Marius Jovaisa - La Habana.com

Transcription

nov
2015
Unseen Cuba by Marius Jovaisa
Happy Birthday Havana
What’s a “habanero”?
my beautiful havana
Havana Guide
Restaurants — Bars & Clubs — Accommodation
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El Morro Castle (foreground) and Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña dominate the promontory that overlooks downtown Havana.
editorial
‘Sensual, surreal, and seductive, Havana is simply sensational. To call the city “unique” is no cliché. Arguably Latin
America’s best-preserved capital city, Havana is one of the oldest, grandest and most seductive cities in the Americas. It
glories in historic import.’
Liudmila y Nelson -El viajeChristopher Baker, author of the Moon Guide to Cuba
My beautiful Havana (La Habana) has a major birthday coming up. The half millennial celebration, which will take
place in 2019, will mark the pinnacle and possibly finale to the career of Eusebio Leal, the historian of the city. It will
mark the end of this restoration period and the beginning of a new chapter.
This year is Birthday number 497. While that may not have the same ring to it as 500, it is significant nonetheless
and a chance to take a step back to see just how quickly Havana is changing before our eyes as a mixture of sensitive
state-sponsored renovation and a new wave of private entrepreneurship combine to put a spring back in the step of
Cuba’s iconic capital city.
The Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana was founded on November 16, 1519, with the first mass being held under a
ceiba tree on the former domain of the aboriginal chief Habaguanex. Today, El Templete bears witness to that event
and on the night before, at 11pm, thousands of people walk three times round the ceiba tree and ask for a wish.
This month’s issue is simply dedicated to and focused on My Beautiful Havana. What better way to start than with
the simply stunning photography of Marius Jovaisa who has captured Havana magnificently from the air? His book
Unseen Cuba is a must for anyone with a love for this island.
In other articles in this month’s issue we explore Havana though its sights, smells, obsessions and idiosyncrasies, its
people, their quirks and its colors. I may not ever really be a Habanero but this is my home and I love this city. Many
Happy Returns.
If you have the energy, what better way to see the City than running around it (twice) in Havana’s annual marathon,
the Marabana, which will take place on November 15. This year promises to to be a major sporting event with the
largest number of runners ever.
November is packed with events for music lovers. The JoJazz festival for young jazz musicians takes place from
November 19-22 and is an opportunity to see Cuba’s best up-and-coming talents. And if classical music is your thing,
don’t miss the International Havana Contemporary Music Festival from November 14-22—a good opportunity to get
up-to-date with the latest trends in contemporary concert music.
Salsa lovers will have a field day, or rather a whole week, to get acquainted with salsa through classes, concerts and
competitions in Baila en Cuba, taking place November 22-27. The Patria Grande Festival (November 13-18), a meeting
of Latin American rock musicians, will be held in Havana, Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus & Villa Clara. Don’t miss the
opening concert at the Tribuna Antiimperialista with the performances of all participating bands.
Abrazos!
The LaHabana.com Team
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Elegant buildings along Paseo de Martí in the heart of Havana bear testament to the Cuban capital’s colonial past.
november 2015
my
beautiful
havana
Havana Listings
Havana Guide
Unseen Cuba p7
November 16, 1519: Havana’s birth p22
El Malecón: Havana’s Outdoor Lounge p24
Havana and the smell of its foods p25
Havana Dressed in Green p27
Havana’s Art Deco highlights p30
Havana’s Quinta Avenida p34
It’s not Havana without the Industriales baseball team p36
The Maqueta de la Habana – Mini me p39
Photogenic Havana p42
The Man-on-the-Street in Havana answers:
What’s a “habanero? p44
How many Havanas make up Havana? p47
Run, Charlie, Run p51
Almendrones Routes by La Habana p53
Visual Arts p54 — Photography p57 — Dance p58 — Music
p59 — Theatre p67 — For Kids p68
Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music Hotels - Private Accommodation p72
The majestic mystique of Havana, the paradisiacal shores of Varadero, the untamed beauty of Ciénaga de Zapata, the timeless landscapes of Viñales… the western third of the island of Cuba, comprised by the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Mayabeque,
Matanzas and Isla de la Juventud, is as diverse as it is enchanting. Seen from above, the
landscapes of this memorable slice of Cuba can be enjoyed in all their splendor. Discover
the unseen magnificence of occidental Cuba, from the marshlands of southern Matanzas to
Cabo San Antonio, the island’s westernmost point.
Pinar del RÍo
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Artemisa
LA Habana
Mayabeque
Matanzas
Isla De La Juventud
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Completed in 1929 and the seat of the Cuban government until 1959, El Capitolio was Havana’s tallest building until the 1950’s.
Thanks to its rich, centuries-old history, Havana is a
treasure trove of architectural styles that run the gamut
from colonial, Baroque and Neoclassical to Art Deco.
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Considered the “Key to the New World” by the Spanish,
Havana remains to this day the largest city in the
Caribbean.
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Foreword by the Author
Cuba is a country of extraordinary beauty and
breathtaking landscapes; however, due to its
unique history and exceptionally restricted
airspace, no photographer had ever been granted
access to photograph the island from the air... until
now.
“... Our love longs for Cuban breezes Cuba is your heart, Cuba is my
sky, Cuba, in your book may my word be written.”
Jose Martí
My passion for aerial photography has spanned
more than ten years and has led me to some of the
most scenic destinations in the world. Flying and
shooting from the air is a tremendous adventure for
me, but also a privileged opportunity to discover
and share sights and perspectives that most people
never get to see. I have flown over every continent
in helicopters, large and small aircraft, gliders, hot
air balloons, and practically any other craft that
can get airborne. And my journeys have led to the
creation of aerial photography books of my home
country of Lithuania as well as Belize and Mexico.
It was during one of these expeditions that I
discovered that no such collection of aerial
photographs existed about Cuba, and I decided
to create one. The book you are holding is the
culmination of nearly five years of securing the
needed permits, negotiating permissions, and
traversing the island on numerous trips. I can
proudly say that I am the first photographer to be
allowed to fly over and take pictures of Cuba. Even
the Cubans I met and worked with on this project
could not believe that someone would be able to
succeed and produce a book of aerial photography
about their homeland! This complex work was like
an ultramarathon with almost countless hurdles
and obstacles.
I achieved it only with the help of new acquaintances, reliable old friends, respected colleagues and my
loving family. Even my children helped me create this book while traveling with me in Cuba.
It took many trips, months of waiting, an undulating series of over-enthusiastic moments and hopeless
disappointments, and endless expense (both financial and emotional), but today I am thrilled to have
succeeded in photographing this beautiful island from the air and publishing this labor of love.
I could even write a separate book about the process of realizing this unique work, but that is another
project, for another day. In the meantime, I’ve summarized my experiences in a chapter entitled, “The
Making of this Book.”
A great many people have contributed to Unseen Cuba and have become my friends for life. While in
Cuba, I experienced numerous challenges and surprises during what would become one of the most
creative and transformative periods of my life. The process of creating this book has been the longest
by far of any project I have undertaken. I first touched down in Cuba in March 2010, and I captured my
last photo in June 2014. I hope that my journeys to this country, which I admired so much from the sky,
will help you discover and appreciate its extraordinary beauty, its incredible diversity and its unique
place in the world.
Let me introduce to you Unseen Cuba, a look through the “eyes of the angels” at the timeless landscapes
and cityscapes of a country unlike any other, photographed from the air for the very first time.
cuba’s digital destination
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La Habana 500 years
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page 21
November 16, 1519: Havana’s birth
by Victoria Alcalá
The Templete is a small neo classical building constructed in the early 19th century to commemorate
the first Mass and council held in the town of San Cristóbal de La Habana on November 16, 1519.
Each year this event is celebrated by a series of commemorative events the most notable of which
is the custom of walking three times around the ceiba tree that is planted at the entrance of the
Templete. As Eusebio Leal has explained: “Someone asked me once to explain why we walk around
the ceiba, as if poetry, which is the spice of life, could be explained.” The clock is ticking down to
the 500th Anniversary on November 16, 2019.
Havana, November 15, hundreds of people wait
at the door of the former Palace of the Captains
General, today Museum of the City, for a curious
procession to begin. The motley crowd is composed
of smiling youths and solemn elderly people,
couples with their children and grandparents
with their grandchildren, lovers and lonely hearts.
Many are wearing their everyday clothes; others,
their Sunday best and even new clothes for the
occasion.
It’s 6 o’clock and the chimes of the bells from
the Castillo de La Real Fuerza announce that the
ceremony is about to start. Preceded by children
from nearby schools who carry the silver maces
that once belonged to the Council of Havana,
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and accompanied by a group of his collaborators,
Eusebio leal Spengler, Historian of the City of
Havana, exits the Palace of the Captains General.
Someone cries: “Here comes Leal!” and the people
who have been waiting hours for this moment
quickly join the procession and walk across the
Plaza de Armas to the Templete.
Although Leal’s words are always received with
pleasure, the crowd is always impatient. The
Historian, who for many years has headed the
procession, senses this and is brief. He reminds
his listeners that Havana will be commemorating
its half millennium in a few years and until then,
Habaneros rejoice in the celebration of the
founding of the town called San Cristóbal de La
Habana.”
On the custom of walking three times around the
ceiba tree that is planted at the entrance of the
Templete, Leal has said that “it is essential that we
walk around the tree and, in that spiral, ask time to
stretch out its hand…and know that the future can
be only approached from the past.”
At the mere mention of the ceiba, which recalls
the tree that existed back in the 16th century and
under whose shade the first Mass was held, a stir
takes hold of the long line of people, sensing that
the time is near for the procession round the tree
to begin. The first person to walk to the ceiba is
Leal himself, who walks three times round the
tree throwing a coin on every turn. Then, the
historian invites the public to follow suit and the
ritual begins and continues all night and into the
morning of the 16th.
Although according to tradition, waiting in line
must be done in absolute silence and what you are
going to ask the tree for should be kept a secret,
it is almost impossible for a Cuban to keep quiet
so long, and pretty soon you can hear absolute
strangers telling each other their reasons for
coming this night to Old Havana: cures for illnesses,
happy endings to unrequited loves, prosperity for
newly started businesses, the solution to lengthy
immigration procedures, success in infertility
treatments, good results in university entrance
examinations, finding prince charming… Those
with a more pragmatic approach to life simply ask
what the Spaniards sum up as “health and wealth.”
The details of the ritual have never been really
established. No one can say for sure if you only ask
for one wish or a different one with every turn;
if you throw a coin every time you go round the
tree or only one coin or several at the end. The
two currencies in Cuba also pose unprecedented
concerns. What will be most effective, an offering
in moneda nacional or in convertible pesos?
Others are suspicious about the destination of the
money left under the tree or inserted in the tree
trunk and the well-known answer is that it is used
for social works in Old Havana.
So, amidst, conversations, questions and
suspicions, the hours go by and with the break of
day, the line begins to grow with workers before
they head off to their jobs in schools, hospitals,
banks, stores, offices…They too wish to dedicate
some time and make a wish at the ceiba of good
fortune.
photos by Alex Mene
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El Malecón: Havana’s
Outdoor Lounge
by Victoria Alcalá
On a hot summer day, the Malecón will be packed with young lovers, bored housewives and kids.
Kids being kids and there being a cool sea, over the wall you will see endless jumping, dipping,
soaking. And if the right group are in town and you are feeling brave, you may see a teenager run
barefoot across four lanes of traffic launching themselves 20 feet out to land in a shallow pool of
water a further 20 feet below. I can’t look. Victoria Alcalá takes a brief look into the history of this
iconic bit of pavement and sets it in context within Havana.
Construction of the first stretch of the Malecón
began on May 6 1901, with beautiful lampposts
placed along the sea wall. However, the battering
of huge waves during the following Cuban winter
caused the original design to be replaced by
another, this time with no attachments to the wall.
The works were finally completed in 1959.
The buildings facing the sea alongside the road,
which cover three different city districts, are a
colourful sample of the predominant trends of
Havana’s architecture. The Malecón begins in Old
Havana with the Castillo de la Real Fuerza—the
city’s oldest fortress and one of the very oldest in
the Americas. The sea front drive is then lined with
18th- and 19th-century stately homes, followed
by a row of 20th-century buildings, with their
unusual combination of styles and profusion of
portals, columns and pilasters that loosely follow
classical lines. On its last stretch, bold examples
of 1950s modern architecture, such as the Riviera
Hotel, emerge, before the road disappears into a
tunnel leading to the Miramar district.
