Cardinal Emprise

I once saw the island of Cuba from the deck of a cruise ship as we glided by, unable to stop there due to the embargo.  I made a point to look, because I did not know if travel for Americans would ever open back up.  There are ways Americans can go to Cuba now, and I hope I get to someday, but for now you can visit a little Cuba in American.

Not just Cuba, but Venezuela and the Dominican Republic and Mexico and Columbia and the rest of Latin America.   While the area known as Little Havana in Cuba is named after the capital of Cuba, the residents are a mishmash of immigrants and descendants of immigrants from all over Latin America. This makes for a colorful and lively community.

I spent 10 days in Little Havana working from an apartment and attending the Serie Del Caribe, which is also called the Caribbean World Series.   The winners of the winter baseball leagues in Latin American compete against each other for championship.   Usually, the tournament takes place in one of the team’s home countries, but once in a while, they come to Miami and play at Loandepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins.

The baseball was great.  Sports are always at their best, when players are representing their countries.  The fans were a giant party of people cheering, singing, and dancing to music played by bands that would just pop out of the crowd.  The Latin style of baseball is aggressive.  Players are always trying to take an extra base or force an out, so it is exciting and fun to watch.

I enjoyed my little apartment a few blocks from the ballpark.   I shopped at the corner market and enjoyed going up and down the aisles seeing food I have never even heard of.  I practiced my bad Spanish, and I soaked up the sound of good Spanish around me.  Well, maybe not good.  Cuban Spanish is particularly hard to follow, even for native Spanish speakers from other countries.    However, if you do not speak Spanish, it is okay.  Most people speak at least some English, and most are fluent.

One of the fun things I noticed about the market was that people would walk to the store, then push their shopping cart full of groceries back to their house.  Then, they would leave the cart by the curb.   I later saw a truck from the store that would go around the neighborhood and retrieve them.  I thought this was pretty cool.  I do not know if the store “let” people take their carts home in the beginning, or just finally gave up and started sending someone to go get them, but it seemed like a nice service to the community.

I enjoyed my time pretending to be a resident, but I did visit the touristy area of Little Havana – Calle Ocho.   Or, 8^th street.   This colorful street is a must see if you are visiting Miami.   I enjoyed walking from one end to another and back again enjoying the murals and shops.  But, what I enjoyed most was the food!

I sat at the bar at Old’s Havana Cuban Bar and Cocina and had what I was told was the best Cuban sandwich in Miami AND Havana.   I cannot argue with that because I cannot imagine a better one.   They also had a mojito assembly line at the bar.  They made dozens of mojitos while I had lunch, all garnished with a stock of sugar cane!

The bartenders were gracious to me.  The younger one was from Cuba and had not been here very long, and we had a great conversation.  I practiced my Spanish.  He practiced his English.  But, I noticed we both regressed into a form of Spanglish when our vocabularies failed us.  My Spanish is still terrible, but my Spanglish is pretty good!

Other things to experience on Calle Ocho are the giant rooster statues and the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame.  Much like the stars that line Hollywood Boulevard, there are stars in the sidewalk that honor Cuban or Latin celebrities, artists or cultural figures.   There is a park where locals play dominos, and a Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum.

There are shops (of course, there are cigar shops) and live music up and down the street.  I can imagine the street really gets hoping after dark.  It is a touristy destination, so it does get busy during the day on the weekends, so it is best to go lunch or dinner at an off time.   I had no wait to eat at 11 or 11:30 (I’m always hungry early), but there was definitely a waitlist when I left. 

You can certainly explore Little Havana on your own, but tours can be a nice break from trying to figure out what to do next and how to get there.   Typically, guides add a lot of good extra information that you cannot get from a brochure or plaque on a wall.  In the link below are a great selection of tours in Little Havana with a 4 to 5 star rating. Disclaimer:  I have not taken any of the tours below and I will get a small commission if you click on them and book them, but most of these look like things I would enjoy, and they have great reviews.

4 Star+ Little Havana Tours

Also, when I was in Miami I took a sunset sail on Biscayne Bay. I could not find the exact tour operator I used, but here are a selection of 4-5 Star boating adventures.

4 Star+ Boating Tours

Have you been to Little Havana?  When I travel to a place that I end up completely enjoying, I like to have a reason to go back.  So, I would love to hear your Cubano,  Mojito or other recommendations!