A City of Havana that once existed.

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It is 1959. The new man is about to be born.

That year, Fidel Castro changed Cuba once and for all! Overnight, Cubans became Che Guevara's new man, a sick human anomaly that sacrifices brothers and sisters if they are not revolutionary enough, let alone friends and colleagues! The new man simply does annihilate men, women, and whatever is dear to them.

My generation endured and still does endure today the most sadistic obliteration and deprivation of anything precious to us. For one, we saw how the new man suppressed our rights and preyed on cities and places we treasure as ours! Havana, for one, wouldn't be exempt. Fidel Castro and his new man brought it down to its knees.

Once a place Cubans and visitors alike praised, the city today is no more than a giant pile of debris.

Unquestionably, Cuba was no paradise as many falsely claim. The sun did shine some, though.

I certainly did not see the city of Havana before 1959. There are pictures, though! Hence, a curious time traveler could sure enough cruise back to an era when things were, say, not as sad and depressing. For it is, certainly, comforting to think of streets and places we are so familiar with and hope we, as a nation, are still able and willing to reclaim whatever is left.

Yet, however dreadful the days of the revolution, we should not cherish the past to hate the present. We should rather focus on the future; we should envision a time when we all enjoy memories, treasure times long gone, learn, share with future generations, and make absolutely sure a revolution does not happen again.

Bitterness aside, I wish I'd seen Havana 50 or 100 years ago and I wish I could fit all that history into such a little space like this! Fortunately, a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it? And, pictures certainly abound!

Havana once looked like this.

Arguably, our lives are trapped in Old Havana! Unfortunately, this part of the city barely stands on its own today. Father time has done its work unchallenged and the aftermaths of the lack of care and love are awfully imposing. Yet, before many us were even born, it was a strident showcase of color, glamor, and social vibe.

Once upon a time, Zulueta street (left) hardly slowed down and it doesn't slow down even today! Visitors and residents who happen to wander around Old Havana often find themselves stranded right here unknowingly. It feels like every avenue, alleyway, and side street ends on this corner! Prado, Neptuno, San José, and San Rafael, just across the street, off Parque Central!

Who, on his or her way home, hasn't walked across the adjoining Parque Central, a unique place that magnificently blends nature with countless stories silently told by statues and monuments that humbly share the park?

Construction itself did come to an end in 1877 after the demolition of the Murallas de La Habana was completed. Some of the trees planted here are now over a hundred years old.

With that said, there's history to be told about and around the park. For one, the first statue ever built to honor Jose Marti was set in place right here back in 1905. It was designed by sculptor Jose Villalta de Saavedra after an 1899 poll conducted by El Figaro, an illustrated magazine published between the end of the XIX Century and the early years of the XX Century.

Parque Central is not alone. It graciously commissions a quota of the glory to some remarkable neighbors.

Paseo del Prado, the first ever paved alley in the city, designed by French architectJean-Claude Nicolas Forestier in 1772, runs alongside the park all the way down to the Malecon. On its way, it detaches Old Havana from the rest of the city. Tall-standing lions, trees, and marble benches cover the boulevard from one end to the other, while private houses, hotels, theaters, cinemas, and stores reminiscent of Vienna, Madrid, and Paris edge the sidewalks.

During the 1950's and after decades of shine and splendor, many of the rich residents of the area begun moving to Miramar. Soon after, the Revolution happened and not much was done ever since to maintain the area; many buildings collapsed swallowing with them a piece of history.

Deep into the heart of Old Havana there is Obispo Boulevard.

Not too far from the park, Obispo reminds the visitor of a giant flea market. Countless stores and street merchants are open for business year round. Even today, the boulevard is one of the busiest areas in the city. Thrift stores and banks once lined up the boulevard. Yet, informal commercial stands were also a common feature.

The boulevard dies at Plaza de Armas, a colonial venue packed nowadays with street vendors. The plaza accommodates several colonial buildings miraculously still standing.

