February 21, 2025 - Checking Out Neighborhoods

 JC and I headed out at 8 a.m. today, to run a few errands and check out a neighborhood along the way.  One of the reasons I came to Cartagena was to consider living here, either full or part time.  I'm still  contemplating, so today we checked out the Marbella neighborhood.  Here's my take...

The Old City/Getsemani - beautiful, unique and safe.  Also, expensive, no parking and FULL of tourists.

Bocagrande - Affordable, walkable with great views.  Also, lots of restaurants and grocery stores.

El Laguito - I like the area near the Hilton but not a fan of the rest of this small neighborhood.

Castillogrande - Great views, safe and very walkable.  But, expensive and restaurants are further than I care to walk.

Marbella - I love the area near the house where Rafael Nunez was born and died.  Great views, easily walkable to the Old City.  But, a few blocks further away are less safe and while they are close to the beach, you have to cross a freeway to get to them.  And the small fresh water lake is lovely, I hear it can smell at some times.

La Boquilla - Great views, quiet beaches and more affordable since it's a bit further from the Old City.  You'd need a car to live here.

Manga - Great views, older neighborhood, close to the Old City.  

I don't know that I'll ever move here but I'll be back, for sure.

Here are some photos.

Deditos de queso are made with yuca flour, flaky, savory and delicious.

Mr. Bono (called Senor Bono here) is kinda like Dunkin', if they did savory instead of donuts.  Tasty, fast and cheap.

Goodies at Mr. Bono.  They do have a few sweet options.

If I had a kid I'd take them to this place just so they could get a ride in this car/chair.

The barber shop.

Dang, I was hoping for a mango slushie but they were closed.

Who knew Payless was a thing in Colombia?

Driving past 400+ year old buildings hasn't gotten old.

I liked this building, just a block from the Rafael Nunez house and two blocks from the Old City.  

The small church across the street from the Nunez house.

The airport is named for Rafael Nunez, who was born and died in this house.

You can see La Serrezuela from the Nunez house.  It was originally a bull fighting ring and is now an upscale mall in the Old City.

Marbella has some lovely high rise buildings with great views of the sea.

And a couple hotels I wouldn't choose to stay in.

The main street in Marbella isn't very walkable.

This woman was juggling while riding a unicycle.  In traffic.  While stuck in traffic, it's not unusual to have food/coffee/drinks vendors along with guys who want to wash your windshield offering their services.  Years ago, while sitting in snow on Telegraph in rush hour traffic, I figured I could make a killing in a golf cart, selling coffee in the morning and beer at night.  Damn American laws.

Just driving through the Old City, early in the morning, is a treat.  By 10 a.m., the streets are generally packed, especially on days when there are 4 cruise ships docked.

I love giant wooden doors.

The door knockers are a bonus.

Words to live by at the Gabriel Garcia Marquez museum coffee shop.