He may even have been aware at the time of the CIA's plan to smuggle M1 carbines in small pieces into the country inside restaurant sized cans of fruit. As I walked through tha hall of the administrative offices there on the wall was a photo of then Vice President Johnson and his wife Lady Bird in attendance at the Ambassador Hotel's grand opening. After being defeated by a US senator from his own party in the first state primary over anti Vietnam War sentiment, he stunned the world by announcing that an imcumbent American president would not seek reelection. I was fifteen when then President Lyndon Johnson gave his famous "My fellow Americans, I come to you with a heavy heart" speech. As a brutal dictator over a 30 year period, Trujillo was assasinated by a group of army generals not long after the hotel's grand opening. It opened in the early 60's as the DR's first modern 1st class hotel and was a source of pride for the then president Manual Trujillo. On its modern construction side of the property it has a cool rooftop pool.Īs a small sidelight, I stayed in Santo Domingo's Ambassador Hotel a couple of nights just for the experience. They serve a cooked to order included breafast of the side of a beautiful garden courtyard. It can be booked on the internet at reasonable rates (I've stayed there twice) and is an altogether lovely boutique hotel. He was elected President of the Dominican Republic five times. From 1812 to 1844 it was owned by Buenaventura Báez. It is less than a block off El Conde, the pedestrian-only boulevard, and within walking distance of the main plaza. The Hotel Palacio in the Zona Colonial is an example of such buildings you can actually stay in. The government has been trying for many years to preserve the area's archetectural history. Nightlife gets very active there on the weekends. Santo Domingo's Hard Rock Cafe is located right on the side of the main plaza as well. If you're a fan of Amber, there is a lot of that too.) Look in the larger souvenir shops around the central plaza. (Lorimar is aqua-blue v ariegated precious stone mined only in the DR. If you shop with a careful eye and bargin a bit, you can successfully purchase some of the most unique and beautiful jewelry pieces of Lorimar in the DR, and at reasonable prices. The narrow streets are loaded with Spanish colonial architechture that is quite unusual. Typical admission fees range from RD$60 ($1.33 USD) to RD$100 ($2.21 USD).The Zona Colonial area of Santo Domingo contains many buildings from the colonial period of the DR's history that are hundreds of years old. Next, walk along the Calle Las Damas (the oldest street, a pedestrian-only zone) to the Alcázar de Colón palace and museum.Įven though Zona Colonial is free to explore, keep in mind that several of the area's museums and historic properties charge an entry fee. From there you can trek a little farther west to Fortaleza Ozama, located along the mouth of the Río Ozama in the southeast quadrant. So where should you start? Perhaps the Catedral Primada de America, which is located near the heart of the zone (look for the statue of Christopher Columbus). Best of all, you can explore the area entirely on foot: For all that's crammed inside, there's really only 11 blocks worth of sights. But this UNESCO World Heritage Site also shelters many hotels, bars and restaurants. Visitors say it's definitely a must-see, considering the city's best known historic sites are located here. Partially barricaded by stone walls, accented with baroque architecture and lying on cobblestone streets, Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial marks the area where Columbus settled in the New World.
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