Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show—or reasonably, the Bad Bunny concert surrounded by a couple hours of soccer—was a feat. Not solely was the present virtually totally in Spanish (keep in mind when Benito was first introduced because the performer, and mentioned that Americans had 4 months to be taught Spanish? He meant it!). But all through the 12 minutes of groundbreaking dwell TV, he managed to nod to cultural references large and small that showcased the cultural prowess of Puerto Rico and better Latin America. As in, sure, he had Ricky Martin and Daddy Yankee and Karol G up there perreando in his casita. But he additionally had Toñita, the proprietor of a tiny Brooklyn bar, on stage serving him a shot (presumably of rum?) in a miniature recreation of her Caribbean Social Club; when Gaga appeared for the only real portion of the efficiency in English, she wore that blue gown by Luar, the label from American-Dominican designer Raul Lopez. It’s a testomony to the artistic excellence of Latinos, each all through Latin America and the better diaspora. And it was crying-in-Spanish superb.
We clocked the references which may imply one thing to fellow vacationers: The locations you’ll be able to go to, the tacos you’ll be able to eat, the nail tech you’ll be able to truly e-book with, and the cultural references that inform a better story of Puerto Rico, to get you prepared for the journey you’re positively reserving after that efficiency, proper?
(Read extra about how the rise of Latin American music is driving vacationers to the area right here.)
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The Coco Frio stand
During “Tití Me Preguntó”, Bad Bunny shortly stops at a Coco Frio cart—a quintessential contemporary coconut water road stand frequent throughout Puerto Rico, from which precise chilled coconuts are bought. The Coco Frio stands are often at road corners shut to the seaside or in entrance of colourful outlets on seashores like Luquillo, in Old San Juan, and alongside roadsides like Route 3.
(Find our full information to the best beaches in Puerto Rico right here.)
The domino recreation
Whether you are in Brooklyn, Miami, San Juan, or Rincón, a domino desk anchored by “viejitos,” or “little old men”, is what turns a road into a hangout spot; a bar into a place you’ll be able to keep a whereas. Some individuals name the sport the Danza de los Viejitos (the “dance of the old men”). As it intensifies, the phrase “la mesa se calienta” (the desk heats up), and the power and competitiveness picks up, even amongst buddies. While you will discover this scene in lots of locations, it leaves us craving a journey to Miami’s well-known Domino Park.
The fabulous nail tech
Also in the course of the efficiency of “Titi Me Preguntó,” Bad Bunny passes movie star nail tech and LA nail stylist Johana Castillo of @masterweenay—spotlighting the Latina-led magnificence trade. On the island (and in lots of Puerto Rican communities elsewhere), your go-to salon is one other neighborhood gathering spot, the place to chismear (gossip).
The piraguas stand
Bad Bunny stops at a picket piragua stand, frequent on the island for serving shaved ice topped with tropical-fruit-flavored syrup. (If you regarded carefully on the glass syrup bottles on the cart, they had been labeled with flags from locations like Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Colombia.) You’ll discover piragua on the seaside and on the town plazas throughout Puerto Rico. In Old San Juan, go to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro; on seashores like Isla Verde, spot them particularly between San Juan Water Club and El San Juan Sonesta.
The Villas Tacos LA stand
It’s not solely Puerto Rico getting the highlight: All Latino excellence, your complete barrio, is on show. The taco stand within the present is an homage to an precise taqueria in Los Angeles’s Highland Park, named Villas Tacos, with proprietor Victor himself truly on the grill as Benito walks previous.
The boxers
A fast glimpse of two boxers, one sporting Puerto Rican-flagged shorts, is a nod to the boxing tradition of Puerto Rico—a sport deeply rooted within the island’s tradition (as in Cuba, it is not unusual for vacationers to hunt down a match and even take a boxing class whereas visiting). This is a deeper minimize: In his tune “NUEVAYoL,” Bad Bunny samples the voice of Puerto Rican boxing legend Felix Tito Trinidad, who says, “The best in the world, Puerto Rico.”
The pink casita
There’s no likelihood you missed the pink home that Bad Bunny and his squad was acting on prime of: Also a staple of his current tour, the set, styled as a conventional Puerto Rican residence, hosted masses of movie star visitors—appearing as a type of “party de marquesina”, generally known as a informal, intimate home social gathering held in a borinquen’s residence or storage. A drive via any long-standing Puerto Rican neighborhood will present you similar-looking, colourful and comfy properties.