Rllink
Well-known member
I live part of the year in Viejo San Juan, old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was discovered on Columbus' second voyage to the new world by Ponce De Leon. I actually live on a street named Calle San Sebastian, the street that connects El Castillo, the fort that was the administrative offices for the Spanish government, and Ponce De Leon's home.
A block west and a block north of my home is a wall that once formed the defenses for the city. I'm told that parts of it are more than 500 years old. When you go from my home to the wall, you cross a grassy area that is a dog park, and then beyond that is an open area where there are some plaques standing that tell the history of the area. There are two old cannon ports there in the wall and people walk out in them to look out over La Perla at the Atlantic ocean. It belongs to the National Parks Service. I go out almost every day and sit on the wall to busk. I have for six winters. I catch the people coming off the sidewalk to read the plaques. Everyone knows that is my pitch. I was actually photographed out there for a documentary on street musicians in San Juan.
Two weeks ago a park ranger came by on the street driving a golf cart and ordered me off the wall. He said that sitting on the wall damaged it. I had never heard of this law against sitting on the wall. People sit on it, walk on it, at smoke pot on it, drink beer on it, people read books on it, artists set up their easels on it, and pretty much do whatever they want on the wall. Some people do yoga on the wall. The thing is that any number of park rangers over the years have walked by or driven by and never said a word. Some even wave to me. But later I found out that it is in fact against the law to be on the wall, but no one knew of it ever being enforced.
Anyway, I went back the next day and did my thing. I just thought that it was interesting that that one park ranger decided on that one day to kick some old ukulele player off of the wall.
I just wanted to share that, and I also wanted to ask if there are any other buskers here that have stories to share?
A block west and a block north of my home is a wall that once formed the defenses for the city. I'm told that parts of it are more than 500 years old. When you go from my home to the wall, you cross a grassy area that is a dog park, and then beyond that is an open area where there are some plaques standing that tell the history of the area. There are two old cannon ports there in the wall and people walk out in them to look out over La Perla at the Atlantic ocean. It belongs to the National Parks Service. I go out almost every day and sit on the wall to busk. I have for six winters. I catch the people coming off the sidewalk to read the plaques. Everyone knows that is my pitch. I was actually photographed out there for a documentary on street musicians in San Juan.
Two weeks ago a park ranger came by on the street driving a golf cart and ordered me off the wall. He said that sitting on the wall damaged it. I had never heard of this law against sitting on the wall. People sit on it, walk on it, at smoke pot on it, drink beer on it, people read books on it, artists set up their easels on it, and pretty much do whatever they want on the wall. Some people do yoga on the wall. The thing is that any number of park rangers over the years have walked by or driven by and never said a word. Some even wave to me. But later I found out that it is in fact against the law to be on the wall, but no one knew of it ever being enforced.
Anyway, I went back the next day and did my thing. I just thought that it was interesting that that one park ranger decided on that one day to kick some old ukulele player off of the wall.
I just wanted to share that, and I also wanted to ask if there are any other buskers here that have stories to share?
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