am i really on my way to massachusetts? is it really 30degrees? no wait, 20degrees? yea, i suppose it really is. oh man, and i thought i was done travelling for the year.

it's so easy to understand why a+r decided to get married in puerto rico. it's such a fantastic retreat away from the wintry city, a practical paradise unto itself. and after having spent the following week tooling around most of the rest of puerto rico, i think their choice of location at the villa montana resort in isabela was just perfect.

the resort was a great mix of class and culture, without being too removed from the rest of the city and its people. the beach it laid next to was fantastic, even if its slight rockiness kept it from being perfect. with bikes, kayaks, and snorkeling gear freely included in the cost of your stay, there were great options for leisurely activities. and once i discovered the huge climbing rock in a corner of the resort, i was done for.

i suppose my only question is what you could possibly do for a honeymoon after getting married there? not the worst question in the world to have to figure out.

after a+r's wedding in isabela, i picked up a rental car from the enterprise at the aguadilla airport and drove out to san juan to pick up my friends. for our own reasons, we ended up having to visit three different enterprises (the aguadilla, fajardo, and ponce locations). everyone was extremely friendly and helpful, it was super pleasant and surprising, so i'd definitely look into renting with enterprise again.

having a car to tour puerto rico with is the most fantastic thing, as the island itself is relatively small. apparently you can drive round the whole of the island in about four or five hours. if you do plan on driving puerto rico, be sure to bring a gps unit, as much of puerto rico's streets lack signs. as it was, our gps unit saved us from what would've been countless hours of torture and confusion.

all in all, we went to the el yunque forests, from the tops of which you can see much of puerto rico's tropical lushness sprawled out before you; drove down to fajardo and kayak'd its bioluminescent bay (sadly, no more swimming allowed in the bio bay); passed through utuado on our way down to ponce, home to don q's rum distillery; trekked up narrow mountain paths to the arecibo observatory, then shot on over to the camuy caves (sadly closed for renovation, but we did get to see the sinkholes); and finally landed ourselves in old san juan, which is magnificent with its gorgeous architecture and seaside vistas. old san juan is much like the manhattan of puerto rico, popular and alive, with an unbelievable amount of traffic trying to jam through its narrow streets.

the worst part of puerto rico was being a vegetarian trying to find a decent meal. beware, and make your vegetarian-ness known, as even the beans will likely contain pork or ham. alas, if i were ever to revisit puerto rico, i would definitely not be going for the cuisine. though being a new yorker, i admit to being spoiled by a great diversity of amazing culinary options out here.

additional photography by ltp.

ah what a love affair with puerto rico it was. i just got back into new york and even though it's 40degrees and windy, i can still smell the salt in the air. more later.

i'm somewhere in the puerto rican rainforest and i am updating my website. how silly is that? lets not think about how silly that is. instead, we'll enjoy this first small set of teasers from a+r's wedding.

as you can see, they had the most magnificent sunset you could possibly ever imagine having for your wedding. their wedding was next to the beach where the water was beautifully warm, and they were joined by lots of amazing friends and family. at that point, i would not have been too terribly surprised if mermaids had swam ashore and serenaded us.

thanks for having me guys! it's been a grand adventure so far, and i don't get home until next monday. you've surely gone and made life magical for me...

more teasers to come. and another pina colada please! gracias!

just got back from manganext in somerset, nj. the twins were present and styled out as usual. so i shot some photos. they're post processed for the look. i freakin' love the colors. i could've shot them for a while.

next up, i'm trying to cram in as much photo processing as i can before i leave for puerto rico this weekend. i'm hoping that i won't have to take my laptop with me.