The Caribbean is all about exotic restaurants and nightlife. But for me, nothing comes close to San Juan for its restaurants and nightlife. San Juan restaurants are noted for their fantastic décor, excellent service and live music.
In San Juan, you can choose from Spanish, Argentinean, French, American, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Lebanese and Arabian as well as steaming Puerto Rican delicacies.
Check out Augusto’s in Miramar for classic dining, Il Perugino for Italian, Bistro de Paris in Plaza de Diego for French, and Ramiro’s on Av. Magdalena for Spanish food. Parrot Club in Calle Fortaleza and Ajili Mjili on Av. Ashford are the best for contemporary Puerto Rican specialties and La Bombonera, Calle San Francisco for seafood.
The BLT Steak in De los Gobernadores, the burger joint El Patio de Sam on Calle San Sebastin, Mike & Charlie’s Pizzas at Av. Ashford, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Calle del Cristo are other restaurants and eateries you wouldn’t like to miss.
Nightlife in San Juan means music, dancing, bar-hopping, and gaming. In most bars, classic Jazz and hip-hop vie with Meringue and Salsa. For the real Latino zest, head up to San Sebastian Street, lined with restaurants and bars frequented by the fashionable crowd.
The avant-garde Candela holds experimental music and art exhibitions. The Rumba has live tropical music while Aqui Se Puede has a jukebox and live music performances. Tantra is where you can enjoy a meal while smoking mogul hookah pipes and watching belly dancers draw raucous applause from the crowds.
You can rake in some fast money at the Ritz Casino in Isla Verde, the grandest and plushest casino in San Juan. Some other casinos include the grand El San Juan Hotel & Casino, Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino and the splashiest of all, Old San Juan Hotel & Casino.
Besides running Intelius, Inc., a Bellevue-based online information and security provider, Naveen Jain has his hands full as he helps rear the next generation of American entrepreneurs.
While addressing over 500 young entrepreneurs from 18 different schools in the country during the Intelius-sponsored Kairos Society’s First Annual Summit in New York, Jain reiterated his optimism and pride of the youth’s capability to bring in creative and out-of-the-box thinking into the business sector.
In more ways than one, Naveen Jain can reflect upon the significance of supporting and guiding young people who are charting their futures toward business, being in their shoes long before he gained success as an entrepreneur.
Naveen Jain was born in Uttar Pradesh, India in 1959 full of dreams and ambitions, chief of which was to be accorded the same significance as the bigwigs in business. He obtained an undergraduate engineering degree at the Indian Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. at Xavier School of Management. Eventually, he flew to the U.S. in 1979 and worked his way toward a senior executive position at Microsoft Corporation. There, he helped develop operating systems and software applications, which until now he still holds patents of.
Fueled by his desire for independence, he left Microsoft and formed a self-capitalized company called InfoSpace in the dot com era. Through it, he became one of Forbes Magazine’s America’s Richest Men in 2000.
He co-founded Intellius in 2003 and took the information commerce market on a new level, by supplying the need of individuals and businesses for critical intelligence information. It provides online security services such as background checks, verification services, employment and tenant screening services.
His mentoring role is a form of giving back to the industry that has provided him with so much in terms of wealth and experience. With his guidance, the entrepreneurial world is bound to meet other Naveen Jains in the future.