Santiago VS. The Capital

Pingu

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Nov 20, 2005
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I'm having a very difficult time deciding which city I should move to. I've been visiting Santiago every summer since I was a kid. I have family there, but with the exception of like two people, I could care less about the freeloading bastards. I am now 20 and going off on my own. For a guy like me who enjoys, women (lots), drinks (lots), which is a better choice in terms of entertainment value? Santo Domingo for the great restaurants, nightlife, and culture in general, or Santiago? A city I'm more comfortable in but not neccessarily the most bustling and happenning town.

If I move to Santo Domingo I'd probably buy an apartment on the Malecon, but a house would seem like an interesting idea. Which is better to live in Santo Domingo, a house or a great apartment with ocean view? The apartments I've seen in Santiago are bull****t and ugly. If I decide on Santiago I'd get something somewhere en Los Cerros or something in Camp David Ranch.

Also, does anyone know about this area (Camp David Ranch)? Is there sufficient residential development up there? I was there once, but pretty drunk but I do remember the great views, just don't remember much else.
 

MrMike

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Santiago is quieter, cheaper, cleaner and the traffic is annoying but nothing like the capital.

I also personally think the ratio of attractive women is higher in Santiago than anywhere else on the island.
 

Robert

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MrMike said:
Santiago is quieter, cheaper, cleaner and the traffic is annoying but nothing like the capital.

I also personally think the ratio of attractive women is higher in Santiago than anywhere else on the island.

The ratio may be good, but the capital beats it 50 fold on shear numbers.
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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Since you are already familiar with Santiago why dont you rent an apartment in the capital for a few months so you can make a camparison?

Good luck and have fun :)

Larry
 

Robert

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Pingu said:
I'm having a very difficult time deciding which city I should move to. I've been visiting Santiago every summer since I was a kid. I have family there, but with the exception of like two people, I could care less about the freeloading bastards. I am now 20 and going off on my own. For a guy like me who enjoys, women (lots), drinks (lots), which is a better choice in terms of entertainment value? Santo Domingo for the great restaurants, nightlife, and culture in general, or Santiago? A city I'm more comfortable in but not neccessarily the most bustling and happenning town.

If I move to Santo Domingo I'd probably buy an apartment on the Malecon, but a house would seem like an interesting idea. Which is better to live in Santo Domingo, a house or a great apartment with ocean view? The apartments I've seen in Santiago are bull****t and ugly. If I decide on Santiago I'd get something somewhere en Los Cerros or something in Camp David Ranch.

Also, does anyone know about this area (Camp David Ranch)? Is there sufficient residential development up there? I was there once, but pretty drunk but I do remember the great views, just don't remember much else.


You sound like a real assett to the DR :)

Use the search function of this message board and all your questions will be answered.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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seems like he has already made up his mind about moving to capital. He is a young rich person who wants to live the "la vida loca". So my friend, you are right, santiago can become boring but capital has planty more to offer.
by the way robert, most of the beautiful girls you see in capital are originally from santiago area.
AZB
 

NALs

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Pingu said:
I'm having a very difficult time deciding which city I should move to. I've been visiting Santiago every summer since I was a kid. I have family there, but with the exception of like two people, I could care less about the freeloading bastards. I am now 20 and going off on my own. For a guy like me who enjoys, women (lots), drinks (lots), which is a better choice in terms of entertainment value? Santo Domingo for the great restaurants, nightlife, and culture in general, or Santiago? A city I'm more comfortable in but not neccessarily the most bustling and happenning town.

If I move to Santo Domingo I'd probably buy an apartment on the Malecon, but a house would seem like an interesting idea. Which is better to live in Santo Domingo, a house or a great apartment with ocean view? The apartments I've seen in Santiago are bull****t and ugly. If I decide on Santiago I'd get something somewhere en Los Cerros or something in Camp David Ranch.

Also, does anyone know about this area (Camp David Ranch)? Is there sufficient residential development up there? I was there once, but pretty drunk but I do remember the great views, just don't remember much else.
Pick the capital, more options of everything and anything you want is avaiable somewhere in the city. If its not available in this city, then it simply does not exist or is not available in this country, period!

Plus, plenty of restaurants, good nightlife, and there is always something new happening everyday somewhere.

About places to live, yes, an apartment would be the ideal for a young single guy as yourself. A house is too much preoccupation, maintanance, etc. With an apartment, you have neighbors and building managers or landlords who are responsible for the annoying but necessary things that otherwise you would be fully responsible for in a single house. Plus, some apartments and penthouses have some great views of the city, coastline, even the mountains!

As for where? The malecon has some nice properties, the most obvious and luxurious are the ones in Malecon Center, especially the Penthouses on the third tower. There are also nice apartments in the towers near the Centro de los Heroes (forgot the towers name). They are visible along the coastline, very nice apartments in deed. Of course, there are many anonymous nice apartments tucked in smaller more discreet buildings. However, don't ignore other areas of the city. There are very nice places along Avenida Anacaona across from the Parque Mirador del Sur. Avenida Anacaona is one of the most exclusive addresses anyone could ever be a part of in this country, thus it merits attention and there are some spectacular properties both in aparments and houses.

