11.14.10 Poolside in Puerto Rico

Brian and I woke up and headed downstairs for a Starbucks coffee. The sun was out and we were ready for a day by the pool. We ran into Erin at Starbucks, so we agreed we would meet out at the pool in 20 minutes. Brian and I threw on our swim suits and headed outside to secure front row seats by the water. The pool was pumping and the sun was blazing.

We were soaking ourselves in the pool every five minutes. Brian and Alex ran up to the room to access the WiFi's to update their Fantasy Football lineup, while Erin and I baked in the sun. When they returned we headed over to Atlantico, the poolside cafe for wraps, burgers, and cold beers. After lunch, the boys watched football, Erin napped, and I reclaimed my seat in the sun where I spent most of my time watching a family play volleyball in the pool. The family spoke Spanish and there were many words that I was unable to understand, but they were all having so much fun tossing the ball around and laughing that I could not help myself from laughing and smiling too.

After the pool, we headed back to our rooms to get cleaned up and head out for the night. We planned to meet at 6:30pm in the hotel lobby, but Brian and I arrived early to chat with the hotel concierge to find a restaurant known for Cuban food. The concierge recommended La Ropa Vieja or "Old Clothes" in the neighborhood of Condado.

Condado was about a 10 minute cab ride from Old San Juan. La Ropa Vieja was a simple, quaint place. We all struggled to choose an entree, but the waiter was so good he made all of the decisions for us. Brian and Erin ordered the shredded cuban skirt steak with sweet plantains and cuban rice. Alex ordered the ground beef, and I chose the plantain with chicken. The food was delicious.

After a delightful meal, vodka sodas, and a bottle of wine, we stepped out of the restaurant and walked over the the Renaissance Hotel. We were thoroughly impressed by the hip and elegant art and detailed architecture. We strolled through the hotel and over to the casino in search of a big screen TV and bar, so we could watch the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers game. We had no luck, so we headed out of the hotel and further down the block and stumbled on a local pizza joint with a hopping atmosphere and a raucous crowd. Four seats were available at the bar and TV's were at every corner. Erin decided to spice up the night by demanding that everyone bet on a winning team. The Potter-Dague's picked New England and the Hofto's chose Pittsburgh. To make it even more interesting, when a team scored a touchdown, the opposing team had to take a shot. Needless to say the night was a blast!

The bartender spoke very little English, so I did my best to translate our drink orders and our little bet at hand. Alex and Brian drank beers, while Erin and I guzzled a bottle of wine. Basically, Erin and Alex had several shots and we closed the bar down around the third quarter. We hurried back to the hotel lobby bar to watched the  Patriots beat the Steelers. Additional shots were ordered up and Brian and I began to feel sorry for our opponents, so we joined in on a shot. After that, we headed for the wrapper (A.K.A. bed).