Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic came in as major city #64 on my Major City project and here I’ll share a few first impressions covering the city with my camera.
The Carribean makes for an interesting region for street photography. The colors, light, vibrant island life, colonial history and more make for a complex and unique atmosphere. When it comes to photography, Havana attracts the most attention, but I wanted to cover other big city life in the Caribbean too. With Santo Domingo, you get the biggest city the region has to offer so it was a must for my project. Most people visit islands for the touristic beach towns so I always find the more urban offerings an interesting dynamic when mixed with the island lifestyle. Santo Domingo provides plenty of urban atmosphere, but around Zona Colonial, you’ll feel its long history as the first city of the New World when Colombus called it home. Today, the historic surrounding is filled with tourism, but it still manages to keep some local flavor too. While most won’t leave Zona Colonial and the Malecon, mostly for safety reasons, I made sure to explore as much of the city outside the walls too, where things do change quickly.
So here are my first impressions of Santo Domingo, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
7 First Impressions of Santo Domingo
(From a Street Photography Perspective)
1. Big, busy urban city in the Carribean, but still with some of that relaxed island vibe
With a metropolitan population close to 4 million people today, Santo Domingo has become the largest city in the Caribbean. Many immigrants from surrounding Carribean countries have moved to the Dominican Republic in search of better opportunities, as the city continues to grow. With all this population, Santo Domingo is one big urban sprawl unlike what you usually find on the islands. Still, that relaxed carribean island vibe hasn’t completely left the people. It is busy and crowded, but the pace isn’t moving as fast you’d expect in a city this size. Men drink and play dominos on the sidewalks and streets, locals gossip with their friends, parks and squares fill with young couples and recreation, and people live life outside from morning into the night. Island time still applies and people aren’t in too much of a hurry. You still get a mix of that big city, especially in scenery and atmosphere, but with enough carribean flavor that blends into one. Havana has some of this character too, but Santo Domingo feels more urban and modern. You definitely won’t find all that special Havana character, but if you’re looking for “big urban city” in your street photography while in the Carribean, Santo Domingo has it more than any other, creating an interesting juxtaposition.
2. Zona Colonial is the area all visitors stay inside
The square-shaped district of Zona Colonial is for most visitors, the only side of Santo Domingo they see. It’s the historic neighborhood of Santo Domingo and the oldest permanent European settlement of the New World. Zona Colonial is situated in the heart of the city with Río Ozama wrapping around its eastern and southern shore. It’s especially famous for Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1492, when he founded the city and had the first cathedral, hospital and university built in the Americas. The grid-pattern is laid out full of monuments, landmarks and colonial architecture, giving it the charming atmosphere you might expect from an “old town,” but with a little edge mixed in through out. Zona Colonial is full of restaurants, shops, hotels and other attractions for all the tourists that stay here, but there’s plenty of locals too so its not overly polished and touristy compared to most old towns, minus a few spots. It’s the city’s main attraction and while not especially big, still provides a good amount of areas to explore. There’s quite a bit of interest packed around and with all the local life mixed in, I found it provided enough variety and life to keep exploring over and over again. The outskirts tend to get edgier, but also can be even more interesting. So explore with caution once you hit Zona Colonial’s edges, but I personally found it worth the risk.
3. Calle El Conde
Calle El Conde is the oldest commercial street in the city and the main pedestrian-only street in Zona Colonial. Its 11 blocks of cobblestone street run from Puerta Independencia to the Malecon at Rio Ozama. Lined with shops and restaurants, this street fills with both tourists and locals. It’s one of the most popular shopping areas in the city and is definitely one of the best streets for people watching. You get a wide variety of characters and activity is always guaranteed from morning into the evening, when street performers join in the activity too. Its location is perfect for passing through a few times a day while walking to other destinations for street photography. On the east end you’ll run into Parque Colon and Calle de Las Damas. These are two of the most popular tourist spots, but Parque Colon usually has life and Las Demas was the first street built in the New World. For street photography, I actually preferred the west end of El Conde, though. On this end, you get a much more local feeling with some edge, a good amount of activity from being a popular spot to catch shared transport, and the soft sunlight shining down perfectly later in the day.
4. For more edge with interest, Mercado Modelo up through Ave Duarte provides it
Once you hit the northern edges of Zona Colonial, it starts to get edgier the further north you walk. This edge comes with interest and activity, but also some danger so you have to watch your surroundings. Locals told me, if you want to chance it, from Mercado Modelo up through Barrio Chino and Duarte Avenue would be the most interesting area for street photography on a risk/reward basis. Any further north and the risk only gets higher, while the interest lowers. After exploring this whole area and north some with my camera, they were right.
Mercado Modelo is the largest craft market in Santo Domingo. While entering this area feels a little edgier, it’s not too bad and you’ll find a few tourists making their way here so you don’t need to worry as much yet, although it depends how much you explore outside of the building. Inside, you’ll find dozens of stores selling arts and crafts, jewelry, cigars, liquor, souvenirs and more. Outside is where it gets more interesting for street photography, as markets and vendors spill out onto the streets. There’s some colorful walls and lot of life on the streets here, with a variety of produce, livestock and more to add interest.
