Havana: More Than a City, a Living Museum Where History, Culture, and Charm Collide
Time-Warped Metropolis: Discover Havana's Unique Blend of Colonial Grandeur, Classic Cars, and Caribbean Vibrancy
Unpacking Havana: A "Federal" Paradox, a Historical Gem, and the Unforgettable Spirit of Cuba's Capital
Sorry, this a long blog. But it's worthy going to the end.
Havana is a "federal" capital. That's a figure of speech because Cuba's system of government is not federalist, like Venezuela[2]. Cuba is a republic[2]. And yet its provinces and municipalities are divided as if they were federations. Therefore, it is common to hear about an area of Havana, which one considers simply a neighborhood, and discover that it is actually a municipality. Old Havana is a famous example of this.
For this same reason, Havana, even when it was officially called City of Havana, is not really a city, but is technically a Province[7], even though for everyone it is still a city. Based on this division, Old Havana and Central Havana, for example, are two different "cities" with different administrations, and they are as autonomous as Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York. There is a unification project between Old Havana and Central Havana, but at present it is something totally theoretical.
Havana suspended in history
"If I get lost, find me in Cuba," wrote García Lorca. And if you visit Havana you will understand why. Havana is one of the few places in the world that still has a unique charm. It is the only capital that still retains the appearance of when the photos were in black and white, and only a few sporadic and occasional elements return you to the present, as if you were dreaming and someone suddenly comes to wake you up, and you find it hard to quickly regain the notion of reality. This is what Havana provokes in the first-time traveler.
Havana today represents a perfect fit between history and circumstance. 90% of the capital has an appearance that remains invariably firm to what it was during the 1950s. The only Latin American capital that is remotely similar is perhaps Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, where even people speak almost identically to the inhabitants of the province of Santiago de Cuba. But the resemblance ends there.
You will see the streets full of old cars from Ford Ts to 1959 Chevrolets, but not only American cars, also European cars, first and second generation and other vehicles that you have probably never seen in your life, all this next to Soviet Volgas and Ladas, the recent Asian vehicles, some modern cars, not to mention exotic things like Coco Taxis and bicitaxis (that is, invented tricycles, which walk to pedals like bicycles). Lately the streets have been filled with electric motorcycles and bicycles, but electric cars have not yet arrived in Cuba. You will also see modern buildings and hotels surrounded by old structures and colonial houses, many of them close to collapse.
An environment where the heat and humidity give a feeling of suffocating air and a lifestyle shared between the pedantically formal and the excessively négligé will give this whole set a unique appeal that always surprises the new traveler.
It is truly difficult to find in places other than Havana the definitive triumph of essence over appearance. Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway have taken deep (and numerous) drinks in all the places that have inspired them. Ava Gardner and Winston Churchill are famously associated with Cuban rum and cigars to the point that Churchill's name has marked an entire generation of Habanos Puros and has coined a measure of these tobaccos, which are all famous and represent one of the many must haves of every smoker who respects himself and does not regret it.
Havana is a province that administratively has 15 municipalities of which the most important are Centro Habana, La Habana Vieja, Plaza (municipality that contains El Vedado and Nuevo Vedado), Playa (that contains Miramar) and El Cerro, a municipality that has the Casino Deportivo neighborhood, not so well known touristically but very residential. It also has the Habana Del Este municipality, which contains famous places such as Las Villas and Via Panamericana, not to mention its proximity to La Fortaleza Del Morro. And finally Playas del Este, where you will find the most famous beaches of the province such as Santa María del Mar, Boca Ciega, Brisas Del Mar and last but not least Guanabo, perhaps the most frequented beach place by tourists after Varadero. Marianao is also gaining popularity, Playa Baracoa, a beach town located about 20 km west of Havana, is popular not only because it looks like a small Greek city, but also because it is close to the Latin American School of Medicine.
Havana, contrary to the vision that Westerners have of socialist capitals, contains a sense of joy and typically Caribbean fun, and the city shines and squeaks even at night.
Havana in general
Located on the north-western coast of Cuba, Havana is built around a port and boasts authentic colonial architecture, difficult to see so authentically in other countries, with squares decorated with coconut plants that shade a jaguar sun. Doors from other times, charming patios, facades almost from a thousand and one nights, old and modern buildings, vibrancy, people, uniqueness.
Many of the areas of Havana, especially the historical municipalities, are in a restructuring phase. In 1982, the importance of the city was recognized by UNESCO and Havana was declared a World Heritage Site.
