Jeremy

Jeremy founded Living the Dream in 2008 to chronicle his long-term trip around Asia. Since then he has been on two long-term trips, visited 69 countries, and is just getting started. He is now on a Lifestyle Design quest to build businesses to pursue a life of travel.

Which Sheraton in Old San Juan is Best? 2 Sheraton San Juan Reviews

When it comes to booking a hotel in Old San Juan, if you are a Marriott loyalist, you have two great options- both from the Sheraton brand.

One is the Sheraton Old San Juan and the second is the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino. While the former is what we would call the only true branded hotel in Old San Juan proper, those who are visiting the San Juan region may want to take a hard look at both before committing to a property.

Thankfully, I was fortunate to stay at both of the Sheraton hotels in San Juan on a recent visit and thought I’d share a review of each with side-by-side comparisons to help you plan your stay!

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Who Invented the Pina Colada? Barrachina vs Caribe Hilton

If there is any cocktail that immediately evokes thoughts of a palm tree-lined beach, it is the Pina Colada.

This cocktail, made of rum, coconut, and pineapple, is the quintessential beach drink and is one we have come to love simply through our frequent visits to its birthplace- San Juan, Puerto Rico.

But the origin story of this classic is, shall we say, heavily debated. Two iconic establishments lay claim to creating this refreshing beverage, and we did what any enterprising cocktail lover should do in order to get to the bottom of the debate- we went to both.

Enter the Barrachina, which claims to have invented the Pina Colada in 1963, and the Caribe Hilton, which claims to have invented this classic in 1954. So who really made it first and, more importantly, which is better? We had to find out.

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Visiting the Manhattan Project B Reactor Near Tri-Cities, WA

Odds are good you know a bit about the development of the nuclear bomb that ended the Pacific campaign of WWII. 

If you haven’t gone deep into the history, discussions are often relegated to the Manhattan Project’s work in Los Alamos where the bombs were built and tested. But did you know the nuclear materials used in said bombs were not created in Los Alamos but instead were split between two other sites in the USA (for safety and security purposes)?

The plutonium enrichment was actually achieved at a reactor outside of the Tri-Cities in Washington state, and the Hanford B Reactor is now a National Historic Site that is open for tours in partnership with the Department of Energy!

I was fortunate enough to attend a media visit to this one and have to admit, it is a pretty amazing tour all around.

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How to Fix Sony A7R III Banding Issue in a Few Clicks

I had my Sony a7R III for about six months without any noticeable issues, until one day I walked into a dimly lit bar and my live view screen started to look weird.

The previously normal image was showing some bands of darker lines going across the screen (see photos below). I seemed to recall this happened in fractions of a second before, but this was the first time the image was sustained across the live view screen.

Did I break my camera? Did I hit it hard or get moisture in it? It was unclear. But then I clicked the shutter button and my worst fear was realized- the banding was also in my photo. 

Cue panic.

Thankfully, the Sony a7R III banding issue is a common one amongst high-end, mirrorless cameras. So if you have this issue, we’ve got some tips for you that may help prevent some panic.

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