Heading northeast, you’ll hit Avenue Duarte where you can enter the very small Barrio Chino, which is noticeable by its Chinese gate and statues along the sidewalks. This is where I usually started hearing “cuidado,” a friendly local warning. Heading uphill on Duarte past Avenue Mexico, you’ll walk by Enriquillo Park to your right and start to notice crowds of people filling the street and sidewalks on both sides. Just past the busy park is where lines of shops selling goods at discount prices starts. This whole area fills with chaos, which can be good for street photography, but it’s also an area you really have to watch your pockets and surroundings. It won’t be for everyone, and I wouldn’t advise venturing too far north, but it provides a good deal of interest and life, with a different atmosphere from Zona Colonial. You’ll find a mix of cultural influence here too, as it’s a popular area for Haitians and other immigrants. If you like photographing around authentic market areas with lots of people and colors, the risk is worth it, in my opinion, but that is coming from someone that likes taking risks when it comes to photography. At the very least, though, explore Mercado Models. And if you decide to go north up through Duarte too, head there with your street smarts at attention.
5. Malecon
The Malecon is Santo Domingo’s popular oceanfront promenade along Avenida George Washington. Starting in Zona Colonial, it stretches for a while west of the district, providing hours of walking with your camera. The Malecon is much more than a picturesque seaview walk, as the city has remodeled much of it with parks, workout stations, benches, viewpoint areas, and more. In the larger, most popular areas, you’ll find vendors for all the life that can come, while even in the quieter areas you’ll walk by fishermen on the cliff’s edge. You’ll also see some of that older, colonial carribean character mixed into a walk that is one of the safest in the city. In addition, there are sections of luxury hotels, casinos and nightclubs, as this is the main nightlife area too. During the day, although tourists do come here, I found it mostly locals hanging out with friends and families. My favorite section was around Plaza Juan Barón. This large green space on the cliff provides great views, commercial areas for food vendors, trails and a paved recreation area. It’s a popular hangout spot and with Eugenio María de Hostos Park across the street, this area can really fill up. Sometimes events are held here too. Sundays are the most active, as motorized vehicles are banned on Avenida George Washington, allowing wider area for pedestrians.
6. I explored many other areas too, debatable if it’s worth it
Santo Domingo has basically zero information for visitors when it comes to areas outside of Zona Colonial and the Malecon. Locals don’t really have much more info, as they could never think of anywhere else to recommend going. So, that meant I had to explore and discover on my own when I left those spots mentioned. I walk all over, through many neighborhoods west of Zona Colonial, through downtown, and also multiple neighborhoods east of the Rio Ozama on the other side of the city. I did mostly keep south of Expreso 27 de Febrero, a main highway in the city. I was strongly advised by locals never to go above there, and while I did some, it did feel like they’d warned. Walking without any valuables might make it better, but having a camera brought trouble. And being told “cuidado” three times per block didn’t make it any better. So, I wouldn’t say its worth the risk shooting much up there.
When it comes to all the areas I did explore, safety is still an issue. I was even pressured by police to be escorted home while walking from East of the Rio Ozama. I kindly rejected their offer, but they followed me back on their motorbike for two kilometers out of worry, anyway, which was nice, but a funny experience. As for interest and if it’s worth the time, or risk, that’s debateable. There’s a reason there’s not much info outside of the Zone Colonial. There’s really not that much interest or uniqueness outside of this area. Most of the streets are quiet and can take a lot of walking before you find activity. I was glad I saw more of the city and the local life, but for most, it probably wouldn’t be as worth it.
7. History meets metropolis meets island meets edge
While Santo Domingo doesn’t fare well when it comes to crime statistics, the majority of crime happens between 8pm-11pm, with motorbikes accounting for the most robberies. So, shooting during the day, being aware of multiple men on motorbikes nearby, and just being aware of your surroundings will remove much of the danger. Also, being careful what neighborhoods you explore and talking to locals will help too. According to Santo Domingo crime statistics, the safest areas are Zona Colonial (excluding Santa Bárbara) and Zona Metropolitana (Piantini, Naco, Evaristo Morales). With some danger comes a lot of positives, though. Santo Domingo is a unique city. You have that edge, which does provide character, mixed with arguably the most historic city in the Carribean mixed with the largest urban metropolis in the Carribean too. That’s a one-of-kind combination which can translate to a very photogenic city for many street photographers. You get a variety of character experience that you won’t find quite like it anywhere else. For that alone, it’s worth any extra caution that comes with it. It’s a city I wouldn’t mind spending more time to really learn its neighborhoods and streets for street photography.
If any of you have been to Santo Domingo before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Santo Domingo, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.
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(from a street photographer’s perspective)
Great photographs.
Other good places are the junctions along the motorway: kilometer 9, kilometer 14.
By the way: some parts of Santiago are great as well.