Visiting Vintage Havana Involves Some Old-school Hassles

[...] visitors envisioning salsa in the streets and glamorous vintage cars should also be prepared to manage without ATMs, credit cards, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, seat belts or toilet paper. Street vendors sell Che Guevara T-shirts and tropical fruit. The fancy hotels sell some things in shops onsite, of course, but Havana just doesn't have many stores. Even Harris Brothers, a market on Monserrate at O'Reilly Street, isn't overflowing with consumer goods — though you can buy souvenir bags of coffee. Public bathrooms aren't bad, but I was glad I'd brought a roll of toilet paper in my bag. If you must go online in Havana, hotels sell Internet cards for lobby Wi-Fi for $4 or $5 per 30 minutes. Cuba's vintage cars sound picturesque — until you're in one with no seat belts, no air-conditioning in 90-degree heat, broken windows, belching smoke and doors that open in transit. Havana's official, government-owned taxis seemed to be in better condition than privately owned cars — though tourists are routinely overcharged. A safe bet in most eateries is a ham and cheese sandwich — called a Cuban in the U.S., but jamon y queso here. Have a Cuba libre (rum and cola, but not Coke) or a Cristal beer, then check out the photo gallery of famous guests — mobsters and Hollywood celebs. Havana's best attractions include the waterfront promenade known as the Malecon, Old Havana, Hemingway's estate at Finca Vigia and the Museo de la Revolucion, where "Cretins' Corner" mocks Ronald Reagan and the Bush presidencies. If spending nearly $100 to see skinny dancers in see-through bodysuits with sequin pasties and chandeliers on their heads sounds fun, by all means, go.

Topics:  cretins   atms   che guevara t-shirts   even harris brothers   monserrate   o'reilly street   public   internet   cuban   u.s   coke    cristal   hollywood   malecon   old havana   hemingway   finca vigia   museo   revolucion   ronald reagan   bush   a   wi-fi   street   havana   cuba   sell   hotels   belts   

 

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