U.S.-Cuba Travel May Be Near
Havana Ready for First-Time American Visitors if Blockade Ends
Apr 28, 2009
When President Obama lifted a ban in April that kept Cuban-Americans from visiting relatives on the island, he raised hopes among those who favor normalization of relations between the nations that other sanctions might also fall.
Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake, who has campaigned for removal of the 47-year-old embargo, said he hopes Obama's move "signals that we are on the verge of a more thoughtful policy with Cuba.
If sanctions do end, Americans going to Cuba will find a country not unlike others in the Caribbean. Spain settled Havana in the 16th Century, about the same time it established outposts in what is now Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The Cuban economy fell on hard times in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had paid above-market prices for sugar.
The economy has rebounded, but first-time visitors are still likely to be surprised by crumbling buildings and rutted streets.
That doesn't mean they should stay away. Cuba is a place of natural beauty, friendly people and plenty to see. Havana, even in "as is" condition, is fascinating.
More to Cuba than its Famed Cigars, Rum
The Thorn Tree travel forum, the online site for the Lonely Planet guidebooks, titles its section on Cuba: "It's more than just cigars, rum and old cars." True, but that's still the image many have.
Cigar factories and rum distilleries dot the country, and thousands of cars from the 1940s and 1950s navigate city streets.
Havana should be on every traveler's itinerary. It is the country's political and cultural center, and it features enough museums, art galleries, churches and other historic sites to keep anyone busy.
Most visitors find themselves in Vedado, Centro Habana and Habana Vieja, three regions that form the northern core of the city.
Vedado, westernmost of the three, contains the University of Havana, Revolution Square (home of many government buildings), and the 450-foot monument to 19th Century leader Jose Marti.
Centro Habana is home to the Capitolio, which resembles the U.S. Capitol, and the tree-lined Paseo del Prado, which offers shade against the Caribbean sun. Centro, as it is known, has been neglected due to lack of funds. Several blocks of apartments call to mind pictures of post-World War II Berlin, yet most are occupied.
Habana Vieja Is the Heart of the City's History
Habana Vieja is where the city began and is still the location of most of its historic sites, including two fortresses: El Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro, which dates to 1589, and the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, known as La Cabaña.
The lighthouse at El Morro, added in the 19th Century, is one of the city's most photographed landmarks, usually with a ship in the foreground, moving into or out of the Harbor.
Nearby Cathedral Square includes St. Francis of Assisi Square and the Plaza Vieja. Not far away are several Ernest Hemingway-related sites: The Ambos Mundos Hotel, where he wrote much of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and the Bodeguita del Medio and La Floridita, where he dined and drank.
Restaurant Known for Traditional Chicken Specialty
Havana does not have an abundance of fine restaurants. The economy doesn't support it. Still, El Aljibe, a thatched-roofed place just south of Vedado, would fit nicely in any city. Its roasted chicken specialty, covered with a garlic and bitter orange sauce, is argument enough for the normalization of relations. El Aljibe is on Avenida 7, between Calles 24 and 26. The telephone number is 204-1583. Main courses cost about $10-$12.
Another good choice is the Decameron, a paladar (privately owned) restaurant on Linea 753, between Paseo and Calle 2 in Vedado. It's known for its pizza, lasagna and pasta dishes. The number is 832-2444, and prices are similar to those at El Aljibe.
Visitors can rent cars, but street signs are hit and miss in Havana, and many streets are in poor shape. The local bus system is stretched so thinly that riders wait for as much as an hour.
Taxis are a better bet for local travel, and an inter-city company called Viazul operates air-conditioned buses from Viñales on the west end of the island to Baracoa on the east.
In a one-party system, hotels are run by the state. Conventional wisdom suggests workers who have no fear of losing their jobs are less likely to exert themselves than those who have an owner looking over their shoulders.
Could be, but service at the Nacional de Cuba in Vedado and Parque Central and Florida in Habana Vieja consistently gets high marks from travelers, as do the hotels themselves.
The Nacional's nearly 80 years of history give it a guest list that includes Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway and Ava Gardner. Guests won't be spotting them in the hallways, but it's the sort of place they'd frequent if they were still around.
Cuba has a makeshift monetary policy with two currencies: the peso, which is used by most Cubans, and the convertible peso, introduced several years ago, primarily for use by foreign visitors. It's worthless outside Cuba. Prices for most goods and services will usually be marginally less than in the U.S. American credit cards aren't accepted because, under terms of the blockade, Cuban merchants can't collect on them.
A final aside: Havana may be the only city on the planet with parks named for both Lennon and Lenin. John Lennon Park is a quiet spot in Vedado in which a bronze statue of the late Beatle sits on a bench, a line from "Imagine" inscribed in tile in front of it.
The 1,900-acre Lenin Park, southwest of downtown, offers swimming pools, an art gallery, a lake, restaurants and thousands of trees. A resident or visitor can swim at Lenin Park and be seated next to Lennon in less than an hour.
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