Havana Nights (and Days)

No, this is not a post on the wonders of the sequel/remake to Dirty Dancing that came out a few years ago that neither I nor most other humans saw. Instead, today's post is about the past week Mrs. Bartender and I spent in the fascinating city that is Havana.

First, a note. Our trip to Cuba was legal with the blessing of our Treasury Department. Second, I am not going to use this post to discuss the wisdom of the travel ban/embargo on Cuba other than to say that I thought it stupid, ineffective, and a valuable propaganda tool to Castro (i.e., blame Cuba's economic woes on the US) before I went and I still think so now. (Note, despite this opinion, I am no fan of Fidel and hope that his exit from the scene (which will happen sooner rather than later) will enable relations between the two nations to improve.)

Instead, I want to focus on what a special place Havana is. First off, the city is simply beautiful. The setting, on the Gulf of Mexico with a fantastic natural harbor lends itself to fantastic natural beauty and the architecture simply reinforces that. Habana Vieja (Old Havana for those not to savvy at Spanish) is a UNESCO world heritage site and essentially a 17th and 18th century city containing one architectural treasure after the next, and restoration efforts since 1994 have done some amazing work. We stayed in a hotel that has been recently restored which was spectacular. (Sure, you didn't have every amenity you would in most big cities, but it was a great old building in a perfect location.) Nonetheless, much of Habana Vieja is still rundown (as is most of the rest of the city) and many of the restored buildings remain dilapidated inside. Yet there is simply nowhere like this that I have been (although I would imagine that a few of the spectacular South American cities are comparable).

In addition, there is the Malecon, the road that goes along the gulf with waves frequently crashing into it. The buildings along the Malecon are, for the most part, in terrible condition, but there are some spectacular ones including the Hotel Nacional (former home of Lucky Luciano) and the American Embassy which is involved in a propaganda war with Cuban authorities. Add to this the numerous 1950s automobiles and the city is truly a time machine.

We went to a baseball game (we had seats right behind home plate for $3) and afterwards the manager, a player, and a retired star (German Mesa) were mingling with fans on the street outside the stadium. We saw the Buena Vista Social Club and chatted with the members after the show. We were in the 1950s.

And for New Years Eve, we were at the Tropicana, a night club that even Castro would not close. So the dinner was pretty bad, the red wine not drinkable, and dancers' choreography quite weak, but it was an experience I will always remember. I'm sure that some day Cirque de Soleil will run the whole thing, but to ring in 2007 there was a unique experience .

When Cuba is finally opened to Americans, it will change, hopefully mostly for the better but something will be lost. A city that can be flown to in essentially the same amount of time as Miami, that offers architecture and a landscape that few cities can match, that has better weather than Florida (every day we were there was around 80 and sunny), and offers the excitement of a different culture (or, more accurately, cultures) will insure that the Americans "invade" once again. Plus the Cuban cigars and great cocktails--your bartender certainly had a few mojitos and Cuba Libres. I only hope that even when Habana Vieja has numerous Starbucks and McDonalds, the buildings these places are in get the restoration they deserve.

So if you get a chance to visit Cuba before it opens up, go. If not, hope that we can all go soon enough. Ideally, the Cuban and the American people will greatly benefit from the opening.