Upon returning to the comfortable temperatures of Seattle from the heat and humidity of Santo Domingo, I am still warmed by the passion and openness with which fellow urban sketchers recorded the life and sights of Santo Domingo’s colonial zone, especially those who attended Liz Steel’s and my workshops.

I did this sketch of Calle El Conde while waiting for La Cafetera (The Coffee Pot) to open. This is where I enjoyed my morning coffee each day of the symposium. You can see the outline of my shadow cast by the early morning sun at my back. Outside on the wall to the right, there is a plaque that reads: “To the Spanish refugee intellectuals and artists of 1939 and to the Dominican ones who welcomed them…” And just inside the entrance is a magazine rack with writings on the Trujillo era. This narrow space remains a meeting place for workers and intellectuals (and tourists) to discuss subjects of the day while enjoying the best coffee in the colonial zone.