I think that first off, one has to establish the fact that the North Coast is NOT just Sosúa and POP and Cabarete. Therefore, it boils down to a life style, because life on the North Coast is not much different from life in Santiago in all reality. For a foreigner, you have to come to Santiago to shop and buy supplies. For a Dominican, you have to go to the North Coast to go to the beach. Most stuff in between is just a matter of taste. I can't believe that the bars in Sosua are any better or any worse than those in Santiago. Of course, there are about 9 less centers of prostitution in Santiago, as I write this, but I am sure that "that necessity " can be cured some place else. F.W.I.W. HB