But beyond the architectural values of the buildings
(many of which are showing the effects of years
of neglect and the endless battering of wind
and saltwater), its greatest charm lies in being
somewhere to stroll or hang out on a stiflingly hot
day. It is a place where casting a fishing line may
be more important than actually catching a fish;
where the breeze joins nostalgic old couples and
young lovers. It is Havana’s outdoor lounge.
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Havana and the smell of its foods
photos by Y. del Monte
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
There is a popular saying in Havana that there is
a chef under every rock. In other words, there
is an army of cooks at work preparing delicacies
for families and friends. This is a city where food
appears around every corner and both locals and
viistors easily fall prey to the sin of gluttony.
Havana is home to Cubans coming from all over the
Island and they bring with them their particular
styles of cooking. We should try to infiltrate their
homes to find out what’s happening. There is a
profusion of smells out there, a result of the way in
which Cubans improvise in the kitchen.
many city dwellers come into direct contact with
the street and with everyone moving around there
and pedestrians tend to be close to what goes on
in the interiors of the houses.
Part of this exchange deals with home-cooking,
and, especially, when the pedestrian happens to be
hungry, the effect is a very powerful one. It seems
like the entire neighborhood is spontaneously
affected, more so in the early evening hours. The
smells of Creole black beans, onions and plantains
frying, the heavenly fragrance of fried pork and egg
and potato omelets are floating in the air. When
One detail that cannot be overlooked is that
Cubans adore their herbs and spices and this is
what contributes to the cornucopia of smells.
Many spices are de rigueur for Cuban cooking:
number one tends to be oregano and cumin,
accompanied by garlic, onion and green pepper.
Next in line come bay leaves, basil, nutmeg, black
pepper and all the others. One by one, the smells
of these various spices are a delight to the senses,
but when they are combined in the pot, a magical
concoction takes place.
Because of the way the city of Havana is built,
especially in the municipalities of Centro Habana
and La Habana Vieja, inhabitants and passers-by
share a very close spatial bond. To a large extent,
the Cuban climate is responsible for the fact that
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thousands of Habaneros return home from work, that’s when they start to cook and the city breathes in
the rich mixtures coming from their kitchens.
The port area, close to the water and the ferries crossing the bay, shares these passions. We can start
to understand from there how important eating is to the inhabitants of this city and the joy that is
symbolized by sitting down at the dinner table. We have a very hands-on technique of preparing foods,
seemingly unaffected by the rush-rush of modern times and the limitations placed on us by the economy.
None of this has damaged the style and innovative capacity of Cubans when it comes to cooking.
Present day foods have a close connection to the culinary history of our Island—daily life has been
transforming our nutritional habits. The dire chapter of slavery, the different sorts of immigrants
coming to Cuba over the centuries, and the Cubans going to other parts of the world and bringing back
something they have learned abroad, have all had a profound influence on what we eat and what we like
to eat.
In some cases, that talent we have of living on the streets begins to break down the edges of a certain
sense of the private, forcing us to participate more actively in social life. For example, some of our
“underground chefs” are quite famous, even among the foreigners among us, for their tamales or other
special dishes. What used to be a mere reference attained through the sense of smell in the urban
context is now a much more specific manner of sharing and reaching the human palate.
Havana allows that wonderful “ajiaco” or stew that defines us in many regards to become manifest. So,
add a bit of spice to its beauty and partake of the smells and tastes that are part of Cuban culture.
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photos by Y. Monte
Havana Dressed in Green
I have always preferred and admired cities that
protect and encourage their “green assets,” or in
other words, their botanical diversity. The quality
of our lives would not be the same without it. Call
them forests, gardens, farms or parks, those areas
are important for the metabolism of societies
that respect their citizens and contribute to their
leisure time and spiritual balance.
Whenever I talk to people my own age in the
capital, we share childhood experiences that took
place during a time when efforts were being made
to promote projects to develop those forestry
reserves. We were lucky enough to witness the
inauguration of those natural complexes that
Fortunately we Cubans are lucky to have a capital
city today that well illustrates such ideas. Every
one of its municipalities has a remarkable number
of parks and squares with abundant tree and shrub
growth. Habana Vieja, Vedado, Diez de Octubre
and Playa are among the best municipalities for
this and it is an interesting phenomenon speaking
volumes about the urban richness San Cristobal
de La Habana possesses. An interesting fact is that
the parks and plazas of all these municipalities
have features that differentiate them noticeably
from each other and at the same time play a part
in personalizing and enriching the dynamics of the
municipalities.
When we talk about the verdant lungs of our
Caribbean Paradise we have to stress the leading
role that is played by Havana’s large green nuclei:
the Cuban National Botanical Gardens, the
Parque etropolitano (also known as El Bosque de
La Habana, or Forest of Havana), La Quinta de los
Molinos, Monte Barreto and Lenin Park.
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The National Botanical Garden has taken on some
important social functions such as the essential
role of providing guidance for Cubans about eating
habits within an ecological context. It also works
on an educational level to replenish and look after
Cuba’s forests.
fortunately are still around. Some of them can be
found within the city limits and others are located
on Havana’s outskirts.
I was especially impressed when Lenin Park
opened in 1972, some 25 kilometers south of the
city. I was just short of my tenth birthday then
and we were living in Arroyo Naranjo around two
kilometers from the park. It was for that reason
that a lot of my free time as a child, teenager and
youth was spent there.
The Bosque de la Habana, especially the Almendares
Park which is a part of it, is particularly close to
the hearts of Havana residents since many of us
received our first experiences in the amatory
arts there. I still remember the robust trees that
allow you to recline easily on their branches and
the romantic boat rides on the Almendares River.
The forest extends through four municipalities
and besides the aforementioned park it also has
three other popular recreational complexes: El
Parque Forestal, Los Jardines de La Tropical and Los
Jardines de La Polar.
It started out as an arid area full of marabú scrub.
The soil had to be improved in order to transplant
flora species brought in from different regions
in Cuba until there were over 80,000 adult trees
growing there. Some of the most significant species
are yagruma, majagua, cedar, carolina, sago palm,
mahogany, royal poinciana, bamboo and several
palm trees, just to name a few. The vegetation took
up approximately 670 hectares.
Lenin Park has been designed to provide
different recreational possibilities from pools,
an amphitheater, an art gallery and a rodeo, to
restaurants decorated by important modern
Cuban artists and an amusement park.
Not too far away from Lenin Park are the National
Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1984, it is a real
source of pride among Cubans as it synthesizes
the research, hopes and dreams of a group of
Cuban naturalists. Vegetation from the four
corners of the planet reside alongside Cuban flora.
Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guyana and Jamaica
contributed specimens of their flora for this site.
A particularly noteworthy event occurred
at the Botanical Gardens in 1989 when the
Japanese Garden, a promenade garden style, was
inaugurated. The garden is built around an ovalshaped artificial lake. Especially attractive are the
waterfall, two meditation pavilions and a pavilion
built on water. The Japanese landscape architect
Yoshikuni Araki from Osaka designed it and it is
considered to be a transcendental work.
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I should like to conclude our passage through
Havana’s green areas by stopping at a place that
is not just regarded as a purely natural setting: La
Quinta de los Molinos, for many years the site of
Havana’s Botanical Garden, has connections with
history than run deep. In fact during the colonial
era, there were two mills there, one used to mill
tobacco and the other to produce snuff.
Moving westwards to Playa Municipality, on
the corner of 7th and 70th streets, we find the
ecological reserve known as Monte Barreto that
one way or another has accompanied Havana
through a series of mutations and enlargements.
At this location, from 1820, Cuban scientist Felipe
Poey carried out important studies on plants and
animals. The enclave also included the residence of
Máximo Gómez, Major General of the Cuban Wars
of Independence. When in 1936 the Mariposa, or
white ginger lily, was declared Cuba’s National
Flower, the ceremony took place at the Quinta. A
butterfly reserve has been recently installed. With
its accessible main entrance on Avenida de Carlos
III, it is possible to visit and relax in this welcoming
green environment right in the middle of the city.
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Havana’s
Art Deco
highlights
photos Y. del Monte
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Art deco made a deep impression on architects and public alike, perhaps because making use of
more ‘noble’ elements from Egyptian art, in fashion thanks to recent archaeological discoveries,
and some classical reminiscences which fell in with the neo-classicist and eclectic styles preferred
by the rich criollos to exhibit their solidity and opulence, it ‘brought up to date’ and simplified
ornamentation without reaching the aesthetic synthesis of modern art. Graphically displayed in
Conrado Walter Massaguer’s suggestive drawings for the covers of Social, the famous magazine of
the fashionable Cuban society of the times, and who as early as October 1925 made a photo story
about the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris four
months back, a sort of ‘coming out’ for the style, art deco would contribute greatly to outline the
appearance of Cuban cities, especially Havana starting in the 1930s.
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the emblematic Bacardí Building located at calle
Monserrate esquina a San Juan de Dios, La Habana
Vieja, which exhibits an exquisite work in majolica
in its tower and upper floors, an abundant display
in its interiors of marbles and granites from a great
number of European countries, an accentuated
use of colour, and meticulous carpentry work.
Art deco would also reign in other buildings:
hospitals, such as the Municipal Children’s Hospital,
built in 1935 on Avenida de los Presidentes entre 27
y 29, at El Vedado, or the América Arias Maternity
Hospital on the same avenue on the corner of
Línea Street; theatres such as the América (Galiano
entre Concordia y San Rafael, Centro Habana),
whose decoration lavishly uses the style’s motifs,
or the Fausto Theatre (Paseo del Prado esquina a
Colón, La Habana Vieja), remodelled in 1938 and
which boasts a pure art deco façade accentuated
by its illumination system; cinemas such as the
Duplex, the Arenal and the City Hall; apartment
buildings such as the Rodríguez Vázquez (Galiano
entre Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana),
the Colonial (Reina entre Campanario y Lealtad,
Centro Habana), more modestly conceived but
with an interesting work in balconies and façade,
or the Solimar (Soledad esquina a San Lázaro,
Centro Habana), whose curved balconies reveal
the presence of the Streamline movement; or
commercial establishments (Ultra department
store, La Moderna Poesía bookstore). The
Monumental Modern trend is present in several
buildings at the University of Havana, such as the
School of Science, the School of Medicine and the
Given a cold reception by Cuban architects
and investors, art nouveau would not leave a
significant imprint on the island’s architecture.
Confined mainly to domestic buildings of the
petite bourgeoisie and the middle class, with
outstanding examples in stately homes such as
Masía L’Ampurda, designed by Catalan architect
Mario Rotllant in the suburban district of Víbora,
and a few commercial buildings, it is hardly
seen in public or religious buildings because its
voluptuous flowing lines and stylized natural forms
were considered foreign or perhaps irreverent.
However, its intricate ornamentation would pave
the way for geometrical art deco, which did make
a deep impression on architects and public alike.
Although its presence in private homes—an
outstanding example is the exquisite interior
decoration of the residence of Catalina Lasa and
Juan Pedro Baró (1927) located at calle Paseo, No.
406 entre 17 y 19, El Vedado, with a harmonious
deco integration in floors, furniture, lamps and
decorative objects--can be considered discreet,
it became quite evident in the first Cuban
skyscrapers, such as the López Serrano Building,
located at calle 13 esquina a L, El Vedado, with
the typical volumetric play of the H-shaped
ground plan and a pronounced verticality; or
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Library, all located on University Hill, and the School of Veterinary, built on the corner of Ayestarán
and Carlos III, or Salvador Allende, avenue where two other examples of art deco stand: Biblioteca de la
Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País and the National Masonic Temple.
Perhaps the highest expression in Havana of the Monumental Modern is the Centro Cívico de
Marianao designed by architect José Pérez Benitoa and built from 1940 to 1948, with a syringe-like
obelisk surrounded by imposing buildings whose colonnade seem to reach toward the sky, such as
the Maternidad Obrera Hospital, the Kindergarten Teacher’s Training College, the Home Economics
School, the Residential Home for the Elderly and the Marianao Institute. During the 1950s, when other
architectural styles dominated the national taste, art deco buildings were still being built such as the
1951 Methodist Church and University Student Centre in El Vedado (calle K esquina a J), and the Great
National Masonic Temple (Avenida Salvador Allende esquina a Belascoaín), whose construction ended
in 1955 as a sort of reminder that art deco was set on staying alive--as if the hundreds of humble homes
and buildings that for decades adopted its most basic decorative codes to ‘adorn’ without making it
too expensive were not enough. From Massaguer’s sophisticated girls to the monumental buildings of
Marianao’s Civic Centre, art deco covered a long stretch in Cuban culture and is still a distinguishing
feature of the motley silhouette of its cities.
