Havana %7 / Pop 2,130,431

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Havana %7 / pop 2,130,431

Why Go? Downtown Havana...... 59 Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you are there. Sights...... 62 Waves crashing against a mildewed sea wall; a young couple cavorting in a dark, dilapidated alley; guitars and Activities...... 101 voices harmonizing over a syncopated drum rhythm; sun- Sleeping...... 103 light slanting across rotten peeling paintwork; a handsome Eating...... 110 youth in a guayabera shirt leaning against a Lada; the smell Drinking & Nightlife.... 117 of car fumes and cheap aftershave; tourists with Hemingway Entertainment...... 120 beards; Che Guevara on a billboard, a banknote, a key-ring, a T-shirt… Shopping...... 125 No one could have invented Havana. It’s too audacious, Outer Havana...... 132 too contradictory, and – despite 50 years of withering ne- Playa & Marianao...... 132 glect – too damned beautiful. How it does it, is anyone’s Regla...... 144 guess. Maybe it’s the swashbuckling history, the survival- ist spirit, or the indefatigable salsa energy that ricochets Guanabacoa...... 145 off walls and emanates most emphatically from the people. Cojímar Area...... 146 Don’t come here looking for answers. Just arrive with an Casablanca...... 147 open mind and prepare yourself for a long, slow seduction. Playas del Este...... 147 When to Go Best Places to ¨¨One of Havana’s most outstanding music festivals is the Eat Festival Internacional de Jazz, which is held each year in February. Don’t miss it! ¨¨Doña Eutimia (p110) ¨¨Havana’s summer heat can be stifling. To avoid it, come in ¨¨Casa Miglis (p113) October, a wonderfully quiet month when there’s still plenty ¨¨Paladar La Fontana (p139) to do – such as enjoy the annual Festival Internacional de Ballet. ¨¨Busier (for a reason) is December, when people line up Best Places to for the Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, Cuba’s Stay premiere movie shindig. ¨¨Hotel Los Frailes (p104) ¨¨Hotel Iberostar Parque Central (p107) ¨¨Hostal Conde de Villanueva (p104) Havana Dhoiswtnortoywn Havana 59

- - - - had physic- been which By the 1902 city, On aberration. an was it Castro, Fidel For and ongoing is restoration city’s the Today The British occupation resulted in Spain resulted occupation The British way in 1837, followed by public gas lighting lighting gas by public followed in way 1837, trans urban an (1851), telegraph the (1848), port system (1862), telephones (1888) and (1890). lighting electric ally untouched by the wars devastating of boasted independence, a quarter of a mil lion inhabitants. It wooded the had into and expanded rapidly Malecón the along west There glades Vedado. of off-limits formerly was a of large influx at rich the Americans start of the era, Prohibition and the good times began to roll with abandon; by the 1950s Havana was a amid decadent city the frolicking parties of all-night gambling American mobsters and scooping fortunes into the pockets Lansky. of Meyer as such hoods various disreputable revolutionary new the 1959, in power taking government promptly closed down all the henchmen his and Lansky sent and casinos back to Miami. The hotels once-glittering were divided up begun. to had provide homes decline for long the Havana’s poor. rural a stoic fight against the odds in a country where shortages are Since part scarce. of is materials everyday raw life for money and 1982 City Historian Eusebio together Leal back Spengler Vieja Habana piecing been has street by street and square by square with the aid of is Unesco and starlet a old the variety of foreign surely, but Slowly investors. greatness. former her reclaim to starting opening Havana to Havana opening freer trade. In 1765 the city was granted the right to seven Spanish cities instead trade of only with Cádiz, to was and ship allowed from 1818 Havana to directly coffee and tobacco rum, sugar, its was century 19th The world. the of part any rail the came first progress: steady of era an Downtown Havana For simplicity’s sake downtown can be Habana into split main three areas: Havana Vieja, Centro Habana and Vedado, which of tour the bulk the contain them between is Vieja Habana located Centrally ist sights. masterpiece; historic atmospheric the city’s provides west, to the Habana, Centro dense an eye-opening look at the real-life Cuba in and close-up; the more spread- majestic Mafia-run once-notorious is the Vedado out - - - - Río Mayabeque by Spanish Spanish by Mayabeque Río Havana is the most westerly and isolated isolated and westerly most the is Havana It took the Spanish conquest of Mexico led pirates French by sacked was city The the under army British a 1762, 6, June On year a city the regained Spanish the When ing ing to local the legend, first Mass was said de Plaza present-day in tree ceiba a beneath Armas. of original villas, and Diego Velázquez’ life get didn’t Things days. early the in hard was and pirates French when in 1538 better any city. the razed slaves local and Peru at to location, strategic swing town’s the The pendulum favor. in vana’s Ha it of made the mouth a the of Gulf Mexico, fleets for nexus treasure the perfect annual to regroup in its sheltered harbor before heading east. Thus endowed, its ascension Havana 1607 in and decisive, and quick was Cuba. of capital the as Santiago replaced by Jacques de Sores in 1555; the Spanish La by and replied building Punta El Morro an reinforce to 1630 and 1558 between forts already formidable protective ring. From 1674 to a 1740, strong wall around the city the kept pirates defenses These was added. at bay but proved ineffective when Spain in became embroiled the War Seven Years’ Britain. with landing Havana, attacked Albemarle of Earl to Guanaba inland striking and at Cojímar coa. From there they drove west along the July on and harbor, the of side northeastern 30 they attacked El Morro from of west the Chorrera, La at rear. landed troops Other were Spanish the 13 August by and city, the surrounded and forced to surrender. months. The 11 for Havana held British later in for exchange they Florida, began a building program to upgrade the de city’s debilitating another avoid to order in fenses A siege. La new was fortress, Cabaña, built had the from which British the along ridge work the by and time the El Morro, shelled the become had Havana 1774 in finished was World, New the in city fortified heavily most Indies.’ the of ‘bulwark the In In 1514 San Cristóbal de La Habana founded was on the south coast of Cuba the near of mouth the conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez. Named chief, after of the daughter a Taíno famous the city was moved twice during its first five years due to and wasn’t established on permanently its mosquito Accord 1519. 17, infestations December until site present History