Saturday, July 13, 2013

Havana, Cuba 5 Free Things To See And Do

Havana, Cuba: 5 Free Things To See And Do
By By PETER ORSI 07/11/13 11:33 AM ET EDT

HAVANA -- For a city where people earn an average of $20 a month at
government jobs, Havana can be a surprisingly pricey place – at least
for tourists.

From $6 daiquiris at El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway's favored watering
hole, to the ubiquitous hustlers looking to con visitors into buying
knock-off cigars, much about the Cuban capital seems geared toward
separating travelers from their money.

Fortunately some of Havana's most charming details can be experienced
free of charge. Here are five great ways to explore this city stuck in
time, without adding to the hefty fees charged by tour companies.

(Note: While millions of tourists visit Cuba each year from Canada,
Europe and elsewhere, Washington's 51-year-old economic embargo still
outlaws most American travel to the island. However, tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens are now visiting legally each year on cultural exchange
trips. These so-called people-to-people tours are rigidly scheduled to
comply with embargo rules, but there's almost always a little free time
to go off on your own, and some of these attractions may also be part of
official itineraries.)

THE MALECON

Begun in 1900 during U.S. occupation and completed in 1958 under
strongman Fulgencio Batista, the Malecon, or seawall, stretches 4 miles
(6 kilometers) from old town to the Almendares River. There's no bad
time of day for a stroll along what's known as "the great sofa" for
being Havana's 24/7 center of social activity. At dawn, fishermen dip
lines into the gentle waves as the city rouses itself from slumber. In
the afternoon, when the sunlight seems impossibly bright – don't forget
the sunblock! – kids keep cool by doing somersaults into the water. But
the Malecon truly comes alive in the evening when thousands gather to
laugh and sip rum, and canoodling couples form romantic silhouettes
against the crimson sky. Weekends at 23rd Street and Malecon are a real
party atmosphere; for a more mellow experience and the best sunsets in
town, pull up some concrete where Paseo Boulevard meets the Florida Straits.

OLD HAVANA

No visit is complete without a leisurely walk through the cobblestoned
Spanish colonial quarter, much of it patiently rehabilitated by the
Havana City Historian's Office. A tour of four public squares is enough
to hit the highlights: intimate Cathedral Square, home to the city's
main Roman Catholic temple; leafy Plaza de Armas, where vendors hawk
books, coins and Ernesto "Che" Guevara memorabilia at a daily flea
market; sun-drenched Plaza Vieja, where uniformed children from a local
school play rollicking games of tag; and breezy Plaza San Francisco, the
jumping-off point for tour buses to Old Havana. The latter teems with
colorfully dressed, cigar-chomping women who make a living as what you
might call officially licensed "greeters," attaching themselves to the
arms of male travelers and leaving lipsticky kiss marks on their cheeks.
A tip is expected if you have your picture taken with them, but a
polite, preemptive "no gracias" before they can pucker up should keep
you on budget.

OLD CARS

Havana doesn't disappoint on its reputation as a living automotive
museum, with finned 1950s Chevrolets, Fords and Cadillacs rarely seen
elsewhere still cruising the city's avenues. While some are barely held
together by makeshift parts and creative soldering, many have been
maintained with surprising amounts of TLC. For a four-wheeled blast from
the past, head to the streets around the wedding-cake-like Capitol
building, where classic car owners park their antiques so nostalgic
tourists can gawk. Motorcycle enthusiasts will delight in the weekly
gathering of the "hogs" just down the hill from the Hotel Nacional.
Members of Havana's tightly knit Harley-Davidson club meet informally
here each Saturday afternoon to show off their vintage rides, nearly all
of them predating the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

ARTISTS' WORKSHOP

See art come alive at the Taller Experimental de Grafica, ensconced at
the end of an alley off Cathedral Square in a former public bathhouse.
Founded in 1962 on "Che's" instructions, the shop hosts dozens of
artists who are remarkably friendly and happy to chat with even the
slightest prompting. Some speak English and will give visitors an
up-close demonstration of how lithographs, etchings and woodcuts get
made. Just about everything you see is for sale, but there's no pressure
to buy. For more free art, walk up gently sloping 23rd Street, also
known "la Rampa," or "the Ramp," where dozens of mosaics by Cuban
masters such as Wilfredo Lam form a sidewalk gallery that goes for
blocks and blocks.

BASEBALL FEVER

Cubans are just as crazy for "beisbol" as Americans, and
Spanish-speaking fans won't want to miss the Central Park's "esquina
caliente," or "hot corner." Named after the baseball term for third
base, this shady spot is a favorite place for Havana residents, mostly
men, to engage all comers in passionate arguments about the sport during
the November-June season. Still haven't gotten your fill of Cuba's
national pastime? A ticket to the raucous bleachers of El Latino
Stadium, home to Havana's most storied ball club, Industriales, costs
just a few pennies' worth in the local currency. Go on, splurge – after
a day in Havana without once opening your pocketbook, you've earned it.

___

Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

Source: "Havana, Cuba: 5 Free Things To See And Do" -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/free-things-to-do-in-havana-cuba_n_3580159.html

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