Irish Drifter wrote:
Crookedcr wrote:
It was dark when I left the restaurant, and I got turned around. I was planning to walk up to Paseo Colon, but instead I accidentally headed south and found myself in a very seedy neighborhood. I spent an uncomfortable 15 minutes or so trying to catch a cab.
It is a very nice establishment in a not-so-nice part of town, but I would recemmond it.
Are you sure you were at the Hotel Gran de Oro? It is in a area that is mix of commercial and residential. Being on the corner of Ave 4 you could only walk 3 blocks south before you would dead end at the cemetery on avenida 10. Should be plenty of taxis on that street. You would have to go a lot further south to reach the not so nice area of barrio Cuba or some blocks east before you get to the not so nice area around the Pirates Club
Yes. I'm positive. The hotel had a big stairway leading up the the entrance with a little gift shop on the right. The restaurant entrance was to the left as you walked through the front doors.
At the dead end - I think two blocks south, there was a fenced-in area full of trash, debris, rubbish, etc. It was about 9:00 at night. There were some guys sleeping on the sidewalk about 1/2 block to the east. There was a little restaurant and/or bar on the NE corner with a guard standing out front, but that didn't make me feel any more secure. Lots of taxis passed by, but most of them already had passengers.
I could be recalling it worse than it really was, standing there in shorts in the dark and not knowing for sure where I was and a few glasses of wine in me. I had forgotten my trusty GR map, so I was at a loss.
Finally when I did get a taxi, he didn't speak any English (or pretended well), and I had to ask him to start the meter after a few blocks. He was obviously planning to scam me, so I got away with a couple of blocks for free.