If you find yourself in the Isla Verde secton of San Juan, it has the nicest beaches in the city. But if you’ve done enough beach and want a soul-nourishing break from the fast food joints and the tourists, try the Urban Garden of Isla Verde (Jardín Urbano de Isla Verde).
The park is an urban contradiction. It is footsteps from the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan and busy PR 26, which has a steady stream of cars and trucks rumbling along it on the way to Old San Juan or the airport in the other direction on a Monday morning.
Yet if you sit on some steps in the shade, with a light breeze cooling you even more, you can meditate or just chill, and the traffic in the distance almost sounds like the waves that are undoubtably enticing beachgoers a few blocks away.
The sounds of planes taking off and landing at nearby Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport five kilometers away blend with the traffic, and at times you can’t tell which is which.
But the park is a buffer from it all.
Despite the surrounding hustle-bustle, you seem insulated. There are a couple of fountains, and some abstract sculptures in the park. There is a walker to two in the park, that’s all, and the vibe is overwhelmingly serene.
A shirtless dude and his dog are doing sprints in the grass. With every stride, the dog running alongside his master is looking up at him, seeming to say, “throw a ball already or hand me a treat.”
Then everyone is gone. I could almost take a nap. Maybe that’s just this morning’s pancakes talking.
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