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Photo by Y. del Monte
Havana’s Quinta Avenida
Visitors to Havana are often stunned by the wide,
palm-tree lined Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue,
after emerging from the narrow, winding streets of
Old Havana. Coming out of the tunnel that connects
Fifth Avenue with Calzada Street in Vedado, it feels
like you have entered a completely different city. If
the straight and level road complete with a grand
pedestrian boulevard are not enough to settle
the nerves after a trip through the backstreets
of Vedado, then the mansions, fountain and
clocktower should at least provide a welcome
distraction. Then, there is the once famous Coney
Island Amusement Park.
The avenue’s original name was the Avenida de
Las Américas, or Avenue of the Americas, which
explains why the fountain situated at its very
entrance is called the Fountain of the Americas. A
little farther west sits the clock tower whose four
bells reproduce the sound of Big Ben in London.
Both landmarks were built by Duncan.
Tourists acquainted with New York City often
chuckle at the Coney Island Amusement Park
before a confused look passes over their faces.
Yes, it is not a coincidence. The well-known
twentieth-century American architect John H.
Duncan, who designed the Wolcottt Hotel and
Grant’s Tomb in New York City worked alongside
the Cuban architect Leonardo Morales, a
graduate of Columbia University, in designing this
thoroughfare. It is not by chance that Miramar,
with its rectangular blocks of 100 x 200 meters, is
reminiscent of Manhattan.
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Many legends abound about this splendid avenue,
most of which are connected to the mansions that
line the street and the people who once inhabited
them. Make sure not to miss the manion on the
corner of Fourteenth Street that was ironically
nicknamed “The Shack” by its owner, President
Ramon Grau San Martin. The “humble” abode
contains nineteenth bathrooms, not counting the
ones in the garages and pool of course. The mansion
of the Countess of Buenavista on the corner of
Sixth Street is also worthy of attention, This grand
building, which won the 1929-1930 Facade Contest
of the Rotary Club, is now a tenement house home
to 23 different families. The most famous house is
perhaps the Green House on the corner of Second
Street. Somewhere in the great house, they claim,
lays hidden a magnificent treasure. Today this
mansion is a center for the promotion and study
of modern architecture, so you will have to fake
interest in architecture if you want to go in search
of the treasure.
Walking or driving down Quinta Avenida is a treat
in itself. Not only is it one of the longest arteries
in Havana, it is one of the loveliest. The central
part of Quinta Avenida is a pedestrian walkway
landscaped with bushes, flowers and trees. In
the mornings, it is a place for jogging, running or
working out, whether in groups or alone. In the
afternoons, especially before nightfall, parents
take their kids to the walkway where they can run,
ride their bikes or skate. Whether you join the
multitudes of joggers or the hordes of families in
the early evening, Fifth Avenue is not to be missed.
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It’s not Havana without the Industriales baseball team
This city has painters who won’t consider any other
color than bright blue. It is the bright blue we all
immediately associate with the capital’s baseball
team, the Industriales. Writer Leonardo Padura
has made the tongue-in-cheek comment that in
life you can change your wife, your political party,
even your country, but you can never change your
baseball team. Of course he was referring to the
Industriales.
Becoming an Industriales fan is a little like falling
head over heels in love—reason has nothing to do
with it! You fall into a sort of trance where your
nervous state is in a tizzy. I have to confess that this
becomes fanaticism and then turns into addiction.
Kicking the Industriales habit, or at least not caring
about their games, could be as complicated as
giving up drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
For sure, this grand passion is worn with pride.
We can see it in graphic form throughout the city:
sheets hanging from walls emblazoned with the
team name, stickers on car windows, on bici and
Coco-taxis, and even on the ferries going between
Regla and Casablanca. Banners fluttering in the
Caribbean breeze, filling their fans with hope.
Havana is symbolized not only, for instance, by
the statue of the Christ that overlooks the Bay, or
the Hotel Nacional, or the Malecón, or the Morro—
there is also the baseball team.
It’s not only the Paseo del Prado lions which guard
the city; there is also the team lion which delights
the fans at the Latinoamericano Stadium, the
home of the Industriales, its symbol and good luck
amulet. This lion goes way back, before the triumph
of the Revolution, when Havana’s professional ball
club of the era had the lion as its mascot.
Above all else, the Industriales team is a
controversial phenomenon worthy of study by
sociologists. They alone would be capable of
unraveling love and hate with the same intensity.
Most of our great Cuban ballplayers that have
played on the Industriales’ rival teams confess that
they have dreamed of wearing the blue uniform at
some point in their careers.
Whenever some of the team members leave to
play in other leagues, including the MLB, many
of the club fans continue to follow their careers.
Orlando “el Duque” Hernandez once said that he
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used to wear his Industriales jersey under his New
York Yankees uniform.
Havana can never ignore whatever is cooking in
the magical blue cauldron. As I mentioned, even
its architecture gets painted from time to time by
that strange tsunami that drags its fans along to
cover surfaces with paint and symbols. On some of
the roads into the city, the first things you can see
are those symbols. The most widespread graffiti
declares: INDUSTRIALES CAMPEÓN (Industriales
– the Champs).
Let’s talk a bit more about their home, the
Latinoamericano Stadium which can hold 55,000
fans. At each game, the party takes place under the
watchful eye of the Number One Fan: Armandito
“el tintorero” a veritable Cuban popular legend.
Nobody could compete with Armandito “el
tintorero”’s enthusiasm. He never missed a game
along with his dog, Pillo Chocolate and would
lead the cheering from his bench by third base.
The entertainment would never be complete at
the stadium without his sayings in favor of the
Industriales and against the rival team. After he
died in 2004, a bronze statue was placed on his
habitual seat so that he could remain permanently
attached to his favorite baseball club.
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The Latinoamericano Stadium is the only one in
Cuba that gathers fans coming from every region.
Each person brings along their own particular
passions and the atmosphere is always one of
friendly competition, testimony to the fact that
being a cosmopolitan city is one of Havana’s most
significant features. You can see people in the
stands sporting different team colors: green for
Pinar del Rio, Santiago’s red-and-black and the
orange of Villa Clara. They are all there together
affirming that Havana is the great city it is.
At the sporting events throughout the city,
Industriales fans are distinguished for stating
their opinions in an impassioned and unabashed
manner. They broadcast steadfastness even if they
should be mistaken—there is never any room for
doubt. The most visible and well-known sporting
event is the one occurring daily in Old Havana’s
Parque Central. Dozens of fans get together, day
in and day out, to respectfully talk about baseball.
Of course the main course at these occasions is
Industriales.
Among Havana’s seductive passions that persist
on a daily basis, the one inspired by the blues
involves thousands of persons. Radio announcers
in the capital have a special phrase: “ruge león”
(the lion is roaring). It is the concept that being
an Industriales fan and a resident of Havana are
essentially one and the same thing.
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By Juliet Barclay
The Maqueta
de la Habana
– Mini me
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There are few better ways to understand the geography of Havana than to see it all laid out in
miniature form in the Maqueta de la Habana. It took me years to understand how the city fits
together. A morning at the Maqueta and I would have saved myself lots of wild-goose chases! This
is one of Havana’s best exhibits and really should be near the top of the list of things to see…
Scale models are used all over the world in
architecture, research and urban planning. They
provide not only the appearance of cities in the
past but also what our surroundings look like
today or will look like in the future. They are useful
tools for engineers and architects in developing
cities. These miniature cities, however, are not
only functional; they can become true works of
art if they are built with great attention to detail
to achieve the simulation of an actual dimension.
The detail is such that the scale model of a city
displays from the smallest or narrowest street to
water tanks on rooftops.
There are many scale models of cities the world
over, like the ones in Moscow, Stockholm, Tokyo,
London, Quebec City, New York and Shanghai, the
latter two being the largest and second largest
scale models in the globe, respectively, while our
own scale model of Havana ranks third. It was
built at a scale of 1:1000 and spans over 144 square
meters (1,550 sq ft) which is equal to 144 sq km. It is
approximately 22 meters long and 10 meters wide
and weighs six tons.
A team of nine designers, model makers and
architects led by Orlando Martorell worked for
eleven years to build a detailed model of the
Cuban capital mostly out of Habano cigar boxes,
cardboard, sponge, plastic and sand.
The careful study of each place, deft fingers,
creativity and the perseverance of these specialists
from the Group for the Integrated Development of
Havana guided the patient work of reproducing a
city inside a room that was especially designed for
that purpose. The spacious room is surrounded by
a ramp that allows an aerial or panoramic view of
the scale model. The visitor can take a closer look
at the city as a whole or locate a particular building
or street thanks to binoculars that are placed on
the ramp.
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For those who know the city, searching with the
binoculars becomes a game or a bet to locate
specific places or addresses, and no one escapes
the temptation of finding their house in the midst
of the intricate urban fabric. Those who visit the
scale model for the first time discover the magical
universe of its constructive mix: the tropicalized
18th-century Baroque reflected in the beautiful
churches and mansions in the Historic Center;
the 19th-century neoclassicism with outstanding
examples in the area around the

former city walls;
the grand architectural movements of the 20th
century; the omnipresent eclecticism scattered
practically all around city; the beautiful and sensual
art nouveau; the very popular art deco which can
be seen both in magnificent constructions like the
Bacardí Building and in modest homes; the modern
movement, clearly expressed in the “skyscrapers”
of the Vedado district and the sophisticated
residences of Miramar; the eastward expansion
that began in 1959; the splendid National Art
School, and so much more. Summing it up, the
“the styleless style” of the metropolis that Alejo
Carpentier called “the city of columns.”
In order to give the visitor an idea of the
constructive evolution of the city, the buildings
are displayed through the use of different colors—
brown for the colonial period, i.e. until 1898; ochre
for the Republican period, from 1902 to 1959; ivory
for the revolutionary period to the present day;
and white for projects, sculptural monuments and
cemeteries.
The scale model of Havana is not only useful for
further studying the urban projection of a city that
never stops growing, but also as a tourist attraction.
No wonder it is visited by so many people, both
nationals and visitors from other countries. So,
if you’re in town for the first time, it is strongly
recommended that you stop by the Maqueta de La
Habana, which is a good start to understand the
dynamics of the Cuban capital, and surely, better
than a map.
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Photogenic Havana
If you are said to be photogenic, that doesn’t
necessarily mean you’re a knockout. That term
actually appears to cover some huge mystery
that comes directly from the seductive power
emanating from the magic of photography. I would
dare say that it is a phenomenon reserved not only
for human beings—it frequently also occurs with
cities.
In fact there are cities that historically have
inflamed the passions of famous photographers and
of thousands of other photographers who exercise
the art of taking pictures in anonymity. There are
many reasons these days that make certain urban
areas more attractive for the camera’s lens than
others. Havana has special features, valuable visual
assets that have succeeded in augmenting its
documentary and artistic appeal over the decades.
This is a city that harbors a plethora of reasons
to position it under the probing eye of a camera
lens, attempting to freeze the present so that
it can become inserted into the future. Not only
the buildings and natural landscapes attract our
attention, there are other more subtle elements
that endow Havana with its special air—the customs
and comings-and-goings of its inhabitants and its
political, economic and cultural past.
In the year 1933, a young American named
Walker Evans arrived in the city drawn by one of
the most moving periods in the history of Cuba.
He eventually became famous as an incredible
photographer.
Evans came here on an assignment for the leftist
writer and reporter Carleton Beals who needed
some shots to illustrate his book “The Crime of
Cuba.” At that time, Cuba’s capital was caught in
the throes of the bloody repression unleashed by
the dictator Gerardo Machado as an answer to the
brave revolutionary movement that threatened
to put an end to his government. The era had
its contradictions though. It was also a splendid
cultural moment, with Cuban music, notably the
son, taking over Havana nightlife. It is said that
the photographer Evans became friends with
Ernest Hemingway and for about three weeks they
concocted “mythical Havana,” intense and fleeting.
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No doubt about it: that spirit of rebirth, no matter
how great the obstacles and difficulties, is always
present in the pictures that best represent
Havana. One of the most concrete examples of
this is the fact that many attempt to immortalize
those veteran automobiles we have come to call
almendrones, the best proof of the resiliency and
inventiveness of Cubans.
The obsession about chronicling our streets and
buildings is alive and well. Some recent Cuban
photographers have turned this into a genuine
artistic statement. There is a tendency to zoom
in on details and to explore the city on minimalist
terms, such as in the work of Nelson & Liudmila,
two artists who worked together to intuitively
show us the city in one of their series called Las
puertas [Doors], revealing a fine-tuned reflection
on the memory of what these doors protect behind
them.
Some of our best photographers and artists have
attacked the subject from different viewpoints.
