Little Havana

A sunburned dude eating oxtail stew at Versailles in Little Havana.
Unique and interesting art galleries.

Get your ice cold coconut milk here !

Leaving the Keys into the Miami area is a pretty big transition. The Keys seems to be its own isolated world that is not dependent on what is going on anywhere else. Coming into Miami, it seems imperative to visit Little Havana, the home of many Cuban expatriates and their descendants. Driving through the neighborhoods reminds you of a time when in America ethnic communities retained their identity while assimilating to one degree or another into the mainstream culture. The streets have houses of every variety of architecture and decor. It is a refreshing break from the consistently drab suburbia of North Carolina. Emerging from the residential area we find ourselves in the commercial heart of Little Havana, consisting mainly of groceries, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, art galleries and cigar shops. It is a hot day but not hot for Miami and the older gentlemen have gathered in a courtyard to play games such as dominoes and chess. As we walk through I tell our sons that these guys are waiting. "Waiting for what" they say. I say "for Castro to die" and they have been waiting for 50 years. Well, anyway, you can see from the pictures that Fariba and our daughter enjoyed some art in the gallery. A fellow was hacking cold coconuts and sticking a straw in them and for $5.00 you could suck out enough juice to fill half of a $1.00 can of coconut juice. But there is something special about drinking the juice from a cold coconut in Little Havana. And the cigars somehow taste better there, too. But if you need to eat there, go to Versailles. It is an incredibly sophisticated restaurant operation with wonderful, filling and moderately priced food. As usual, check out the youtube for some vids: www.youtube.com/nosyfieldstone