Cuban Beat- Miami's Little Havana

Miami.  For me, the name of the city conjured up images of ...I don't know...speed boats, Art Deco buildings and Crockett & Tubbs catching bad guys in their pastel-coloured suits.  I did know there was a vibrant Cuban community in the Little Havana neighbourhood, but I must admit my knowledge was limited to the mid-1980s "Miami Vice" television series.

Nice fedora, Gallo

But Miami is HOT. The vibrancy of this city and its neighbourhoods are electric.  Jenni was our tour guide once again as we took the car into downtown Miami, about one and a half hours from Tequesta.  I figured Miami would be a great place to break in these new white pants I purchased from Island Company in Palm Beach yesterday.  I may even blend right in with the locals-except for the pasty-white Canadian winter complexion I was donning.

smells of Havana

Our first order of business was to visit the iconic neighbourhood of Little Havana.  We found free parking on one of the side streets off of the main drag.  The little homes in this area are so brightly coloured and well kept; we already had the feeling that this was an eclectic area of the city that was alive with history and culture.

The Main street in Little Havana is Calle Ocho or SW 8th Street.  Here are many shops selling Cuban and Latin American food specialties, bars, restaurants, and walk up food windows.  It was a mix of authentic and gritty immigrant establishments and hipster havens.  Luke was in a gorgeous shop selling men's clothing and hats, looking for a straw fedora that fits his well-endowed cranium.  I noticed that this shop and the art gallery next door were very chic and modern compared to many other shops on the same block and I got a sinking feeling was this area culturally eroding?  Was this area being gentrified?

While Luke was trying on hats I got to talking with the store manager; a long time Little Havana resident.  I was asking her if this area was becoming gentrified as the immigrant population became older and moving away (and the neighbourhood land values increasing; therefore pricing out newer immigrants).  She said most of the new businesses in Little Havana are being opened by the children or grandchildren of the original immigrants to this area.  There is a nostalgic attachment for this area and a love and pride in preserving their culture and traditions.  It is a revitalization, not gentrification...

Azucar ice cream

Alas, Luke didn't find the right size fedora for his head; yet again.  I thought I would cheer him up with some Cuban ice cream!  You can't miss the Azucar Ice Cream Company. Azucar is located right across the street from the famous Dominoes Park (Maximo Gomes Park), and next to the infamous Ball and Chain Bar.  Besides, there is a giant ice cream cone on the front of the building so you can't miss it!

Here the ice cream is fresh and handmade.   I tried the Cuban vanilla ice cream called Mantecado, and it was complete heaven.  It's the consistency of gelato, (so milk, not cream) but richer, like custard-yes, it's like vanilla custard and gelato had a love child.  It tastes like...MORE, please!
24 flavours of more, to be exact!!!   

P.S. When you visit the Azucar Ice Cream Co, look down-the tile work on the floor is stunning.





We loved just walking along Calle Ocho, listening to all the Latin rhythms coming out of the shops and Spanish being spoken all around us.  The incredible food smells mingling with the occasional waft of fragrant cigars (there is no shortage of cigar emporiums here either). We checked out the Cuban Memorial Park Boulevard and noticed there were chickens and roosters running around in the streets and evidence of Santaria spells under a giant sacred Ceiba tree (chicken bones and little cloth bundles left as offerings to the deities). The neighbourhood just felt so ALIVE here.

I wanted to stay and grab a mojito at the Ball and Chain bar, relax and listen to the music all night long; but we still wanted to see the famous Miami beach.  We popped into a Latin supermarket that had a lunch counter and grabbed some Cuban coffee to fuel us up until we hit the Miami strip!
Vamos a la playa!!!