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As loyal readers of this blog, you are aware that I visit Havana two to three times a year. The doctor and I are always traveling abroad together but Havana has become my private little world; a place that I now refer to as my second home. I know my neighbourhood, Vedado very well, try to avoid the many new clusters of tour groups in habana vieja but will venture into tourist territory occasionally so I am well-versed in the changes occurring due to the impending arrival of millions of Americans.
This month, President Obama will visit Cuba and meet with President Castro. The Rolling Stones will perform a few days after the president's stay. Yes, Cuba is changing and I, along with millions of Cubans and Americans am bracing for the change.
I just returned from a two-week stay in Havana. Unfortunately, I was ill with the "Havana winter virus" for three days. I am told that the illness spreads across the city due to the changeable weather. In my social circle, everyone was sick with varying degrees of intensity and symptoms. I passed the time reading books, magazine articles and eventually trading my bed for my outdoor room - the terrance of my apartment that overlooks La Rampa (Calle 23) and the sea. I have not been able to book a room at my regular hotel, Hotel Presidente during my last two visits due to the influx of tourists. Instead, my friend Karen introduced me to her former landlords and friends, Aldo and Vanessa Pena who rented their newly acquired apartment located at 23 and I in Vedado.
This apartment is beautiful and centrally located. Everything I need is a short walk away and the view is breathtaking. I love staring at the water as well as the street activity during the day. At night, the lights of Vedado blend into the starry sky while Habaneros and tourists fill the streets as well as the many neighbourhood restaurants. Once again, there were more new restaurants to try in my neighbourhood and a few downtown that I was unable to try.
My new apartment
As I mentioned, my new apartment is ideally located at 23 and I. It is three blocks from the Habana Libre Hotel, a few more blocks from Hotel National, The Capri Hotel, and the Fosca building where there are many shops including a grocery store. There are many restaurants, bakeries, movie theatres, craft markets, and new little clothing stores all along 23 as well as a store, with a girl sitting at the street entrance on a stool selling internet cards. Why? Because there are internet hot spots all over the city now with one of the largest near Habana Libre hotel.
The apartment is quite large. It has two bedrooms (both with air conditioners), two bathrooms, a large and well-equipped kitchen, a roomy living room with new furniture and a TV (which is never used by me), and the terrace which has been furnished with new furniture and gorgeous wrought iron rocking chairs. My friends and I spend all of our time on the terrace sharing drinks, enjoying the view, and observing the changes occurring in the city.
A new air of prosperity for some Cubans is definitely present. It is about time, but as I have often observed here in Havana, two steps forward and one step back seems to be the norm.
This month, President Obama will visit Cuba and meet with President Castro. The Rolling Stones will perform a few days after the president's stay. Yes, Cuba is changing and I, along with millions of Cubans and Americans am bracing for the change.
I just returned from a two-week stay in Havana. Unfortunately, I was ill with the "Havana winter virus" for three days. I am told that the illness spreads across the city due to the changeable weather. In my social circle, everyone was sick with varying degrees of intensity and symptoms. I passed the time reading books, magazine articles and eventually trading my bed for my outdoor room - the terrance of my apartment that overlooks La Rampa (Calle 23) and the sea. I have not been able to book a room at my regular hotel, Hotel Presidente during my last two visits due to the influx of tourists. Instead, my friend Karen introduced me to her former landlords and friends, Aldo and Vanessa Pena who rented their newly acquired apartment located at 23 and I in Vedado.
This apartment is beautiful and centrally located. Everything I need is a short walk away and the view is breathtaking. I love staring at the water as well as the street activity during the day. At night, the lights of Vedado blend into the starry sky while Habaneros and tourists fill the streets as well as the many neighbourhood restaurants. Once again, there were more new restaurants to try in my neighbourhood and a few downtown that I was unable to try.
My new apartment
As I mentioned, my new apartment is ideally located at 23 and I. It is three blocks from the Habana Libre Hotel, a few more blocks from Hotel National, The Capri Hotel, and the Fosca building where there are many shops including a grocery store. There are many restaurants, bakeries, movie theatres, craft markets, and new little clothing stores all along 23 as well as a store, with a girl sitting at the street entrance on a stool selling internet cards. Why? Because there are internet hot spots all over the city now with one of the largest near Habana Libre hotel.
The apartment is quite large. It has two bedrooms (both with air conditioners), two bathrooms, a large and well-equipped kitchen, a roomy living room with new furniture and a TV (which is never used by me), and the terrace which has been furnished with new furniture and gorgeous wrought iron rocking chairs. My friends and I spend all of our time on the terrace sharing drinks, enjoying the view, and observing the changes occurring in the city.
A new air of prosperity for some Cubans is definitely present. It is about time, but as I have often observed here in Havana, two steps forward and one step back seems to be the norm.
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