The Santo Domingo most visitors never see, walked with the people who live in it.
You go through the neighbourhood and what matters in it: murals with a story behind them, houses running their own recycling schemes, artisans and small businesses. You stop at the colmado everyone uses and spend time with the people there. You drink Dominican coffee strained the old way, in a host family’s house.
You cross the Ozama river by boat the way locals do, and eat lunch cooked by the family hosting you. There are clear spring-fed pools where the neighbourhood swims, and the city cable car for the view over all of it.