Alejandro González has specialized in the ties
binding the urban setting with its inhabitants,
often broaching the subject matter of nightlife
seen from the edges, while Carlos Garaicoa’s
photographic vision of his city proceeds along
archeological even anthropological lines, leading
us to profound reflections.
Evans’ photos do not exaggerate; nor are they
sad. They cleanly and objectively focus on the
denunciations for which they were being used.
Their value lies in the fact that while they were
recording a true tragedy, they could also project
the city’s face to the world and, more importantly,
towards the modern times that were around the
corner. These photos for the book zeroed in on the
most intimate circumstances of a city, granting it a
sort of halo of irrefutable mystery.
The photogenic spirit of Havana has been aided
and abetted by the abrupt yet complementary
clash of two periods in the twentieth century: the
so-called Republican Period from 1902 to 1958 and
the Revolutionary Period from 1959 to the present.
I think that the controversy reigning about Cuba
hasn’t just been ideological. It has had a strong
visual aspect that could permeate and enrich
everything else.
Sometimes the photos of Havana resuscitate a past
that surprises us as being nostalgic. At other times
they are more critical but they always contribute
to reinventing the city of the present. Legendary
photos captured the frenzy of the Revolution…
and there are photos bearing witness to the city’s
resistance which becomes the real hero of the
images.
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The Man-on-the-Street in Havana answers: What’s a “habanero?
Havana is being transformed. Many are enthusiastic
and quite a few are skeptical, but the verdict
is in: Havana is changing. Daily life in the city is
becoming richer with all the new possibilities being
offered by private initiatives and with the openings
associated with the world of communications. We
are being swamped with cafés, bars, privatelyowned restaurants and discos.
Our Havana has always had an intense, varied and
top-notch cultural life. But if we wanted to follow
up an excellent concert, play or ballet performance
there were never enough evening options around
to let us prolong the experience. Nowadays, this
has substantially improved: Havana residents
and visitors alike can find places to hang out
after-hours. In the midst of all these changes, we
decided to go out and ask the man-on-the-street
some questions on the topic.
It wasn’t difficult to hear a broad range of opinions
from passers-by. Anyone who has ever gone out
to the different neighborhoods for the purpose of
chatting with its denizens always ends up being
surprised with some unexpected results. It often
turns out that the answers are much more up-todate than we could imagine.
It’s autumn, and the summer heat is still with us.
People tend to seek a welcoming breeze in parks,
under the leafy trees. Over there, a couple of med-
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students seemingly reviewing their schedule take
advantage of the opportunity to continue their
romance. As I interrupt them, I quickly discover
that the young man speaking is from Havana and
his girlfriend is from another province. It is often
said that Havana residents are somewhat stuck-up
but he is convinced that they are fantastic, friendly
and polite.
Right on the famous corner of G and 23rd Streets
in El Vedado, we wait for the light to change as
one almendrón (the old American cars serving as
private collective taxis in the city) after another
stops. Inside these vehicles it’s prime territory for
people to chat and exchange opinions while they
are on their way to various destinations. Passengers
and drivers alike agree that “Habaneros” are the
greatest; they are friendly, familiar, affectionate…
in a few seconds the adjectives just keep on
multiplying.
When we come across persons who may have read
a little more or spent their lives immersed in the
humanities, things get more complicated. They
suddenly remind us of Alejo Carpentier, recipient
of the Cervantes Prize for Literature, who had
plenty of opinions on Havana and its inhabitants.
One lady starts to elaborate on the origin of the
city’s name, saying correctly that it comes from
the native peoples—the exact origin of Habana is
the name of the native chieftain Habaguanex.
We are surprised to hear another passer-by take
us back almost two centuries. A resident of Havana
is something magnificent, very connected to the
history of his country. For example, the newspaper
bearing the name of “El Habanero” is considered
to be the first Cuban revolutionary manifestation
appearing in the press. It was founded by Felix
Varela and printed between 1824 and 1826 in the
US cities of Philadelphia and New York.
Many citizens concur with the idea that we have
to look after Havana. Even though the changes it
is undergoing now are positive ones, they believe
that a lot still must be done to not lose some of the
city’s precious symbols. A city that is painted up
and has its gardens in order, its streets and avenues
clean, all of that reinforces its irrefutable charm
of having the ancient live alongside the modern,
something that could even be called “exotic.”
Conversations become more heated when we
pit a born-in-Havana resident against someone
coming from another province to live in Havana.
The “immigrant” starts to say that Habaneros
think they know it all, that they are arrogant and
independent-minded and that there is nobody like
the people in their hometown. At that point the
“capitalino” answers with the same argument: “So
why don’t you go back to where you came from, if
it’s so much better there?” That generally creates
an awkward pause in the conversation.
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A woman from Havana tells us that the city for her
is a one-of-a-kind cradle: when you are a child you
need it and it protects you, and when you grow up
it is still there to take you in and can even guide
your steps. She also said something odd: Since she
loves the city so much she would have wanted it to
be full of the music that comes from the eastern
part of Cuba, especially from Santiago de Cuba.
And there we have another important trait of the
residents of this city, their sincerity.
There is always someone who says that no matter
what a Habanero’s skin tone is, most of them are
very connected to Afro-Cuban roots, particularly
in music and religious beliefs. Different
neighborhoods have been settled by groups of
practitioners and over the years these beliefs have
taken on a sense of continuity and they have been
able to spread into different areas.
When a resident of Havana leans over his or her
balcony, they can be met by a variety of greetings
from the neighboring balcony or even from one
that is way down the street. A lively discussion
can then be started on topics ranging from the
current water situation to more complex issues in
international politics.
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How many
Havanas
make up
Havana?
by Victoria Alcalá
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Over the years, Havana has been a changing
capital. Of course it first started out as what we
today call La Habana Vieja, Old Havana, with its
imposing forts and government buildings, lordly
mansions, churches and squares. But in the
nineteenth century that quarter began to mix up
all sorts of functions and became more popular,
so whoever could do so moved elsewhere to gain
back their sense of privacy. They drifted towards
the splendid estates of El Cerro which very soon
suffered a decline for exactly the same reasons
which saw it grow: the invasion of the “masses”. Or
maybe it was because the ancient area of the city
walls became part of the urbanization process,
occupied by luxurious small palaces.
Nowadays, the Historical Center of Old Havana has
once more taken on some of its ancient splendor
thanks to the restoration program of the Office of
the City Historian lead by Eusebio Leal. Not only
is it a tourist magnet, it also constitutes one of the
undeniable cultural centers of the city. Any one
of its residents can become a spontaneous guide
after having heard the Historian speak so many
times.
By the twentieth century, El Vedado was known
as the chic part of town, preferred by the upper
bourgeoisie for their residences surrounded by
metal grillwork fences and gardens that isolated
them from the roar of the traffic and the curiosity
of the “plebs.” This select piece of real estate
gradually started to fill up with tall buildings,
offices, the best cinemas, nightclubs, restaurants,
and small theaters that stamped it with a modern
cosmopolitan air that it still possesses. In the
present day, it is the heart of Havana nightlife.
Some of the upper class families once more took
up their exodus, moving even further west to
what is now Playa Municipality, following the
coastline towards Miramar, Alturas de Miramar
and the neighborhoods known as Atabey, Siboney
and Cubanacán, all aboriginal names that were
adopted after 1959, having nothing in common
with the residential enclaves around the Country
Club Park or the Biltmore. Most of these exclusive
areas didn’t even have any bus service. As soon
as all the private beach clubs were opened to the
general public and with the building of the Art
School (1960-1963), the Convention Center (1979)
and some hotels in the 1990s, accompanied by new
restaurants, Playa Municipality, which is joined to
El Vedado by a tunnel and the famous Steel Bridge
(Puente de Hierro), took on a more lively profile, but
it still maintains a lot of the exclusivity it acquired
at the start of its existence.
As for Centro Habana, it became the business center
for the entire city after the 1930s. Movie theaters
like the Payret, the Rex-Duplex, the National
Theater (today the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of
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Regla, Casablanca and Guanabacoa, all on the
far side of Havana Bay and the last of these with
an interesting historical downtown area, are
lovely places full of deep-rooted traditions. If you
should be having a streak of bad luck, someone
will always recommend a trip to Guanabacoa
because it’s famous for babalawos. Many go to
Regla to ask the “Black Virgin” for something,
or to fulfill a promise and at Casablanca people
go to admire the monumental statue of The
Christ. Still further east are La Habana del Este
and the Villa Panamericana: they prove that it is
possible to plan popular neighborhoods without
the sparseness and ugliness of their neighbor
Alamar. All three are known as “dormitory” towns
whose residents conduct most of their social and
cultural lives on the other side of the tunnel but
in the summer take advantage of the excellent
beaches nearby, such as the most popular two,
Santa María del Mar and Boca Ciega. The fishing
village of Cojímar, which lies between Habana del
Este and Villa Panamericana, basks in the memory
of Hemingway; it is both a town and a beach and
this seems to have molded the personalities of the
people who live there, always ready to welcome
the curious who are on the trail of Papa and The
Old Man and the Sea without altering their daily
routines.
The municipality of Diez de Octubre, one of the
most densely populated in Cuba (it is practically a
city in itself with a population of well over 200,000)
connects to downtown Havana by the avenue of
the same name. This road used to be called Jesús
del Monte and joined the city to the nearby rural
Havana), a wide assortment of department stores
such as El Encanto (the largest and most luxurious
store, which was destroyed by a sabotage attack
during the early years of the Revolution), Fin de
Siglo, Flogar, La Época or La Filosofía. Shoe stores,
jewelers, furniture and perfume shops…the variety
was infinite, every kind of business imaginable.
And there were dozens of stores in Chinatown,
a must visit for anyone wanting to cook Chinese
fried rice at home. People living in the outskirts
often say: “I’m going to Havana” whenever they’re
going downtown for any reason. Even if today the
buildings are looking a bit run-down and nobody
goes “window-shopping” anymore, Centro Habana
still conserves that lively spirit of times gone
by. The streets are always filled with people and
refurbished Chinatown, even though you can no
longer buy sausages, beans and other delicacies
there, has dozens of Chinese restaurants that serve
menus that have more to do with San Francisco
than Beijing.
Nevertheless, far off the usual tourist trail, we have
“other Havanas.”
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areas. You can see amazing variety throughout
this municipality. Luyanó has humble houses
and rooming houses and is known to be rowdy,
extroverted and often bellicose. The somewhat
sleepy and laid-back Lawton and Santos Suárez
have undergone a kind of renaissance in their old
mansions thanks to a recent wave of real estate
fever. The same has happened in La Víbora and
even in tree-shaded Sevillano whose inhabitants
are known for being rather private even though
extremely friendly amongst themselves, sharing
news, gossip and homemade desserts. The novelty
of well-appointed private restaurants springing up
has resulted in seeing families who are all dressed
up and going out to celebrate some special
occasion at places that offer menus a little more
“sophisticated” than the usual pizza or “comida
criollas.”
There are places in Havana that haven’t been able to
shake off their rural pasts: Santa María del Rosario,
Santiago de las Vegas, Calabazar and El Calvario.
They are very much like any typical provincial
town with their large central park presided over by
the church. Santa María del Rosario, for example,
is even in the heritage category. The people living
there are a little warier than “big city” folk.
Some parts of Marianao also remind you of a
past that was more rural than urban, but others
are bubbling with unique popular spirit, religious
beliefs, music, tastes and smells, much like what
happens in El Cerro whose main road, under
the inevitable patina of time, retains the ancient
splendor of large estates surrounded by humbler
buildings, narrow streets and spontaneous
folk always ready to cheer on the Industriales
baseball team in the neighboring Latinoamericano
Stadium. A little further in the Casino Deportivo,
modern homes, well-looked after gardens and
generally deserted streets remind you more of
Nuevo Vedado than the bustle of El Cerro to which
it officially belongs.
And so those are the “Havanas,” different from each
other and contrasting. Only those who are brave
enough to penetrate the “hinterlands,” leaving
behind the advertised tourism routes, can really
get to know a city that can live and vibrate with
the sea at its back.
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Run, Charlie, Run
Marabana Marathon Havana, November 15, 2015
It is dark outside, 5:30am. Wishful thinking that I
could simply sleep in and let the Havana marathon
wait another year. I have, after, all been signed in
various times over the years and never quite made
it. Unfortunately, I have a pick-up arranged and
the phone wakes me from my slumber to let me
know that the car is waiting outside—around the
corner, to be precise. We pick up a couple more
people (Elena, Rob). I only ever see them drinking
so how serious can this be after all?