Sadly, Habana Vieja was completely ignored and neglected for years until renovation projects were undertaken in the early 2000's. Today, it certainly looks in better shape, but how much history has been lost on the way is anyone's guess.

Centro Habana

West of the old city, Centro Habana, a neighborhood I am pretty familiar with, has not fared any better. Buildings are barely in one piece and digging into the past makes me fear not much will be left in a few years from now.

For one, the busy corner of Infanta and San Lazaro looks decrepit and unattractive today, but in years past, it irradiated life and energy.

San Lazaro runs all the way down from Unversidad de La Habana deep into the city. Over the years, the street has witnessed countless student demonstrations and, before Castro, was often battered by political turmoil.

Infanta itself was once a gorgeous showcase of specialty stores, bakeries, movie theaters, and restaurants. Today, very little is left, though. I heard the movie theater of the same name was rebuilt sometime ago and remains the only one afloat!

El Vedado

As an appendix to Infanta, Calle 23 turns West and heads into El Vedado, considered by many the heart of the city. Originally, the now residential area was nothing but a dense wall of caoba and acana trees to protect the city against pirate attacks. Hence, building in the area was strictly prohibited by the colonial government.

Due to the governor's ordinance, this area was dubbed El Vedado, the reserve or forbidden zone. Somehow the name stubbornly beat father time and even survived the chaos of name-changing mania of the revolutionary era.

Today, the area is a pale image of what it once was. There is nothing left of the legendary glamor that attracted the whole world to the city, let alone caoba and acana.

I grew up a few blocks from the intersection of 23rd and 12th streets one block from the main entrance to the world-famous Cementerio de Colon. The once busy street corner barely resembles today what it once was, although it is still one of the busiest in town.

it is worth noting, though, that the area has its own dark secrets. Batista's son, Papo, who had a knack for young males, used to send soldiers to pick the boys up right here.

In short, the city has changed and images and stories abound to prove it. Some people dream of better times long gone, but the past is not an alternative anymore. It is the future what matters now. That's why I rather think of long gone times as a motivation to build a better future not as a means to hate the present.

w.dominguez

Oh, Miami!

Downtown Miami

Welcome to Miami's Cuban underverse and some.

The City of Miami is the heart of a county, namely Miami-Dade County. Thirty four "cities" make up this human conglomerate located just a few blocks South of the United States of America. It sits in between Broward and Monroe counties splitting mainland from the Florida Keys.

Miami-Dade can be easily spotted, firstly, because one of the 34 cities or whatever they are happens to be, precisely, Miami and, secondly, because Miami itself and most of the surrounding areas, mostly exuberant Hialeah and neighboring hoods, are inhabited by a gracious human breed called los cubanos!

Los cubanos

Once upon a time, los cubanos, in Florida's native language the Cubans, left Cuba, an island down South where time stopped ticking some time ago, and they've been coming ever since. They had been kicked out of their roaming quarters by a lunatic called Castro, the king, who didn't like rich people or anyone else, for that matter, except himself.

At first, Cubans came by plane and brought with them mucho money; later they were forced to be more creative and started arriving in practically anything that floats, thus los balseros were born.

The first Cuban conquerors were soon catapulted to the very top of the local food chain. Upon arrival, the Cubans changed cartography forever and adapted geography to accommodate their colorful street names; entire neighborhoods were re-branded accordingly, tropical music mercilessly imposed its will, and Spanish became a must. 

This first avalanche also took over politics by storm. In time, they became el exilio histórico, a social class almost extincted by now.

The newcomers were not a happy bunch. And, I don't blame them for they'd been deprived of anything dear to them. Consequently, their resentment translated almost immediately into action turning the new enclave into a virtual political battlefield against their demoniac enemy, that lunatic I mentioned above. Sadly, whatever they've done hasn't worked and King Castro will happily die of natural causes.

Cubans changed once and for all whatever idea the locals may have had about human coexistence, customs, and even alimentary habits.

