To celebrate Independence Day, Andrew, Rebecca, Martha, Danielle, and I went to the beach. Specifically, we went to Isla Verde, the San Juan beach lined with hotels and palm trees. There were a lot of people there, as going to the beach is a popular pastime for Puerto Ricans on holiday. In the absence of a parking lot, we parked at a Burger King. There were only a few people in the restaurant, but the lot filled up with beach-goers, and the manager looked cross.
We found a not-too-crowded spot on the beach, and the water was warm yet refreshing with gentle waves. We took turns floating in the sea and sitting on the beach guarding our stuff. When it was my turn on the beach I passed the time by taking pictures of people: ball players, a little girl walking, sunbathers, a family sitting in the surf.
Andrew, who had gone back to check on the car after walking down the beach, noted the crossness of the manager and suggested someone should patronize Burger King to legitimize our vehicle, so I went and ordered a milkshake. Shortly after I finished it, the others arrived and had lunch. We then asked a manager for directions to the Fine Arts Theater, and our attempts to follow these directions got us to the wrong side of town and in the vicinity of the largest mall in the Caribbean.
It was too late to catch the movie we'd been aiming for, so we went into the mall and saw Men in Black II in a swanky theater with the lobby decorated to look like Old San Juan. The movie was entertaining, but basically more of the same. It was plagued by the fate of nearly all sequels: complete lack of novelty. We went to Borders for a bit, ordered some drinks, and observed that going to the mall is another popular pastime for Puerto Ricans on holiday.