Being one of the oldest cities in the Americas, Havana is today above all a colonial city. Cuba was a colony of Spain and that is why we speak of the colonial era, but it was also a kind of "colony" of the United States and the Soviet Union, that is to say that after its independence from Spain, Cuba was for a time under the political control and then the economic influence of the United States. And from 1959 to 1991, after its socialist revolution, Cuba had a great socio-economic dependence on the Soviet Union. Thanks to all this, Havana can boast a series of achievements that, however, do not correspond to what the fanatics say regarding what happened in Cuba before 1959 (there are pages on the internet that are doing this propaganda but with many inaccuracies and false data). In Cuba and Havana many objectives were achieved, but this has happened in all its historical stages, even during the government of Fidel Castro.
And it remains true that being under the influence of great powers without being officially a colony of anyone (except at the beginning with Spain), is something that has brought the country numerous advantages and makes Havana today a metropolis, fixed in time but equally quite developed, with a lot of abundance of heterogeneous architectures, including occasional structures with exuberant baroque style. Old Havana, which is nothing more than the Historic Center of the city, has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With the help of this same organization and various private contributions, including the income from several hotels in the historic center, the state firm Habaguanex, dedicated to the historical preservation of the center and the restoration of buildings and monuments, has already restored most of the territory of Old Havana, although today it has not yet finished all its restoration work.
Arriving in Havana, one of the first things you notice is the vitality and vibrancy of the people, given also the fact that day and night, you can hear music everywhere and even see people dancing in the streets.
The rich historical-cultural heritage of Havana is reflected in the faces of the people, whose origins are heterogeneous. There is also a Chinese, Arab (there is a large Muslim community in Havana and most are Cubans), Jewish and French minority, not to mention people who have origins from the Indians, that is, the aborigines, who come mostly from eastern Cuba.
Havana is a dynamic city for nightlife and a perfect place for live music, there are no official hours for fun, although many places close early and even discos, except Dos Gardenias and a few others, will hardly be open after two or three in the morning.
At first glance, Havana seems like a faded city, however its historic center soon reveals its glorious colonial past, mostly restored. Tourists are delighted to move through the streets of Old Havana, today full of amusements, restaurants and other places, the historic center has experienced great development, especially after the opening to trade that took place from 2011. Taking into account all the environment that has been described and is known, whoever moves through Havana will have the impression of living in a virtual reality, in a living museum.
In Havana hotels are one of the biggest attractions and there are all kinds, even those that in the past have had a historical role, for example the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, the Hotel Riviera, the Hotel Parque Central, the Hotel Los Frailes, not to mention the Hotel Ambos Mundos that has hosted the writer Ernest Hemingway on several occasions and whose room is now a museum. Also, among the historical places it is worth mentioning the Cabaret Floridita where the Daiquirí cocktail was invented, or the Cabaret Tropicana, in the Playa municipality, famous in the world, not to mention the Bodeguita del Medio, a bar that has a large number of imitations in the whole world.
It is also necessary to mention Prado, an avenue with a park in the middle, which divides Centro Habana from Old Havana, of great fame, since in the 19th century it was where the high society of the capital met. Now it is a theater of artisans, exhibitions and, paradoxically, a meeting place for the lowest society (eye for an eye?). The restaurants and paladares (small gastronomic businesses of family management, which generally operate in private houses and not in premises), where Italian and Spanish cuisine abound. But there are several Chinese restaurants and even an Iranian restaurant in Vedado, next to the 23 y D park. The Chinese neighborhood where there are many restaurants and shops, all Chinese, should also be mentioned.
Most tourists, especially Europeans, arrive in Cuba at night. And it is a cultural shock to arrive in Havana after sunset and feel its characteristic smell of humidity and its unfailing heat, wake up the next day and find yourself in the middle of a society that has nothing to do with what one is used to, according to some, it is a masterpiece of humanity. You will see black women - usually elderly and sometimes fat - smoking huge cigars and dressed in a folkloric way, fleets of classic cars that look like they just came out of a factory and with a shine that they did not have even in their best moment, when they were new, girls with colorful dresses and backs that you thought existed only in Brazil, children with school uniforms, Chinese bicitaxis, abundant police, houses that have known better times and so on.
But the most important thing is not to forget to visit the Fortaleza del Morro, attend there the ceremony of the cannon shot that is held every day at 9 PM, take a walk along the famous Malecón that begins at the tip of the Morro and ends with the tunnel of 5th Avenue of Miramar, especially at the height of Centro Habana, the Malecón has an impressive view at night and, in summer, when the sea is calm and there is no wind, you see a huge moon that reflects in the water. A warm climate all year round, refreshing breezes, beautiful beaches of fine white sand all over Cuba and not only in Varadero and a fascinating history... That's why Havana is one of the seven wonders of the world in terms of city.
Only in Havana will you have the impression of living in a different world, a parallel world. What are you waiting for?
HUMBERTO. Guide and teacher in Habana. WhatsApp+53 52646921
Instagram: humberto_habana
Visit my website: http://www.mycubarent.com
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