Ahem, parts of the capital are beautiful. And I'm sure something is beautiful somewhere in Boca Chica although I'm not sure what.
There are things that will pop out to a recently arrived Haitian that Dominicans and people from developed countries take for granted. A Haitian that went to Santo Domingo for the first time will notice the tunnels, the overpasses, the high-rises, the parks, the malecón, the Duarte/Bosch bridges, autopista Las Américas (not just its scenery, but also the fact it's a divided highway unlike any highway in Haiti), etc and all of that will impress them. They lived their entire lives in Haiti where there is none of that. Even something as simple as a palm lined avenue will impress since, believe it or not, there is nothing like that in Haiti, not even in Port-au-Prince.
Wait when he see the Mauricio Báez Bridge. Unless he already saw the Metro of SD bridge crossing the Ozama, rest assured he has never seen a bridge so big. Oh yes, there are bigger bridges in New York City, but has he ever been there. At most saw it in pictures, but nothing compare to seeing things in person. If he ever see the Punta Cana airport, he will probably think it's the biggest airport he ever seen and it probably will be until or if he ever leaves the island to places with even bigger airports. If he see the main drag in Puntacana Village, he might think it's the most orderly place he have ever seen and that too probably will be the case. If he goes to El Cortecito, he might think it's one of the nicest looking places he has been to. Plaza de la Bandera in SD is most likely the largest public plaza on the island. Etc, etc, etc.
While you focus on all the old and beat up conchos in SD, he's focusing on the shinier cars and SUV passing by the conchos. Then there is the Metro, the malls, the touristier part of the Colonial Zone, etc.
Even Venezuelans went through things that the typical expat probably never went through. For example, I highly doubt any expat was shocked when they first entered a Dominican supermarket, yet more than a few Venezuelans were shocked with all the options and how well they are stocked compared to how supermarkets used to be in Venezuela. They often mention that in Venezuela you couldn't find the PAN flour, which is a Venezuelan flour, yet in Dominican supermarkets they are always available.
Here is a Cuban who was impressed with the variety of things available in the DR and he's comparing Cuba with Ave Duarte of SD. No expat would be impressed with what the Duarte has to offer compared to where they came from, but here is a Cuban impressed with the variety of things in the same Duarte
compared to what he was used to in Cuba. He even says that in the short time he has in the DR, he already accomplished more than in 27 years in Cuba.
