Travel
PHOTOGRAPHS: GRAND RAPIDS: SHUTTERSTOCK; OLD SAN JUAN: ARENA CREATIVE; BEACH: JOHN KERSHNER
You have 48 hours Grand Rapids, MI
Beer me. No, really. If you love to pound pints, you’ll love Grand Rapids. Three hours from Chicago, the area’s 30-some breweries make it a top stop for suds snobs. From the craft brew gods at Founders Brewing Company (235 Grandville Ave SW, 616-776-1195,
foundersbrewing.com) to quirky spots like HopCat (25 Ionia Ave SW, 616-451-4677,
hopcat.com/ grand-rapids), you’ll find delicious drafts on almost every corner of Michigan’s second-largest city. And oh, the food. The brewpubs go way beyond pub grub—try the pulled pork sandwich at Founders or the poutine from Brewery Vivant (925 Cherry St SE, 616-719-1604,
breweryvivant.com). Even the Food Network named the crack fries at
Downtown Grand Rapids
HopCat among America’s 10 Best French Fries. Feelin’ fancy? Hit up Grove (919 Cherry St SE, 616-454- 1000,
groverestaurant.com), next to Brewery Vivant and one of the city’s most critically acclaimed restaurants. Across the street, the Green Well (924 Cherry St SE, 616- 808-3566, thegreenwell
.com) is a favorite for healthy, hearty eats and is a LEED-certified venue. Walk up the block to Marie Catrib’s (1001 Lake Drive SE,
Founders Brewing Co.
616-454 4020,
mariecatribs.com) for Lebanese-inspired eats. Once you’ve filled your stomach,
fill your cultural
appetite.ArtPrize, an international art contest, takes place September 23 to October 11 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. Or, visit the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (1000 E Beltline Ave NE, 616- 957-1580, meijergardens. org). You’ll also love the Grand Rapids Public Museum (272 Pearl St NW, 616-456-3977,
grpm.org), where “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” opens
September 26. Whatever you do, don’t leave town without a cup of MadCap Coffee (98 Monroe Center St NW, 888-866-9091,
madcapcoffee.com) in your belly.
Pina colada
You have all the time in the world San Juan, PR
Miles of beach, 24/7 access to mojitos, clear blue water and coconut trees. Welcome to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a.k.a. paradise, a worry-free land that’s within easy reach. (Fly from O’Hare in less than five hours.)
The Condado district is one of Puerto Rico’s tourist hot spots, with oceanfront hotels and restaurants serving to-die-for mofongo (a fried plantain dish often topped with braised meat or seafood). Spots like La Concha Marriott Renaissance Resort (1077 Ashford Ave, 787-721-8500, laconcharesort .com) and San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (1309 Ashford Ave, 787-722-7000) are late-night hubs. Real revelers will feel at
home at La Concha, with comfortable and dimly lit rooms that are perfect for Sunday hangovers. Just don’t expect the party to stop much before dawn. Less noisy but just as fun, the Stellaris up the street hosts salsa nights, while table games last into the wee hours of morning. Looking for
something a bit more refined? Meet Old San Juan, Puerto Rico’s oldest settlement, with narrow cobblestone streets and well-preserved, colorful brick and stone buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries when it was a Spanish colony. This is where the cruise ships drop anchor, and that’s because Old San Juan has
Ocean Park Beach in Condado
70
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everything—authentic eats, eclectic shops and thrilling scenery. Some sites are centuries-old, like Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a castle named for King Philip II of Spain. Then there’s La Fortaleza, built in the 1500s and now home to Puerto Rico’s governor, and Castillo San Cristóbal, circa 1783. All can be toured as part of the San Juan National Historic Site (787-729- 6960,
nps.gov/saju). The island itself is easy to explore, at approximately 110 miles by 35 miles. A 35-minute drive from San Juan takes you to El Yunque National Forest (
fs.usda
Old San Juan
.gov/elyunque), one of the easiest rainforests to get to in the world (you can actually drive there). Snap photos of waterfalls as you walk among the banana trees, or hike to the mountaintop for an otherworldly coastal view. Get back in the car and keep on truckin’ to reach one of few bioluminescent bays in the world—Laguna Grande at Las Croabas in Fajardo. What’s a bio bay? To put it simply, it’s a dreamlike place where plankton glow like stars as you move through dark water in a kayak. Like most everything else on this island, it’s magical.
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