Lil’ Havana
If you’ve ever been to Miami, you probably have visited South Beach and Little Havana. Neighborhoods with very different vibes. My experience years ago in SoBe seemed an alternating combination of participant and voyeur, experiencing and observing. We did go to several clubs and restaurants, but walking the streets was an interesting exercise in observation, watching the machinations and gesticulations of people as they perform and revel in celebration of uninhibited behaviors.
Little Havana is a real neighborhood center, with a unique character that is celebrated and nurtured. Murals and paintings adorn almost every building. Color and character follow and lead you down the main streets where restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors, cigar making shops and yes, even a McDonalds go with flamboyant architectural themes and paints.
Classic cars of the 50s and 60s populate the streets and curbs, sporting beautiful paint jobs and “Please Do Not Touch” window signs. Bands of tourists crowd the sidewalks. Traffic leisurely motors by while impatient drivers show their frustration with the liberal use of horns. It’s wise to observe the crosswalks. We peek through the window of a cigar shop to see the proprietor rolling cigars, an art in itself. But, we are on our way to a rum tasting at the famous Cuban Ocho Bar & Museum (yes, really), so there’s no time to stop.
CubaOcho is an eclectic, visually busy watering hole whose walls, ceiling and tables are lined with classical Cuban art. And, of course, there’s a story behind it’s existence. Like many of Little Havana’s inhabitants, the owner is an immigrant of Cuba. He fled the island and Castro in 1992 on a boat loaded with the first 10 pieces of his beloved art collection, the very one that now populates CubaOcho. During his crossing the boat became unseaworthy, and attempts were made by others to rescue Roberto and his brother, Carlos. They staunchly refused to leave their precious paintings to a fate at the bottom of the Carribean. Finally, the US Coast Guard relented and agreed to tow the boat and two men to the mainland. The rest, as they say, is history.
We are at CubaOcho to participate in a tasting of high-end rums from around the Carribean. First is Diplomatico from Venezuela. Next up, Zacapa from Guatemala, followed by the 20 and 25 year aged Centenario rums from Costa Rica and the sweetest of these rums, Shipwreck’s Vanilla rum (love that name) from the island of St. Kitts, and finally, bringing up the end of the run, Pink Pigeon from Mauritius. My favorite rum, Pilar from Key West, is not on the table today. So today, I find myself drawn to the 25 year Centenario and the Shipwreck which, even though it’s sweeter than most, still has a great balance to it.
After our rum running, we do a little light exploring down the main drag of SW 8th Street and find some fun places to eat, drink and be merry. The festive colors all around don’t hurt in the slightest.
How’s that for flamboyant! Good, relaxed fun. Next door to ice cream is the Ball and Chain with a pretty senorita dancing on the threshold in a bright yellow dress. Ball and Chain – hmm, to what could they be referring…? Haha. Already another name on this street that I love.
Any time you’re in Miami you should make a point of visiting Little Havana. Less pretentious and more ethnic than South Beach and, for me, a better time.