Los cubanos brought with them pastelitos andcroquetas, café con leche and pan con mantequilla, made the We speak English sign a fancy anachronism in an English-speaking nation, and invented the efficiency, a real estate form of property unheard of anywhere else on Planet Earth unless there is, at least, one of them lurking around.

Cubans introduced South Florida natives to a whole different way of human interaction, too. Although the pioneers stayed faithful to commonly accepted standards of communication, for one, later waves changed that for good. Stridency and shouting became the new standards of conversation, the griteria was soon institutionalized; que bolá substituted ancient greeting forms for any time of day or night; employers, services, and businesses soon added por la izquierda to their code of conduct or misconduct depending on how you understand ethics, and dominoes became the utmost social gathering.

All that said, los cubanos carry the sole responsibility of having turned an otherwise mosquito paradise into a colorful destination. Their unique way of talking to each other, loud and, generally, an extraordinary showcase of body language, can't be replicated no matter how hard you try; their pastelitos de guayaba, puerco asado, frijoles negros and fresh pan cubano are a must, let alone the Cuban sandwich; salsa infuses the necessary energy to the daily commute, and the natural friendliness of any natural born Cuban makes it a breeze to find your way around town.

Cubans aside, Miami-Dade can certainly be a daunting place all by itself.

For one, it is not easy to understand how come 34 cities peacefully co-exist in such a relatively small chunk of land. The residents themselves don't even know they actually exist. So, as a visitor, you don't have to feel ashamed if you don't know that, either.

For most around here, this is Miami and will always be. Period. Yet, the cities are really there. Some cities!

One of them was made up out of thin air to please 86 of the one-percenters; another one popped out of nowhere because of a dispute about horses which are long gone although the "city" somehow survived for the politician's delight; some isles named Sunny could be easily re-branded Shady or, who knows, maybe Moscow; Florida City, the southern most enclave before hitting the keys is not precisely famous for its strategic location but its funny ways of counting money; Sweetwater has absolutely nothing to do with water let alone sweetness, the founding midgets are long gone and politics are as shady or even shadier than in those isles I mentioned above; a mall by the name of Aventura Mall is the only landmark in the city of ...Aventura, and Opalocka up North, well, that's Opalocka, stay far away.

Some place called North Miami Beach exists, too. Funny, though, there no beaches there and trying to figure out how and who came up with the idea of "building" a city that doesn't make any sense geographically may prove too tough to handle for a regular human being.

And, there's Homestead way down South with its wineries and superb food as long as you stay away from the big chains and settle for more local venues. There's a whole bunch of peacocks, too.

w.dominguez

References

- All 24 cities in Miami-Dade County.

- This commentary first appeared in www.thinkbucket.us/

Yes, we can!

Sure, it is impossible to pick and choose who we deal with on a daily basis. We all have fellow employees, neighbors, and family members we hardly appoint ourselves. Yet, we are certainly capable and have the right to willingly determine who we listen to, share our feelings with, and make part of our plans and dreams.

There are times when you feel down and endure that terrible sentiment of loneliness that make you think every single door has been slammed on your face.  It is a time of anguish and distress, nothing seems to work out right, and finding a solution becomes an insurmountable obstacle or so we think. You need a helping hand!

It is now when those you freely chose to confess to come to play. For it is during desperate times when you badly need the vision and optimism of those around you. Unfortunately, the helping hand quite often trembles and the only thing your hear are admonitions for past mistakes or our ideas, plans, and dreams died at the mercy of the most disheartening it-can't-be-done attitude.

You may have not noticed that yet, but the time has come to take a look at yourself and make a drastic change. The moment has come to look deep inside, turn your life around, and even question who your friends are. In the very end, times of desperation are usually due to circumstances and changing those may be the holy grail. Those around you are not necessarily the ones who will show the way, though.

I suggest you take a look outside the box. There is a vast world out there inhabited by people like you, with arms and legs, who now and then went through rough times, too, and came out victorious. You should look at them for inspiration.

Yet, if those with arms and legs are not enough to get you going, I strongly advise you to open your heart and watch the next video.

Video by Anna Assenza. For more, go here.

w.dominguez