There also are some interesting apartment buildings in La Esperilla/Seralles, and in Piantini/Naco. If you want a more "suburban" feel while being in the middle of the metropolis, don't overshadow Gazcue. Certainly its one of the most pleasant areas of the city.

-NAL
 

HOWMAR

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Jan 28, 2004
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Nal0whs said:
As for where? The malecon has some nice properties, the most obvious and luxurious are the ones in Malecon Center, especially the Penthouses on the third tower. There are also nice apartments in the towers near the Centro de los Heroes (forgot the towers name). They are visible along the coastline, very nice apartments in deed. Of course, there are many anonymous nice apartments tucked in smaller more discreet buildings. However, don't ignore other areas of the city. There are very nice places along Avenida Anacaona across from the Parque Mirador del Sur. Avenida Anacaona is one of the most exclusive addresses anyone could ever be a part of in this country, thus it merits attention and there are some spectacular properties both in aparments and houses.

-NAL
Pingu said:
What are the best colleges in Santiago? Does anyone know if they offer financial aid?

A million dollar penthouse address probably won't look too good on your financial aid application. But then again, this is the DR.
 

Robert

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AZB said:
by the way robert, most of the beautiful girls you see in capital are originally from santiago area.
AZB

As long as most of them are here, I'm a happy camper :)
 

Pingu

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Nov 20, 2005
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HOWMAR said:
A million dollar penthouse address probably won't look too good on your financial aid application. But then again, this is the DR.

I was asking this question for a friend who've I convinced to **** American Colleges and is planning on moving with me you nosey mother****ing Expat! Stop looking at random threads and posting them on others that have nothing to do with them. Idiot.

Anywayz, it looks like everyone says the Capital. Looks like Larry is right and the best option is to rent in the area and become comfortable and make new contacts over there. Another thing and probably the most important thing I need to know.

Since I live in Santiago I spend the grand majority of my days in the campos eating fruits and looking at the fincas while at night I do very bad things with very bad girls;) What I love about Santiago is that it's still a REAL Dominican City and is not very Urbanized and has not really attracted too many annoying and camera yielding tourists. Is Santo Domingo a "Modern" Dominican Haven heavily populated by Dominicans or is it like Sosua, hustling and bustling but filled with sluts and Expats? In which case I'll just stay in Santiago with a presidente in my left hand, a girl or two on my lap, and Paniagua on the stereo.
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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Pingu said:
Is Santo Domingo a "Modern" Dominican Haven heavily populated by Dominicans or is it like Sosua, hustling and bustling but filled with sluts and Expats?
The former. I guess by DR standards, SD is as "modern" as they come. It is nothing like Sosua and the expats that are here in SD are generally business people making a living as opposed to tourists or retirees. You wont see many expats in SD actually unless you seek them out. Of course, along with living in a metropolis you deal with pollution (lots of smelly vehicular emittions), garbage, higher prices (higher than Santiago but cheaper than Sosua), traffic, etc.


Some pros to living in SD is that you have access to almost anything you need. Tons of stores, great restaurants, great nightlife, etc. Another thing I like about SD is you can get "lost" here if you want to meaning that you can go for a nice walk in a shopping mall or wherever you like and do it in relative anonymity. Last night, I took a nice long walk from my apartment in Gazcue to the colonial zone. The only people I ran into who I knew were two guys having a beer on El Conde. One of them is a poster from on here.

Hope I helped a little bit.

Larry
 

HOWMAR

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Pingu said:
I was asking this question for a friend who've I convinced to **** American Colleges and is planning on moving with me you nosey mother****ing Expat! Stop looking at random threads and posting them on others that have nothing to do with them. Idiot.

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Pingu said:
What are the best colleges in Santiago? Does anyone know if they offer financial aid? I'm very fluent in English, Spanish, and know some Italian. I was wondering if anyone knows how the Dominican college system works compared to the mundane, and highly Liberal bull**** of American colleges. I had to drop out a few months into it because everything was just so repetitive and a HUGE waste of money.

Any help will be appericiated. I'm primarily interested in Law.

Please excuse my error. It seems to me that when when writes in the first person using "I", they are writing about themself. Especially important concept for a future lawyer. I'm glad you convinced your friend to forego his American education to chill with you here in the DR.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Sort of interesting.

If you have millions of pesos or dollars to purchase a house or apartment in a decent area of Santiago (Herrera Checo are putting one up that starts at RD$8.9 MM per unit, on a cul de sac in La Esmeralda) you certainly do not need student loans.

Similar pricing is available in Santo Domingo, of course....

However, the PUCMM is eligible for federal (US) student loan programs.

But if you are thinking law, you had best think about where you are going to practice it. Dominican lawyers should be fluent in French and do post graduate work in Paris VII (Sorborne) in order to be really good lawyers.

You certainly cannot practice in the United States...

And, a word to the wise...you cannot study at PUCMM with a Presidente in one hand and a nice girl or two in the other....it won't work. I would suggest that the life style you are looking for is more suited to a place like O&M or Utesa...or UNIBE if you so wish....

Have fun..

HB:D:D:D
 

GringoCArlos

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Jan 9, 2002
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Well Pingu, after reading this thread, I have to recommend you should go to Santiago, where you know where everything is that you need (except PUCMM there).

There are already enough jevitos here in Santo Domingo. We don't really need another one.
 
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