It's probably the cultural center of Puerto Rico in a lot of ways. There's music, there's, a lot of young artists, a lot of Bohemian（波西米亚）, writers, and a lot of, of cultural activity happens in Old San Juan.

 

Ricardo Rivera is just one of thousands of people who call the quaint district of Old San Juan home. The neighborhoods of Loiza has a picturesque functionality. Ricardo Alegria, spearheaded(作为先锋) the effort to rehab(修复), restore and revitalize Old San Juan.

 

I am pound of what the, we have done because in the 50s San Juan was becoming a small area and the houses in some of the buildings were really in very bare, bad shape.

 

Today those buildings are, for the most part, in wonderful shape, and so are Old San Juan's many fortresses（堡垒）. The most striking, is Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, constructed by the Spanish, started around 1540, to keep nautical（海上的） enemies at bay.

 

The Church of San Jose is the second oldest known church in the western hemisphere(西半球). Its construction began in 1532. Around the corner is the Plaza San Jose where you find a statue of the explorer Ponce de Leon, cast in bronze melted down from a British cannon. Down the street, La Fortaleza, a former fort, is now used as the governor's(总督) house. Everywhere you turn, there are reminders of San Juan's adventure-filled past. These days, tourists fill the streets, in search of old world charm and tropical breezes.

 

The whole year La Houja have a nice weather here, nice weather. The temperature is 75, 77 and 80, you know...

So, San Juan is a major vacation destination. In fact, this is one of the busiest ports for cruise ships（豪华游轮） in the entire Caribbean. More than a million visitors a year disembark these luxury liners(客轮).

 

It's beautiful. It's,er, beautiful beaches, a lot of greenery, very friendly people.

 

The Old San Juan is like a small neighborhood in a lot of ways. If you live here, and you never use your car, you walk to the supermarket. You know, the guy that sells you, your vegetables and everybody says hello. A very small town.

For visitors and for those who live here year-round, Old San Juan is a charming reminder of the past.