The start of the race (is a marathon really a race
for a middle-aged plodder?) is at the Capitolio. It is
an impressive building that gives some legitimacy
to the typical Cuban casualness outside. Numbers
are pinned onto shirts. The more enthusiastic
push forward to get in the front of the pack. I
am in no rush: my training schedule fell off a cliff
some months ago, replaced by an acceleration of
drinking and late nights. Even my associates are
now looking professional, limbering up, stretching,
rubbing oils and potions, drinking energy drinks. I
guess that a pre-race cigarette would not be de
rigueur.
We are into the countdown: 10, 9, 8… and the
race begins. As I say to my kids, ‘Hup 2, 3, 4’. It is a
gentle start down the wide Prado Avenue (hints of
Barcelona’s Prado but only the faintest hint) down
onto the Malecón. There is sufficient space now
to accelerate past people. We rush past a family
with two six-year-olds in tow, cruise past the man
with one leg on crutches and then are locked into
a bitter battle to get past some members of the
female Cuban walking team. Onwards along the
gorgeous ocean boulevard. There is a loud cheer
for an Italian’s call of nature into the sea and
another one for the same Cuban walking team—
“Oye, linda, ¿qué vas a hacer más tarde?”—from the
Cuban lads.
Stepping up the pace now, the fading colonial
facades rush by. Well, crawl by would be a better
description. The first water break, cheap plastic
bags of water and squash, the 5 km mark. So far, so
good. Bystanders start asking for the squash bags.
This must be the only marathon in the world where
the runners give refreshments to the spectators.
The sun is starting to come up; it is going to be a
long morning.
At the end of the Malecón, we go around the
1830 Restaurant and I see my running partner,
Michaela, accelerate away into the blue yonder. We
tack back into the city and up one of the few (and
pretty moderate) climbs up 10th Street heading
to the Charles Chaplin cinema. Around me are a
motley collection of runners. It is difficult not to
be depressed with my own running abilities when
I am running alongside people who seem more
like they are running for a bus than finely honed
athletes. It is Cuba, so perhaps I should not be too
surprised that running gear is a little basic.
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At the 10 km mark, a flush of satisfaction rushes
through me as many people wrap up their
participation with a 20-meter sprint. I am in for
the long haul(ish). We are running down 26th
Avenue. This is a much less attractive part of the
city. Vedado into Nuevo Vedado past the seriously
downbeat city zoo. Little old ladies shout out for
agua/jugo. Bags go flying in their direction—I don’t
look. I am still annoyed that the guy with holes in
his shoes who keeps stopping, always manages to
get back ahead of me. He looks like he might be a
rubbish collector on a regular round.
Down to the Ciudad Deportiva (a sports complex
with a large indoor stadium which hosts volleyball,
basketball, boxing events, etc.) situated alongside
a busy roundabout. The traffic has not really been
stopped as much as temporarily paused as we
go by. It makes me feel guilty as the line of cars
waits for us to struggle across. And around the
associated sports fields of the sports complex.
This now feels like the back of beyond. A distinct
lack of glamour. I am cheered up though as I pass
a friend who justifies his crawl by a requirement to
keep his girlfriend company who is walking now.
The 15 km mark goes by; I wonder how far it is
that we really have to go. I am committed to a half
marathon, which means there can’t be so much
more left. I still haven’t collapsed and that must be
a good sign although my shirt has come off much
to the outrage of Cuban officials. We are coming
up a slow climb to Plaza de la Revolución—that
great barren expanse in the heart of the city that
hosts the annual Labour Day parade into which a
million people regularly pack. Not now, I am with a
steady stream of runners, nothing more.
And now it is the home stretch through the
rundown commercial district of Central Havana.
Past the downbeat Carlos III shopping mall and
back towards the Capitolio, which is present in the
distance. A somewhat surprising burst of speed
now has me passing people left and right. The
other runners appear a little bemused now by the
charging, puffing elephant roaring up behind them
into the final 2 kilometres. This is feeling better.
Shirt back on to cross the finish line, down to
the last 100 meters and ultimate triumph is mine
as I thunder past Michaela, my original running
partner. She is devastated. A forlorn scream of
“No!” is left behind as the finish line approaches.
I guess that I was her one-legged guy. After all, if
the middle-aged fat bloke beats me, what is left?
I look anxiously for my kids to cheer me onto the
line. Nothing. Still, 2 hrs and 12 minutes have passed
and I have finished for the day. Funnelled into a
cold building, we are awarded gold medals and a
little gift bag. Out into the bright sunshine to see
the finish of the marathon proper. These guys are
serious runners who have been around the course
twice in only a few minutes more than it took me
to go around once. And the tall lithe Cuban runner
crosses the finish line easily with a bounce in his
step. Other runners start round for their second
lap—I do not envy them. Traffic has now resumed
and a second lap looks like a lesson in masochism
as the sun beats down.
I have a few missed calls from my wife—I guess
she was not so convinced I would finish and was
waiting to rescue me on a breakdown call. I am
out of here, straight to my physio to inspect the
damage.
Contact Information for the Havana Marathon:
Phone Number: (53) 7641-0911
Email: marabana@inder.cu
Official Race Website: http://www.inder.cu/marabana
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Visual Arts
photos by Alex Mene
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano
Contaminación
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano
Through
November 22
Altavoz contra la pared, a
retrospective of the work of
Esterio Segura, including projects
from the 1990s to the present,
which show the ingenuity, humor
and irreverence used by the artist
to delve into pressing matters
of contemporaneity. The show
includes well known pieces from
his collection, performances and
interactive installations
Through
December 31
Vida en las formas, a show
zoomorphic,
anthropomorphic
bronze sculptures, and the
combination
of
both,
by
international artists of different
periods .
Cristal de Murano, valuable pieces
of the museum’s collection.
El eco del último disparo, focuses
on the changes occurred in the
artistic
production
between
the 19th and 20th centuries
Curator Delia María López points
out classical composition, the
representation of historic events
and basic elements of academic
art.
Biblioteca Rubén Martínez Villena
Opens
November 20
Museo de Artes Decorativas
Through
November 19
October 30
February 14
Don´t Play with History, an
exhibition
by
Hander
Lara
Figueroa, which alludes to two
historical moments translated into
visual codes to define them at their
minimum, abstract expression.
Casa del ALBA Cultural
November
3-30
Creación y materia, an exhibition
by Mexican artist Dalia Mendoza.
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photos by Ana Lorena
Factoria Habana
Factoría Habana
Through
January 15
Signos. Arte e industria y viceversa, which has been conceived as an installation that
brings together objects, texts, artefacts, photos, ceramics, graphic works, video and printed
materials, aims at emphasizing creative experiences in which a balanced fusion between art,
design and industry, and elements of the urban and architectural environment takes place
through the works of Carlos José Alfonzo, Juan Carlos Alom, Félix Beltrán, Alberto J. Carol,
Gonzalo Córdoba, María Victoria Caignet, EMPROVA, Cirenaica Moreira, Miguel Díaz, Felipe
Dulzaides, Leandro Feal, Mario Gallardo, Mario García Joya (Mayito), Carmelo González,
Roberto Gottardi, Arturo Infante y Renier Quert, Nicolás Guillén Landrián, Roberto Matta,
Ernesto Oroza, Amelia Peláez, Manuel Piña, René Portocarrero, Idelfonso Ramos, Leyden
Rodríguez, Mariano Rodríguez, Humberto Solás y Héctor Veitía, Lesbia Vent Dumois, as well
as the projects Ediciones en Colores, TELARTE, Arte en la Fábrica, Arte en la Carretera and
Arte en el Muro.
For the occasion, Factoría Habana has reopened the Laboratories on Ideas and Design with
the presence of important artists, designers, critics and historians who have carried out
projects and research the link industry, art and design.
Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño
November
17-December
6
Atrapados en su propio juego,
paintings by Rolando Fernández
Álvarez, drawn by the New
Historicism, the mythical, the
oneiric and the pleasure of mixing
the figurative with the abstraction.
Galería Habana
November
6-January 15
Verbum II, solo show by Ivan
Capote, minimalist and subtle
creator, which always demands
an intellectual exercise from the
viewers.
Complejo Militar Morro Cabaña
Casa de las Américas
Through
November 22
Arte en valija, exhibition of
reproductions of works by
Armando Reverón (1989-1954),
important painter of the late
19th and early 20th centuries
in Venezuela, probably the
maximum exponent of Venezuelan
expressionism.
Opens
November 14,
5pm
VIII edición del Festival Love in
Novart, group show in Novarte
orhanized by the El comité
organizador del Love In Festival
and the Casa Yeti.
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Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam
Through
November 15
Through
January 1
Masson
y
Lam:
Diálogos
imaginarios brings the work of
two masters of Surrealism who
approached this 20th-century
artistic movement in different
ways: the French and Cuban
artists André Masson and Wifredo
Lam, respectively.
25
años
de
Galería
Continua. Group exhibnitionof
installations by Anish Kapoor,
Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta
(India); Michelangelo Pistoletto
(Italy), Daniel Buren (France),
Carlos Garaicoa (Cuba), Ilya &
Emilia Kabakov (Russia), Moataz
Nasr (Egypt), Nari Ward (Jamica),
among other international artists
in their collection.
Through
November 22
Malecón y Bicicleta, exhibition of
paintings by artist Luis E. Camejo,
dealing with bicycles on the
famous Havana seawall.
Galería Galiano
November
13-January 4
Personal exhibition by Adislén
Reyes, prizewinner at Post-it
2, thanks to her her proposal
of printmaking technique using
pictorial representations and
her mastery of photographic
techniques.
Galería Latinoamericana. Casa de las Américas
Through
November 29
Esculturas
dibujadas,
show
by Colombian artist Ricardo
Cárdenas.
Galería Villa Manuela
Museo Castillo de La Real Fuerza
Through
November 22
Galería Artis
Azulejos estilo Delft, Exhibition of
mid-18th-century Sevillian
Delftware wall tiles. Donated to the
Archeology Office and Museum in
2005, the 95 tiles are hand painted
and have independent decorative
themes. The five designs include
landscapes,
people,
animals,
flowers and hunting scenes.
November
13-December
13
La inmunidad de lo ingenuo, show
by Glenda León and Diana Fonseca,
two exponents of contemporary
Cuban artistic vanguard.
Hostal Los Frailes
Through
December 31
Post devoto, group show
contemporary religious art.
of
Plaza de San Francisco
Opens
November 12
Museo de Arte Colonial
Through
November 15
Ritmos, exhibition of Afro-Cuban
drawings and ads by Jaime Valls,
which belong to the collections of
the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
The coloquium “Modern art. In the
thresholds of Afro-Cubanism” will
be held on Nov 5 and 6, at 10am.
Discussions will deal with graphic
communication in the shadow
of official art, Rise of the Cuban
pictorial vanguard. Afro-Cuban
view in the first explorations
(1925-1938), Brief overview on the
rise of Black elements in Cuban
music and Notes on the early
Afro-Cuban approach to literary
texts. Brief introduction to the
work Ecué Yamba O!
Travesías de XICO por América
Latina is a collection of sixteen
1.8 meter pieces intervened by
Latin American artists who have
sought to rescue the roots of the
continent and show the world its
history and traditions. Artistas
incluye Eduardo Roca (Choco),
Carlos Guzmán, Ángel Ramírez,
Darlyn Delgado, Víctor Mora,
Lyzbeth Labañino, Mariana García
Botello, Sandra de Huelbes/
Karen Rivero, Francisco Gordillo,
Héctor López, Rafael Pantoja
(Frank Mysterio), Cisco Merel,
Andrés Orjuela, Rolando de Sedas
(Rolo), Leticia Gutiérrez Rojas,
ISHA JUDD (Education for Peace
Foundation), Cristina Pineda, Luis
Enrique Gómez and Pablo Álvarez
Carreto.
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photography
Fototeca de Cuba
Through November 30
Steve McCurry, exhibition of photos taken by the world-famous photo journalist.
Art galleries in Old Havana
Cine Charles Chaplin
October 10
November 8
Mandala... el universo de las
estrellas, photo and digital art
exhibition by Humberto Mayol,
Javier Rodríguez, Laura Alejo and
Emilio Arias. November
2-30
Casa de Asia
Through
November 22
Wushu: 20 años. Photographic
show on occasion of the 20th
anniversary of the Cuban School
of Wushu, which has promoted
health, wellbeing and ethical
integrity of the community
through the practice of martial
arts, traditional Asian exercises
and other manifestations of
Chinese culture.
Noviembre fotográfico Since
2008, the Fototeca de Cuba, along
with the National Visual Arts
Council, has organized “Noviembre
Fotográfico,” an entire month
devoted to Cuban photography.
The event aims to combine
the efforts of art institutions
and galleries in the capital to
promote Cuban photography and
photographers.
