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Vibrant beauty in the New World’s oldest city! by LARRY ROHTER
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s the oldest European city in the New World, Santo Domingo, founded by Christopher Columbus’s brother Bartolomeo in 1496, has enjoyed a long and distinguished history. Now, with the recent accession of a new government, in which an 89-year-old president gave way to a successor less than half his age, the capital of the Dominican Republic seems to have embarked on a process of renewal and rejuvenation. Government buildings are being spruced up, efforts are being made to expand cultural offerings and tourist attractions, and even the natural effervescence of Santo Domingo’s two million residents appears to have gone up a notch. For a city that normally moves at the same hectic tempo of the merengue music that blares from its storefronts and car radios, that is saying something. The next few months, however, offer an opportunity to savor Santo Domingo at a slightly less frenetic pace. The traditional Independence and Carnival celebrations have just ended, allowing the city a chance to catch its breath before the annual Merengue Festival at the end of July. That does not mean that Dominicans entirely abandon their vocation for pleasure during Lent. Holy Week, which this year begins March 23, is one of the most important festivals for Dominicans, a time when the city that claims to be the largest in the Caribbean returns to its roots.
Events Blessed with a benevolent tropical climate, Santo Domingo residents tend to spend as much time as possible outdoors, engaged in their two favorite diversions: dancing and playing baseball. But museums and concert halls are also active (with weekly listings of events published in English by the Santo Domingo News), especially in spring. So even though this may be the world capital of the merengue, the first Santo Domingo Music Festival, March 12 to 21, will focus exclusively on clas-
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sical music. Programs include works by Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Mozart, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Villa Lobos, performed by Andre Watts, Philippe Entremont, the Everest Quartet and soloists from the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Tickets for individual concerts, all at the Teatro Nacional, 35 Avenida Maximo Gmez, range from $11 to $36 and can be ordered by telephone at (888) 637-5347. The concert series coincides with an International Festival of Puppetry March 14 to 16 at the Teatro Nacional. Troupes from Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and Spain, as well as the Dominican Republic, will be featured in displays of puppets and marionettes and performances, in Spanish only. Call (809) 687-3191. From April 2 to May 30, the Museum of Modern Art, part of the Plaza de la Cultura complex on Calle Pedro Henriquez Urena, will be host to the ‘’Entre Americas’’ exhibition, devoted to six young American artists. Admission is free. Call (809) 685-2153 for information. The annual Gastronomic Festival will be held May 25 to 27 at the Hotel V Centenario Inter-Continental. Chefs from restaurants and hotels all over the country compete with their best regional recipes, with offerings ranging from extravagant stews to sinfully rich desserts. For reservations, call (809) 221-0000. There will be a daily all-you-can-eat admission fee, expected to be about $36 a person.
Sightseeing Because it was the first capital of Spanish America, Santo Domingo abounds in impressive colonial architecture, most of which is concentrated along Calle de
las Damas on the west side of the Ozama River. The cathedral, for instance, was the first basilica in the New World; it was begun in 1514, and like many other buildings in the area known as the Zona Colonial, deftly restored five years ago just in time for the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’s Landing. Open daily, free, from 9 A.M. to noon and 3 to 4:30 P.M. Among many other nearby attractions are the Museo de las Casas Reales, with a fascinating display of artifacts from the era of discovery and colonization, including old coins, and the Alcazar de Colon, built by Columbus’s son Diego in 1510 and used as the seat of the Spanish Crown until sacked by Drake in 1586. At the Alcazar is the Museo Virreinal, which displays household objects from that time. Both buildings are open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.; admission
making it a favorite of business travelers. It also boasts a desirable seafront location, 260 rooms, all with at least a partial ocean view, and a casino. Doubles start at $140.
Where to Eat The cobblestone streets and squares of the Colonial Zone are full of small restaurants, cafes and pubs. One of the finest is Cafe Coco, (809) 687-9624, in a converted, tastefully maintained colonial house at 53 Calle Padre Billini. The menu here changes daily; the two Englishmen who run the restaurant emphasize international fare. They are especially strong in poultry and fish dishes, such as cod prepared with herbs or tandoori chicken. Reservations are required. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine is about $75.
“As the oldest European city in the New World, Santo Domingo, founded by Christopher Columbus’s brother Bartolomeo in 1496, has enjoyed a long and distinguished history.” Just down the street on Calle Padre Billini at the corner of Calle Duarte is Retazos, (809) 688-6140, a cafe specializing in Dominican dishes. That means plenty of seafood; the crab stew (guisado de cangrejo) and snapper cooked in coconut milk are particularly delicious. The setting, too, is appealing: a pair of small dining rooms kept cool by ceiling fans and framed by windows full of flowers. Dinner for two about $50. Both sides of the Malecon, the seaside promenade where most of the best hotels can be found, are lined with restaurants. One of the best is the unabashedly Italian Vesuvio, 521 Avenida George Washington, (809) 221-1954, which offers a terrific antipasto and follows it up with an array of attractive seafood pasta dishes. Dinner for two about $90. W
is 75 cents. Although Seville disputes the claim, the remains of Columbus are said to be contained in an ornate guarded sarcophagus at the Columbus Lighthouse, a towering structure in the shape of a cross in the Parque Mirador del Este. Inside are displays devoted to cartography, navigation and the histories of the countries that colonized the Americas. Tuesday to Saturday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., admission 75 cents; (809) 592-2517. In recent years, Santo Domingo has become increasingly noisy, bustling and crowded, its streets clogged with automobiles and motorbikes. But the Jardin Botanico Nacional, Avenida Republica de Colombia, (809) 567-6211, offers a lush and tranquil respite. Set on 445 acres in the northwest corner of the city, it bursts with tropical exuberance and boasts displays of palms, bromeliads and orchids, along with butterflies, wildfowl and chattering birds. Admission is 75 cents; guided tours by train or bus cost extra.
Where to Stay A 23 percent tax is imposed on all accommodations in the Dominican Republic. The rates quoted here include the tax. Lower rates may be available at some hotels during low season, which begins in June. The Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel, 365 Avenida George Washington, telephone (809) 221-6666, fax (809) 687-8150, is reliable, efficient and convenient,
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