San Pedro de Macorís

The national sport and the national drink are both well represented in this city, an hour or so east of Santo Domingo. Some of the country's best baseball games are played in Tetelo Vargas Stadium. Many Dominican baseball stars have their roots here, including George Bell, Tony Fernández, Jose Rijo, and Sammy Sosa. The Macorís Rum distillery is on the eastern edge of the city. From 1913 to the 1920s this was a very important town—a true cultural center—and mansions from that era are being restored by the Office of Cultural Patrimony, as are some remaining vestiges of 16th-century architecture and the town's cathedral, which has a pretense to the Gothic style, even gargoyles. There's a Malecón, a nice promenade along the port, and by night the beer and rum kiosks come alive. The Dominicans, Europeans, and North Americans staying in Juan Dolio head to San Pedro for its stores, including its supermercados, which are Jumbo, Iberia (it also has a big pharmacy), and Zaglul.