Casa Víctor Hugo
Opens
November 13
Brief tour of how technological
techniques and devices have
evolved. Exhibition organized by
the the Historical Photographic
Library of the City Historian.
Museo de Arte Colonial
Opens
November 20
Fotografiando mi Habana, is a
collection of images of the city and
its people.
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dance
Photo Alex Mene
Ballet Nacional de Cuba
Sala Avellaneda, teatro Nacional
November 28, 8:30pm; Nov 29, 5:30 pm
The Ballet Nacional de Cuba will perform En las sombras de un vals (choreographed by Alicia Alonso and
music by Josef Strauss), Cuba dentro de un piano (choreographed by Eduardo Blanco and music by Manuel
Saumell, Ignacio Cervantes, Ernesto Lecuona and Harold Gramatges); Lucía Jerez (choreographed by
Alicia Alonso and music by Enrique González Mantici, original script by de Fina García Marruz); and
Don Quixote (suite, choreographed by Alicia Alonso, Marta García amd María Elena Llorente, based
on Marius Petipa’s original version and the adaptation made by Alexander Gorski, music by Ludwig
Minkus).
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MUSIC
Contemporary
Fusion
Los Ángeles
Photo Alex Mene
The contemporary fusion and electronic music
scene has expanded recently as new bars
and clubs have opened party promoters have
organized events in parks and public spaces.
Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht
(Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce
(check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la
Melancolía) as well as the newly opened Fábrica
de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights
Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu
smaller performances inside.
In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district
along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to
the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the
always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live
music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate
Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and
El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different
singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
José María Vitier in
Concert
November 19, 8:30pm
Teatro Mella
Concert by pianist and composer José María Vitier
with guest singers Zule Guerra and Ivette Cepeda.
Visual artists will be video-mapping the event.
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Balneario Universitario El Coral
Fridays &
Saturdays
1pm-1am
Submarino Amarillo / 9 pm
Electronic music with rapping,
DJing,
Vjing,
Dj-producers,
breakdancing
and
graffiti
writing, among other urban art
expressions.
La Máquina de la Melancolía, with
Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto
García
Tercera y 8
Mondays
Baby Lores
11 pm
9 pm Vieja Escuela
Fresa y Chocolate
Thursdays
Café Concert El Sauce / 5 pm
Sundays
Saturdays
Tesis mde menta
10 pm
Havana Hard Rock / 6 pm
Every other
Friday
Soul Train, a show of soul music
Sat & Sun
Rock cover bands
Le Select
Barbaram Pepito’s Bar / 5 pm
Sundays
Thursdays
Los Francos
Sundays
Discoteca Onda Retro
Los Ángeles
5pm
Diablo Tun Tun
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht / 11 pm
Fridays
5 pm
Wednesdays Interactivo
Fridays
William Vivanco
Saturdays
Saturdays
David Blanco
11 pm
Sundays
Kialo
10 pm
Gens
Jardines del teatro Mella / 5 pm
Gato Tuerto
Saturdays
Proyecto Lizzy
Tenor Bernardo Lichilín and DJ
Eddy Sánchez
November 12
Rap group Conciencia
November 19
Dúo Jade
November 26 Rap group Conciencia
Salón Rosado de La Tropical
Fridays
Electronic music with Sarao,
9 pm
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional / 5 pm
Tuesdays
Raúl Paz
Wednesdays Qva Libre
Thursdays
Elaín Morales
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Photo by Alex Mene
Photo Alex Mene
Salsa / Timba
Casa de la Música de Miramar
Mondays
Casa de la Música Habana
5 pm Will Campa
11 pm Sur Caribe
Mondays
5 pm Havana Show
Tuesdays
5 pm El Noro y Primera Clase
11 pm Havana Show
Tuesdays
11 pm Pedrito Calvo
Fridays
5 pm El Niño y La Verdad
11 pm NG La Banda
Wednesdays
5 pm Pedrito Calvo
11 pm NG La Banda
Saturdays
11 pm Bamboleo
Thursdays
5 pm Pupy y los que Son Son
Sundays
5 pm Bamboleo
Fridays
5 pm Charanga Forever
11 pm Yaser y Nueve Milímetros
Saturdays
Piano Bar Tun Tun
Thursdays
11 pm NG La Banda
Jardines del 1830
Fridays
Azúcar Negra
10 pm
Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri
Sundays
11 pm Juan Guillermo
Tercera y 8
Wednesdays Alain Daniel
11 pm
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MUSIC
JAZZ
Jazz Café
Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra
A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme
air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an
excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz
musicians, but the open-plan design also provides
for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat.
Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located
opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.
Café Jazz Miramar
Shows: 11 pm - 2am
This new jazz club has quickly established itself as
one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s
best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled
lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside.
While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in
any case expect a high level of improvisation when
it is good it is very good. A full house is something
of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel
like holding up your own silence please sign!
Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
November 19
6 pm
Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto
Jazz Cubano.
UNEAC
November 12
5 pm
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by
showman Bobby Carcassés.
Jazz Café. Galerías de Paseo
November 1
9pm/ A Otro Tiempo
11pm/ Michel Herrera
(saxophonist and composer) &
Proyecto Madre Tierra
November 2,
15, 18, 25 & 29
9pm/ Erick Jon (singer and
composer)
November 2
11pm/ Emilio Morales (pianist and
composer) & Nuevos Amigos
Jazz Café. Galerías de Paseo
November 3,
10 & 17
9pm/ Beatriz Márquez (singer)
November 3
11pm/ Jessie Valdés (drummer) &
Proyecto X
November 4,
8, 11, 18, 22, 25
& 29
11pm/ Chewy (saxophonist) y
Eclipse Cubano
November 5
& 11
9pm/ Jessica (singer)
November 5,
12, 19 & 26
11pm/ Oscar Valdés (percussionist
and singer) y Diákara
November 6,
13 & 27
9pm/ Cesar López (saxophonist
and composer) & Havana
Ensemble
November 7,
14, 21 & 28
9pm/ Denis Carbó (saxophonist)
& Jazz en Trance
November 8
9pm/ A Otro Tiempo
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MUSIC Bolero, folklore, son & trova
Asociación Yoruba de Cuba
Saturdays
Diablo Tun Tun
Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)
4 pm
El Jelengue de Areíto 5
Waldo Mendoza
Tuesdays
5pm
pm
Conjunto Chappottín
Wednesdays Trova
Café Concert El Sauce / 9 pm
Tuesdays
Trova
5 pm
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Saturdays
Thursdays
Charly Salgado and guests
Thursdays
Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez
Fridays
Rumberos de Cuba
Hotel Telégrafo
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht / 9 pm
Thursdays
Fridays
Rafael Espín and guests
4 pm
Saturdays
Bolero Night
9 pm
Eduardo Sosa
8 pm
November 13
9:30 pm
Hurón Azul, UNEAC
Casa del Alba
November 4
Ivette Cepeda.
november 26 Poetry in Motion: poetic “jam
6 pm
Annie Garcés
4 pm
November 20 Trovador Gerardo Alfonso
6 pm
Pabellón Cuba 4
session” that combines poetry
reading with performance art,
music and dance.
pm
Fridays
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador
Silvio Alejandro
Saturdays
Peña Participo with trovador Juan
Carlos Pérez
Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre
November 29 Get-together with trovador Ireno
5 pm
García.
Fresa y Chocolate
Casona de Línea
Sundays
Saturdays
Trova
7pm
8 pm
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
Casa de África
November 7
4
4 pm
3
Duo Ad Libitum
Eduardo with
Cheketé
Sosa Síntesis
November 7
Cheketé,
Annie
Garcés
with the folkloric group
Obiní Batá
November 29 El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors
8 pm
4
November 14
13
Leo Vera
3 pm
5 pm
from every generation.
Delirio Habanero 10
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
pm
November 20 Get-together La Juntamenta, with
Wednesdays Mulata Son
5 pm
Thursdays
Abel Maceo y Buena Vida
Saturdays
Sonyku
trovador Ángel Quintero.
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classical MUSIC
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
November 7
6 pm
November 12
6 pm
November
14-21
The Solistas de La Habana String Orchestra will share the stage with singer Beatriz Márquez,
trovadora Marta Duarte, tres player Pancho Amat and flutist Niurka González, along with
other musicians who will play works by Tomaso Albinoni, Manuel Corona and René Márquez,
among other composers. Pianista Frank Fernández will play works by Robert Schumann.
Compositions by Roberto Valera, Carlos Fariñas, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Pietro Mascagni, Johann
Pachelbel and David Popper, among other composers, for piano, harp, voice and cello octets,
conducted by cellist Alejandro Martínez.
Concerts of the 28th Havana Contemporary Music Festival.
6 pm
November 28 The Ondina Duo, made up by pianist María del Henar Navarro and flutist Niurka González,
6 pm
will paly works by Yalil Guerra, Javier Zalba and Jorge López Marín, among other composers.
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
Saturdays
Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles.
4 pm
Sala Covarrubias. Teatro Nacional
Sundays
Concerts by the Nationl Symphony Orchestra.
11 am
Casa Víctor Hugo
November 30 Musical afternoons with Cáliz Duo made up by guitarist Luis Manuel Molina and clarinetist
5 pm
Vicente Monterrey
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Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura
November 7
Tribute to barítone Pedro Arias Domínguez by opera sangres.
5 pm
November 14
5 pm
Concert by the Cáliz Duo, made up by guitarist Luis Manuel Molina and clarinetist Vicente
Monterrey, and guest musicians.
November 20 Lecture by Irish folklorist Mike Moloney and concert of Celt music.
10 am
Cine teatro Miramar
November
27-28
Performances by Ópera de la Calle, with the show 1959.
8:30 pm
Iglesia de Paula / 7 pm
November 14
Concert The Spanish Organ (El órgano español), 16th-18th centuries, conducted by Moisés
Santiesteban.
November 15
5 pm Composer of electro-acoustic music Martha Mooke will give the concert No Ordinary
Window, made up of works composed for and played with a five-string electric viola.
November 20
The Lauda Ensemble announces the wind instrument concert Mudéjares, dedicated to the
presence of women in Iberian medieval music.
November 21
Concert L’arpegiata, by soloists from the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble, of Italian
Renaissance and Baroque music.
November 28
Mara Tieles will play the six original suites for cello by Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed
for baroque viola.
Casa del ALBA Cultural
November 8
En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.
5 pm
Oratorio San Felipe Neri / 7 pm
November 14
4 pm Concert by the Clásico Scherzo Trio (pianist Mayté Aboy, violinist Desiré Justo and
cellist Alejandro Rodríguez.
November 19
7 pm The Orquesta de Cámara de la Habana, conducted by Daiana García, and the Cuarteto
de Guitarras de La Habana, will play works by Tchaikovsky, Nino Rota and Leo Brouwer.
November 21
9 pm Concert with Argentinean pianist Daniela Campisi, the D´Accord Duo and the Coro
Polifónico de La Habana, with works by Germán Carrasco, Magaly Ruiz and Eduardo MoralesCaso, among other.
November 28
4 pm Concert by the Nueva Camerata wind ensemble..
Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional
November 29 Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.
5 pm
contents
page 66
Theatre
Teatro Trianón
Photo Alex Mene
Decamerón
Teatro El Público / Production: Carlos Díaz
Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm
Teatro Trianón
Several stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron are put onstage with more than a hint at
Cuba today. Those who expect nudity galore from Carlos Díaz are in for a surprise.
Ni un sí ni un no
El Deseo de Macbeth
Comedy by Abelardo Estorino, winner of the
National Literature and Theatre Prize in 1992 and
2002, respectively, a true master of character
study, efficient dialogue and of taking comedy into
the realm of love and death.
New interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from
a contemporary, Cuban view, by Cuban playwright
and narrator Agnieska. The play interacts strongly
with the audience.
Compañía teatral Hubert de Blanck /
Production: Fabricio Hernández
Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm
Teatro Hubert de Blanck
Teatro D’Dos / Production: Julio César
Ramírez, Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm;
Sundays 5pm
Argos Teatro
Aladino
Anfiteatro de La Habana
Saturdays and Sundays, 9pm
Aladino, musical based on Casey Nicholaw’s
Broadway hit, with music by Alan Menken
and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and
Chad Beguelin. The magical world of the One
Thousand and One Nights enacted with the usual
imagination, good taste and professionalism of
Alfonso Menéndez and his company.
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page 67
For kids
La calle de los fantasmas
Teatro El Arca
October 9-11, 16-18, 3pm
Teatro de Títeres El Arca
Ghost Street, emblematic play of Latin American
puppet theater, by Javier Villafañe, adapted and
directed by Miriam Sánchez.
