Visitors to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic enjoy a complete Caribbean vacation thanks to the lovely beaches and the convenient all-inclusive resorts with beachfront accommodations. This city at the foot of Mt.Isabel de Torres has some interesting colonial architecture and the historic Fort San Felipe as part of its colonial heritage. Lively restaurants and cafes, a wide spectrum of sports and entertainment facilities and the sunny weather ensure that a vacation in Puerto Plata, in the Northern Coast of the Dominican Republic is a memorable one. There are a number of lively restaurants and cafes in the picturesque Malecon area or in Playa Dorada with the hotels and resorts enclave. Most all-inclusive resorts have a wide variety of restaurants where guests can dine without leaving the premises.
For a taste of the local cuisine or for those who long for familiar food like pizzas or burgers, visitors can dine in any of these venues around the city and its suburbs:
A lively restaurant and café set in an old house renovated with modern amenities, De Armandos is the best place for paella and lobster.
Housed in one of the oldest remaining Victorian buildings in the city Sam’s Bar & Grill is the place to go for American cuisine, including a hearty breakfast. Caricatures made by native artists adorn the walls of this lively restaurant and café which serves steaks, meatloaf, and pancakes
A popular haunt of expatriates and visitors Cito’s Café, is a popular stop over on the highway to Sosua . Diners can chat with the amicable Canadian expatriate who owns the place over a relaxed lunch or a dinner with family.. A lively restaurant and café where along with lobster and steak or vegetarian fare diners are offered a fresh authentic Greek salad..
Pizza lovers should not miss the Italian fare at Portofino Pizzeria in the Portofino Guesthouse.
Ask anybody their view on graffiti, and you’ll receive views of love and hatred : some individuals see it as vandalism, others a subtle artform. On the “good press” side, talented graffiti artists such as Banksy have made graffiti an artform that is pleasing on the eye, applying stencils to produce technically difficult artworks loaded with political points attached. This kind of graffiti was certain to get trendy with the public and the likes of The Guardian pressroom : visually pleasing and intellectually satisfying. This form of graffiti is even bought as graffiti prints, and hung in middleclass households and corporate meeting rooms.
Yet, when it comes to your down and dirty graffiti – the scally, the tagger, the gangbanger type – this sort of graffiti is frequently seen as antisocial, an offence committed by the untalented. But is graffiti only an artform? To many people, it’s not just an artform, but a means to put your stamp on a district, or even a rejection of society altogether : anti-establishment, anti-social, even anti-art.
Spraying has forever been a secret activity, although the results are very much public facing. The intended audience is often unknown. Is it for a rival gang? A message to an individual? To the public? Or….possibly it’s simply uncalled-for and out of boredom.
Whatever the reasons may be, there seems to be some kind of enduring demand to spray graffiti. Some town councils have acknowledged that graffiti isn’t going to go away, so they’ve marked off areas where graffiti is allowed – usually derelict areas, but from time to time more civic areas like boarding around inner city buildings under construction.
