No. 6: The Road to Ponce

On our third full day in Puerto Rico, we drove (or, more precisely, Liz drove) from San Juan to the city of Mom's birth, Ponce.  The trip itself through the mountains in the center of the island was one of the highlights of the week.  The views were amazing; in places the hills were so lush and clearly defined that they looked unreal.  And as we reached our destination, we were greeted with the most dramatic "welcome" sign I've ever seen: 20-foot letters spanning the highway, spelling out PONCE.

No. 5: La Casita Blanca

Yes, more food!  Many things made this place special: My yummy pigs' feet entree; the delicious desserts, including the best tres leches cake any of us had ever tasted; the anise liquor with coffee beans each of the adults was given at the end of the meal; and the rooster walking along the sidewalk that we passed on our way to the restaurant.

No. 4: Yuca and Plantains Everywhere

I suppose you've detected a pattern here: an awful lot of these "moments" are about food. But what else can one expect from folks raised on my mother's spectacular Puerto Rican cooking? We had yuca in garlic sauce, mofongo, and/or tostones every day.

No. 3: Casa Cortes ChocoBar

Our first day in Old San Juan, we were about half a block from this place - but a few thousand protesters happened to be in between. (We found out later that they were protesting against sex education in the schools, so perhaps their preventing us from reaching this sinful place was appropriate.) But I would not be denied, and the next day the kids and I returned. We didn't have much time - Jonathan had to get back for a very cool fishing trip with Uncle Joseph - but you can see that we used our time well.

No. 2: Old San Juan

You've seen pictures of Old San Juan, right? Well, the reality is just as beautiful as the images. Our first day there, though, we managed to guide Mom snack into the middle of some sort of giant protest march; we had to wriggle through a sea of people moving in the opposite direction, filling the the narrow streets.  A little taste of the non-touristy life of the island.

No. 1: Coffee and Donuts

Puerto Rican coffee is fantastic, strong and rich without too much bitterness (I'm looking at you, Starbucks). I noticed the great coffee right away, but it was Mom who recognized the fresh-baked donuts from her childhood. They put my local NYC donut place to shame.

Ten Puerto Rico Moments

We just spent an incredible week on a trip with Mom to Puerto Rico, where she grew up.  Here are ten special memories from that trip. It's not a "top ten" because there were so many wonderful things, and I don't want to rank them.