La princesa Sarah
Estudio Teatral Alba
November 6-8, 13-15, 3pm
Teatro de Títeres El Arca
This is the story of Princess Sarah, who lives very
happily in her palace, unaware that an evil dragon
and his witch mother are planning to dirty the
streets of the kingdom. Performed by the Estudio
Teatral Alba Children’s Theater, the play focuses on
the importance of taking care of the environment.
Havaneando
Saturdays and Sundays, 4pm & 7pm
Carpa Trompoloco
The Compañía Havana presents a selection of the
circus numbers presented during the summer
season.
contents
page 68
EVENTS IN HAVANA
Baila en Cuba
November 22-27
This World Meeting of Casino and Salsa Dancers
and Dance Academies will focus this year on the
mambo, dance genre which revolutionized dance
in the 1940s and 50s, and which continues to be
an important part of the rhythmic base of Cuban
popular music bands. The event also offers the
chance to get acquainted with salsa through
classes, concerts and competitions.
© Adam Bernstein - Will
Magid gives it his all at
Jazz Plaza 2012
Jo Jazz
November 19-22
Different venues in Havana
Although some people still see it as a mere
preamble to the International Jazz Plaza Festival,
Jo Jazz has been gaining in popularity from that
distant day in 1998 when the first festival was held
on the initiative of the famous musician Chucho
Valdés and other enthusiasts.
The ever-increasing numbers of Jo Jazz fans
are getting ready to enjoy this competition for
young Cuban and international jazz musicians
and composers from 16 to 30 years of age. Prizewinners have included musicians who today are
popular not only in Cuba but abroad, such as
Yasek Manzano, Michel Herrera, Yissy Garcia and
Harold López-Nussa.
Besides the competition, the event will include
workshops organized by experts on the subject,
concerts and jam sessions in various places in
Havana. However, one of the most exciting thing
for jazz lovers seems to be to predict, in situ, the
birth of future Cuban jazz stars.
Venues include Sala Avenida, Centro Cultural
Bertolt Brecht, Teatro Mella, Pabellón Cuba,
Universidad de las Artes (ISA), Conservatorio
Amadeo Roldán, Conservatorio Guillermo Tomás,
Escuela Nacional de Música.
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page 69
EVENTS IN HAVANA
XVIII Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea
de La Habana
November 14-22
Different venues in Havana
Founded in 1984 and presided by the composer and conductor Guido López Gavilán, the Havana
Contemporary Music Festival has been honoured with the participation of important musicians,
including Luigi Nono, Krystof Penderecki, Hans Werner Henze, Luis de Pablo, Marlos Nobre, Alfredo del
Mónaco and Xavier Montsalvatge, just to name a few. This a good opportunity to get up-to-date with
the latest trends in contemporary concert music.
The 2015 edition is dedicated to Cuban composer Edgardo Martín and teacher and musicologist
Carmen Valdés on the centennial of their birth. The program also includes special concerts dedicated
to musicians Félix Guerrero, Jesús Ortega, Joaquín Clerch and the Amanecer Duo.
Musicians who have confirmed their participation in the event include from Denmark, Mikkel Andersen
(guitar) and Henriette Jensen (saxophone); from Italy, Namaste (clarinet duo) and the chamber music
trio made up by Adriano Ambrosini (piano), Anne-Sophie Freund (violin) and Tommaso Benciolini (flute);
from the US, American Composers Forum and Ensemble Third Sound; from Argentina, Daniela Campisi
(piano), Gonzalo Antuña (guitar) and the chamber music trio Voxes Contemporáneas; from South Korea,
the Hansori Korean Muisc Special Ensemble; and composers Claudia Montero (Spain), Ada Gentile
(Italy), Ivan Jevtic (Serbia), Louis Aguirre (Cuba-Denmark), Karen Obrodna (Italy), and composer and
singer Evelín Ramón (Cuba/Canada).
Venues include Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de Asís, sala Ernesto Lecuona del Teatro
Lírico Nacional de Cuba, Oratorio San Felipe Neri, sala Ignacio Cervantes, Casa del ALBA Cultural de
La Habana, sala teatro del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Casa de las Américas, Sala Covarrubias del
Teatro Nacional de Cuba and sala Villena de la UNEAC.
More information at:
http://www.musicacontemporanea.cult.cu/
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page 70
Around Cuba
Festival de la Música
Popular Cubana Beny
Moré
November 26-29
San José de las Lajas and Cienfuegos
Founded in 1980, the Havana Theater Festival
which takes place every two years, will focus
this year on stage direction. The event will pay
tribute to British film, theater and opera director
Peter Brook, on his 90th birthday, and will
celebrate the 30th anniversary of Havana’s Teatro
Buendia Company.
Although the official program has not yet been
announced, 43 international groups from 23
countries have confirmed their attendance, Cuba
will present 16 prizewinning companies or which
have outstanding performances. The opening will
take place on October 22 at the Sala Covarrubias,
Teatro Nacional with the play Charenton, directed
by Flora Lauten with Teatro Buendía
XVIII Festival CubaDanzón Matanzas 2015
November 12-15
Matanzas
Cuban and non-Cuban dance couples can
participate in the categories 16-35 years old and 3675 years old. Participants shall be acquainted with
the following danzones: “Las alturas de Simpson,”
“Fefita,” “Almendra,” “El Cadete Constitucional,”
“La flauta mágica,” “El bombín de Barreto” and
“Rompiendo la rutina.” As usual, theoretical
meetings with music experts, musicians,
researchers, teachers and other experts will take
place during the Cuba-Danzón.
contents
page 71
contents
page 72
Havana’s best places to eat
La Guarida
El Atelier
5
Bella Ciao
5
Café Bohemia
5
Café Laurent
4+
Experimental fusion
Homely Italian
Café
Spanish/Mediterranean
Interesting décor, interesting
menu.
Great service, good prices. A
real home from home.
Bohemian feel. Great
sandwiches, salads & juices
Attractive penthouse restaurant
with breezy terrace.
Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-2025
Calle 19 y 72, Playa
(+53) 7-206-1406
Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana
Vieja
Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2090
Casa Miglis
El Chanchullero
La California
5
La Casa
5
5
5
Cuban-Creole/International
Contemporary fusion
Swedish-Cuban fusion
Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Great fresh pastas.
VIP service. The Robaina family
place. Thurs Sushi night.
Oasis of good food & taste in
Centro Habana
Fabulous value hole in the wall
tapas. Trendy.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro
y Refugio, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863 7510
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo
Vedado
(+53) 7-881-7000
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y
Lagunas, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-864-1486
Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza
del Cristo, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-872-8227
El Cocinero
Corte Príncipe
Il Divino
5
5+
4+
D. Eutimia
5+
International
Italian
International
Cuban/Creole
Industrial chic alfresco rooftop
with a buzzing atmosphere
Sergio’s place. Simple décor,
spectacular food.
Set in huge gardens outside
town. Great for the kids.
Absolutely charming. Excellent
Cuban/creole food.
Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado.
(+53) 7-832-2355
Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar
(+53) 5-255-9091
Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza
y Lindero, Arroyo Naranjo
(+53) 7-643-7734
Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza
de la Catedral, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7 861 1332
Iván Chef
El Litoral
La Fontana
4
Habana Mia 7
5
5+
5+
International
International gourmet
Spanish
International
Consistently good food,
attentive service. Old school.
Endless summer nights.
Excellent food and service.
Brilliantly creative and rich
food.
Watch the world go by at the
Malecón’s best restaurant.
Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-202-8337
Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra.
Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2287
Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-863-9697
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2201
Nautilus
5
Nazdarovie
5+
Nero Di Seppia
5
Opera
5
French/Mediterranean
Soviet
ITALIAN
INTERNATIONAL
Imaginative, tasty and
innovative menu.
Well designed Soviet décor,
excellent food & good service.
Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13. Playa
(+53) 5-237-3894
Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado
y Carcel, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
SThe new location for Havana’s
best pizza chef, Walter. Same
food, great locale.
Homely & intimate
environment. Quality food. By
reservation.
Calle 6 #122 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 5-478-7871
Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado
(+53) 5-263-1632
(+53) 8-31-2255
Otra Manera
5
Río Mar
5
San Cristóbal
5
304 O’Reilly
5
international
International
Cuban/Creole
international
Beautiful modern decor.
Interesting menu and good
service.
Contemporary décor. Great
sea-view. Good food.
Deservedly popular.Consistently
great food. Kitsch décor.
Chic, stylish. Superb gin &
tonic. Best in Old Havana.
Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-4838
San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y
Campanario, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-9109
O’Reilly #304‬ e/ Habana y
Aguiar,La Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-264-4725
Starbien
VIP Havana
Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa.
(+53) 7-203-8315
Santy
5+
5+
5
El Templete
5-
Sushi/Oriental
Spanish
Authentic fisherman’s shack
servicing world-class sushi.
Fabulous food and great service
in the heart of Vedado.
Jordi’s place. Fabulous modern
open-plan space.
Overlooking harbor. Good
quality but expensive.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C,
Jaimanitas
(+53) 5-286-7039
Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-0711
Calle 9na #454 e/ E y F, Vedado
(+53) 7-832-0178
Ave. del Puerto #12 esq. a
Narciso López, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-8807
contents
November 2015
page 73
La Guarida
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Contemporary fusion
CostExpensive
www.laguarida.com
Type of placePrivate (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Authentic, charming and intimate
atmosphere in Cuba’s best known
restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy.
Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the
Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining
next to you.
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro
Habana.
(+53) 7-866-9047
El Litoral
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Quality décor, good service and
great food. Best new place recently opened.
Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset
watching the world go by on the Malecón
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado.
(+53) 7-830-2201
Nazdarovie
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Soviet
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes
in a classy locale.
Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the
gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon.
Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro
Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
Santy
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Sushi
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience
overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea.
World class.
Don’t miss Getting a reservation here.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas
(+53) 5-286-7039
contents
November 2015
page 74
Café Bohemia
5+
TOP PICK
Style of foodTraditional
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for perfect for taking a break from long
walks and seeking shelter from the stifling
Cuban.
Don’t miss location in the cool inner
courtyard of the colonial building.
Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde
de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364
(+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567
www.havanabohemia.com
Iván Chef Justo
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Spanish
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light
and airy place where it always seems to feel
like Springtime.
Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish.
Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro
leches.
Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja.
(+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540
Casa Miglis
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Swedish-Cuban fusion
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for The beautifully designed interior,
warm ambience and Miglis’s personality
create the feeling of an oasis in Central
Havana.
Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis.
The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and
lingonberries.
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-864-1486
www.casamiglis.com
Habana Mía 7
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International gourmet
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Stylish and fresh décor give a
Mediterranean feel for long endless summer
nights. Excellent food and service.
Don’t miss Watching the world go by on the
lovely terrace overlooking the ocean.
Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2287
www.habanamia7.com
contents
November 2015
page 75
La California
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Cuban-Creole/International
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Popular place with quality food and great
service. Love the fresh pastas.
Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the
neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio,
Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-7510
Atelier
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Experimental fusion
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building
with great décor and service.
Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace
during summer.
Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-2025
atelierdedecuba@yahoo.es
La Casa
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International/sushi
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Warm hospitality and openness
from the four generations of the Robaina
family. Quality food.
Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night.
The Piña Colada.
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado.
(+53) 7-881-7000
alerobaina@restaurantelacasacuba.com
Otramanera
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Beautiful modern décor and good
food.
Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet
& sour sauce and grilled pineapple
Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa
(+53) 7-203-8315
otramaneralahabana@gmail.com
reservas@otramaneralahabana.com
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November 2015
page 76
Sloppy Joe’s
Havana’s best Bars & Clubs
Traditional Bars
El Floridita
4+
Hemingway’s daiquiri bar.
Touristy but always full of life.
Great cocktails.
Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1299
5
1950s Traditionals
GUEST PERFORMERS INCLUDE
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
MEMBERS
Sociedad Rosalía de Castro,
Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones,
Old Havana
(+53) 5-270-5271
Sloppy
Joe’s Bar
4+
Cervecería
Antiguo Almacén
Madera y el Tabaco
Recently (beautifully)
renovated. Full of history.
Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’.
Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana
Vieja
(+53) 7-866-7157
5+
de
la
Microbrewery located
overlooking the restored docks
Simply brilliant.
Avenida del Puerto y San
Ignacio, La Habana Vieja
Contemporary Bars
El Cocinero
5+
Fabulous rooftop setting, great
service, cool vibe.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
(+53) 7-832-2355
Espacios
5-
Laid back contemporary bar
with a real buzz in the back
beer-garden.
TaBARish
5
A comfortable place to chat
/ hang out with your friends.
Great service.
Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31,
Miramar
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
(+53) 5-329-6325
www.facebook.com/fabrica.
deartecubano
(+53) 7-202-9188
Contemporary bars/clubs
Don Cangrejo
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the
oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3837
5
Packed night after night with
a young dressed-up clientele
wanting to party. Don’t go
looking for Buena Vista Social
Club!
4
Bohemian attracting a hip
Cuban crowd. Excellent DJ’s
keep the place jumping.
El Gato Tuerto
4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
Calle 17 e/ E y F, Vedado, La
Habana
(+53) 7-832-0433
Up & Down
5
From the team that brought
you Sangri-La. Attracting
a young party crowd, very
popular. Take a coat.
Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
El Tocororo
Sangri-La
5
For the cool kids. Basement
bar/club which gets packed at
weekends.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 7-264-8343
Calle 3ra y B, Vedado
Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa
(+53) 5 -294-3572
Other
Sarao’s Bar
Bolabana
5+
X Alfonso’s new cultural center.
Great concerts, funky young
scene.
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
(+53) 7-836-3031
Fábrica
de Arte
4+
Expat favorite hangout. Small
indoor bar with live music and
eclectic clientele.
Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar
Bertolt Brecht
5
Think MTV Unplugged. Hip,
funky and unique with an artsy
Cuban crowd.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-1354
Gay-friendly
Cabaret
Las Vegas
4
Can get dark and smoky but
great drag show (11pm) from
Divino—one of Cuba’s most
accomplished drag acts.
Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado.
(+53) 7-870-7939
El Sauce
5-
Mellow outdoor club.
Avenida 9na #12015, e/
Calles 120 y 130, Miramar.
(07) 204-6428
Fashion
Bar Havana
A superb example of
queer class meets camp,
accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
San Juan de Dios, esq. a
Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
5
Café Bar
Madrigal
4
Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and
the staff’s supercilious attitude,
this is a gathering spot for all
types of folks.
Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2433
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November 2015
page 78
Bertolt Brecht
5
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/clubs
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with hip & funky
Cubans who like their live music.
Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a
Wednesday evening.
(+53) 7-830-1354
Espacios
5-
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in
the garden area which often has live music.
Good turnover of people.
Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek
Mazano playing live sets in the garden.
Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar
(+53) 7-202-2921
Sangri-La
5+
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on
the Havana Farundula in the most popular
bar/club.
Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 5-264-8343
Bolabana
5
TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Trendy new location near Salón
Rosado de la Tropical
Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana
Farándula
Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa
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November 2015
page 79
Sloppy Joe’s Bar
4+
CA TOP PICK
Style
Bar / Traditional
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Immense original bar lovingly
restored. Good service, History.
Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean.
Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja,
(07) 866-7157
Fábrica de Arte
5+
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural
center has something for everyone
Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should
demonstrate ongoing creativity and a
commitment for social transformation.
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
Fashion Bar Havana
5
TOP PICK
Gay-friendly
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for A superb example of queer class
meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm
San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
TaBARish
5
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for A comfortable place to chat / hang
out with your friends. Great service.
Don’t Miss The homemade Russian soup –
just like Matushka makes it.
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
(+53) 7-202-9188
contents
November 2015
page 80
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
Havana’s best live music venues
Concert venues
Karl Marx
Theatre
5
World class musicians perform
prestigious concerts in Cuba’s
best equipped venue.
Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar
(+53) 7-203-0801
Jazz
Café Jazz
Miramar
4+
Salsa/Timba
4
Attracts the best Cuban
musicians. Recently renovated
with an excellent new sound
system.
Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la
Revolución
(+53) 7-878-4273
Contemporary
5
Think MTV Unplugged when
musicians play. Hip, funky and
unique with an artsy Cuban
crowd.
(+53) 7-830-1354
Trova & traditional
Barbaram
Pepito’s Bar
4+
Some of the best Cuban Nueva
Trova musicians perform
in this small and intimate
environment.
Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del
Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado
(+53) 7-881-1808
A truly beautiful church,
which regularly hosts fabulous
classical music concerts.
Fábrica de Arte
5
X Alfonso’s new cultural center.
Great concerts inside (small
and funky) and outside (large
and popular!).
Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de
San Francisco de Asís, Habana
Vieja
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next
to the Puente de Hierro)
Jazz Café
La Zorra y el
Cuervo
4
Galerías de Paseo
Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
Cine Teatro Miramar
10:30pm – 2am
Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar
Café Teatro
Bertolt Brecht
5
A staple of Havana’s jazz
scene, the best jazz players
perform here. Somewhat cold
atmosphere-wise.
Clean, modern and
atmospheric. Where Cuba’s
best musicians jam and
improvise.
Café Cantante
Mi Habana
Basílica San
Francisco de Asís
Casa de la
Música
Intimate and atmospheric, this
basement jazz club, which you
enter through a red telephone
box, is Cuba’s most famous.
Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2402
4
Casa de la
Música
Centro Habana
Miramar
A little rough around the edges
but spacious. For better or
worse, this is ground zero for
the best in Cuban salsa.
Smaller and more up-market
than its newer twin in Centro
Habana. An institution in the
Havana salsa scene.
Galiano e/ Neptuno y
Concordia, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-8296/4165
Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-0447
Don Cangrejo
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the
oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3837
Gato Tuerto
4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
5
El Sauce
4
Recently renovated, one of
Cuba’s most prestigious venues
for a multitude of events.
Paseo y 39, Plaza de la
Revolución.
Privé Lounge
5+
Small and intimate lounge
club with great acoustics and
beautiful decor. Jazz groups
play Sunday night.
Calle 88A #306 e/ 3ra y 3raA,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-2719
Salón Rosado
de la Tropical
5
Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa
Times: varies wildly
(+53) 7-203-5322
5-
Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130,
Playa
(+53) 7-204-6428
Teatro de
Bellas Artes
4+
Small intimate venue inside
Cuba’s most prestigious arts
museum. Modern.
Trocadero e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate, Habana Vieja.
5
The 1950s traditionals, a
project created over 10 years
ago, pays tribute to the Golden
Era of Cuban music: the 1950s.
Sociedad Rosalia de Castro,
Egido #504 e/ Monte y
Dragones, Havana Vieja
(+53) 7-861-7761
5
Teatro Nacional
The legendary beer garden
where Arsenio tore it up. Look
for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat
night and a Sun matinee.
Great outdoor concert venue to
hear the best in contemporary
& Nueva Trova live in concert.
Tradicionales
de los 50
Sala Covarrubias
4+
Salón 1930
‘Compay Segundo’
Buena Vista Social Club style
set in the grand Hotel Nacional.
Hotel Nacional
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-835-3896
contents
November 2015
page 81
Havana’s Best Hotels
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Simply the best…
Iberostar
Parque Central
5+
Santa Isabel
5+
Luxurious historic mansion
facing Plaza de Armas
Luxury hotel overlooking
Parque Central
5+
Stunning view from roof-top
pool. Beautiful décor.
Narciso López, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8201
Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-6627
Saratoga
Terral
5
Wonderful ocean front
location. Newly renovated.
Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a
Dragones, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8201
Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro
Habana
(+53) 7-862-8061
Boutique Hotels in Old Havana
Florida
5
Beautifully restored colonial
house.
5
Cuban baroque meets modern
minimalist
Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-862-4127
Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura,
Habana Vieja
Business Hotels
Meliá Cohíba
Palacio del
Marqués...
5
Oasis of polished marble and
professional calm.
Meliá Habana
5
Attractive design & extensive
facilities.
Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado
(+53) 7- 833-3636
4
A must for Hemingway
aficionados
Mercure Sevilla
4
Trocadero #55 entre Prado y
Zulueta, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8560
On the banks of the Río
Almendares.
Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B,
Reparto Kohly, Playa
(+53) 7-204-9232
3
Deauville
Lack of pretension, great
location.
Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y
Malecón, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-866-8812
4+
Hotel Nacional
Saint John’s
Lively disco, tiny quirky pool.
Popular.
(+53) 7-833-3740
H10 Habana
Panorama
4+
Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi.
Modern.
Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar
(+53) 7 204-0100
5
Riviera
3
Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-835 3896
3
5
Mercaderes #202, esq. a
Lamparilla
(+53) 7-862-9293
Eclectic art-deco architecture.
Gorgeous gardens.
Economical/Budget Hotels
Bosque
Occidental
Miramar
Conde de
Villanueva
Delightfully small and intimate.
For cigar lovers.
Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1037
Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3583
Stunning views from the roof
garden restaurant.
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a
Mercaderes, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7- 860-9529
5+
Immensely charming, great
value.
Good value, large spacious
modern rooms.
Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar
(+53) 5-204-8500
For a sense of history
Ambos Mundos
Hostal Valencia
Paseo y Malecón, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-4051
3
Vedado
3
Good budget option with a bit
of a buzz
(+53) 7-836-4072
contents
November 2015
page 82
Casa Escorial
Havana’s
best private
places to stay
For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact
sales.cu@cubatravelnetwork.com
Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B)
1932
Miramar 301
4
Visually stunning, historically
fascinating. Welcoming.
5
5
Beautiful colonial townhouse
with great location.
Luxury House
4 bedrooms private luxury
villa with swimming pool
Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro
y Laguna, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-6203
Habana
Julio y Elsa
5
Cluttered bohemian feel.
Hospitable.
Calle Habana #209, e/
Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana
Vieja.
(+53) 7-861-0253
Consulado #162 e/ Colón y
Trocadero, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-861-8027
Casa Escorial
Hostal Guanabo
Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals)
Cañaveral House
But undoubtedly the most
beautiful about private homes
in Cuba
5 Vitrales
39A street, #4402, between 44
y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba
(+53) 295-5700
http://www.cubaguesthouse.
com/canaveral.home.
html?lang=en
5
Hospitable, attractive and
reliable boutique B&B with 9
bedrooms.
5+
Attractive accomodations with
a panoramic view of Plaza Vieja
Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/
Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza
Vieja, Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278 6148
maylu21@hotmail.com
Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y
Chacón, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-2607
5
Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo.
Excellent food.
Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Guanabo
(+53) 7-799-0004
Apartment rentals
Bohemia Boutique
Apartments
5+
5+
Beautifully designed
and spacious 3 bedroom
apartment. Spanish colonial
interiors with cheerful, arty
accents.
Gorgeous 1-bedroom
apartment beautifully
decorated apartment
overlooking Plaza Vieja.
Luxury Houses
5
Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild
garden and great pool.
Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado
(+34) 677525361
(+53) 7-832-1927
(+53) 5-360-0456
Casablanca
Tropicana
Penthouse
5
5
Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29
(+53) 5-294-5397
www.havanacasablanca.com
Michael
and María Elena
This leafy oasis in western
Havana has an attractive
mosaic tiled pool and three
modern bedrooms.
Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final,
Playa
(+53) 7-209-0084
5
Lamparilla #62 altos e/
Mercaderes y San Ignacio,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-829-6524
Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10
e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero
(+53) 5-254-5240
www.tropicanapenthouse.com
Elegant well-equipped villa
formerly owned by Fulgencio
Batista. Beautiful wild garden.
Suite Havana
Elegant 2-bedroom apartment
in restored colonial building.
Quality loft style décor.
A luxurious penthouse with
huge roof terrace and breathtaking 360 degree views of
Havana and the ocean.
Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a
San Nicolás, Centro Habana
(+53) 5-254-5240
www.casaconcordia.net
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla
y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5- 403-1 568
(+53) 7-836-6567
Villasol
Casa Concordia
5
Residencia
Mariby
5
A sprawling vanilla-hued
mansion with 6 rooms
decorated with colonial-era
lamps, tiles and Louis XV
furniture
Vedado.
(+53) 5-370-5559
contents
November 2015
page 83
Casa Escorial
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Attractive accomodations with a
panoramic view of Plaza Vieja
Don’t Miss The smell of fresh made coffee
from the café below.
Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey,
Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278-6148
maylu21@hotmail.com
Bohemia Boutique
Apartments Blue
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious
bedroom on the mezzanine with air
conditioning.
Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished,
plenty of light and very well ventilated.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza
Vieja, Habana Vieja
bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com
(+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
Bohemia Boutique
Apartments Red
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio
of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air
conditioning
Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished,
plenty of light and very well ventilated.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza
Vieja, Habana Vieja
bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com
(+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
Cañaveral House
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Large elegant villa away from
downtown Havana. Great for families or
groups of friends.
Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch
out on the lawn of the
beautifully kept garden.
39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La
Habana Cuba
(+53) 295-5700
http://www.cubaguesthouse.com/canaveral.home.
html?lang=en
contents
November 2015
page 84
Thank You
Wishes to thank all of the following
entities for their support and
involvement with What’s On
Havana.
Center for Cuban Studies /
Cuban Art Space