is a world class city? Someone, suggested that only in the USA and Europe you can find world class cities. Well, how come millions of Europeans and Americans are flying to Santo Domingo? The fact of the matter is, that immigration wise, there is for instance the myth that there are more Dominicans in Europe than Europeans in Dominican Republic. Wrong! There are more Spaniards in Dominican Republic than Dominicans in Spain. More English and more Germans live here than Dominicans there. Why? Are we world class or what?
More multinationals are moving to Santo Domingo outpacing many cities in this hemisphere and its banking system is as powerful as any in Latin America.
I lived in many US cities for many years, and I can attest that Santo Domingo has more, larger and better supplied supermarkets than most of the cities of the world, including as many as the city of Chicago. Some Santo Domingos supermarkets dwarf supermarkets in New York city. Carrefour for example, is as big as any Pathmark Supermarket in New York and Chicago, LA, Dallas or Houston have no store matching that size. Few cities in the world can claim having a Price Mart. Why did they move here? What is it about Santo Domingo that has every major fast food chain in the world coming here.
So, what is world class then? You may not like Santo Domingos garbage, its slums, its disorganized ways, but its got power, world power.