h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It should be added that Puerto Rico is one of the most, if not the most, fun little territories of the United States of America. People who are native to Puerto Rico enjoy the peculiar situation of being American citizens yet not being able to represent themselves in Congress or the House of Representatives, this has the nice side effect of not having to pay federal taxes, yet still being elligible for most federal benefits (Social Security, Medicare, WIC, ext.). The trully annoying part of the archipielago (for that is what it is, constituting the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, Mona, and several others)is it's politicians senseless drive to *fix* Puerto Rico's status, without realizing that it is not trully broken, just badly managed, and mostly by these very politicians. Politics are a large part of Puerto Rican life, where over 80% of registered voters participate in elections. As opposed to the rest of the United States with an average participation of 45%. In the latest status plebisite the mayority of the Puertorrican people told the politicians to bugger off by voting for the none of the above option, frankly I see this as a good move on behalf of Puertorricans.
Without argument the best beaches in Puerto Rico can be found in Vieques (the only person to argue this point was David Sanes Rodrigues, but he was hit on the head by a stray bomb from the neighboring Navy target range, so his opinion is now moot). I personally recomend the La Casa del Frances hotel, it is a reasonably priced (actually it's the most expensive one in Vieques, but compared to the rest of Puerto Rico it is quite reasonably priced) establishment where the staff treat you like a member of the household. In fact that's what it is a large house that was once owned by a rich frenchman (hence the name The Frenchman's House), it has a beutifull colonial feel to it (and considering that it is located in a colony of the United States this is quite appropiate)with horses and cows grazing in the pasture in view from your large wooden window.
San Juan on the other hand has a completely different feel from Vieques, it is one of the United States fastest growing Metropolises, with just over 1 million people in a very tiny little space. But it is a fun place none the less. The Old San Juan district is like a place out of time, it has buildings that have been in place from as far back as the 1600's mixed in with young street goths in black make up, tourists in flowery shirts, and locals dressed as normal people. All the buildings in Old San Juan are protected as historical landmarks so modifications to the structures are only allowed through a rigurous burocratic prosses, this has kept Old San Juan looking beautiful, which is a first for any bureocratic process. Old San Juan is open all night (or most of it) to drinkers and partygoers, especially the famous San Sebastian Street known for it's pubs and bars, and it's yearly Fiestas de San Sebastian.
Puerto Rico also has many other places of interest varying from the largest telescope in the world in Arecibo to the beautifull river caves of Camuy, it has the largest Rain Forest in the United States, El Yunque, plus many others (Toro Negro, El Faro, many more). Puerto Rico is a wonderfull blend of nature and technology that should be visited by anyone out there in the galaxy who has a chance. There is much more to say about Puerto Rico, but I'm getting sleepy so this is good bye.