I have said it before and I'll say it again!
Oche said:
No prob, I know you didn't want to disparage Santo Domingo City, but what else can you expect from the most populated city of the DR?. In general, all the bad things of the country are seen in Santo Domingo but also probably the best things of the country as well. I believe that the good things that the city has to offer outweigh the provided bad things.
Santo Domingo is kind of the Caribbean version of New York City in certain ways.
Sure, the city is not as cosmopolitan and diverse as NYC is, but it is the most cosmopolitan town in the DR and among the most cosmopolitan in the region.
SDQ (just like NYC) has art, culture, nightlife, beauty, and wealth. Also, like NYC, it has ugly areas, dirty areas, dangerous areas, and poverty. Just like NYC, in SDQ the sight of men in suits driving their german cars and the men in rags scraping out a living selling lottery tickets are both equal sites.
Parts of town are very hip and modern and clean, other parts are dirty, rundown, and not hip.
SDQ is a real metropolises with everything that that implies. SDQ is the most exciting, largest city in the Caribbean. It has everything that you could ever want and the city is home to all sorts of people.
It's dynamic, its interesting, its alive and kicking, its Santo Domingo of the 21st century.
Oh, that there are rats the size of cats, sure there are. Then again, NYC is not rat free at all either. Oh, that there are many areas that are not as clean as they can be, sure there are. Then again, have you been to Asturias in Queens NY or in parts of the Bronx, the last time I went through there I saw large cardboard boxes next to heineken bottles net to pure garbage along the curbs of the road and people jumping over all that filth. From time to time I even wondered if I had gone into the Third world.
Then again, there are many areas of SDQ that would make you wonder if you have gone into the first world or into the 16th century.
I find SDQ to be a fabulous metropolis. However, if what I want is a small town ambiance or a rural setting, I would not pick a metropolis to live and play.
Come to SDQ and see it all with an open mind. See the nice areas, see the bad areas, see the historic areas and take it all in in stride. This city was built by humans and inhabited by humans. If 3 million people can make it living here all year, I know you will make it too for the couple of hours or days you'll be in the veritable capital of sun and rum!
www.mundodominicano.com
That website will show you alot of pics of SDQ and DR in general. Its well rounded, giving you picks of all areas, not just the nice ones. Enjoy and come on by!