As far as the newer part of Havana goes, 5th Ave is by far the most beautiful street in the city. They've done a lot to restore and maintain this main thruway and continue to do so. The government was laying new sidewalks and painting houses on 5th Ave while I was there on my last trip. Since most tourists use this road when driving through Miramar, they get a good impression of the city. It's not difficult to make a good impression when the street is full of Embassies and Protocol houses which are always well maintained.
If you've ever been to Havana and driven along 5th Ave, have you ever wondered what's on either side of it. Although 7th Ave is not as stately as 5th, it still deserves some recognition. After all, my country's Embassy (Canadian) is located on this street. It too has it's fair amount of Embassies and Mansions but not as many and you'll find more houses owned by regular Cubans which won't be as well kept as the government houses. I also found a few houses that were left abandoned, more than I saw on 5th. This road is also a main thruway, you can't drive as fast but unlike 5th Ave, you can stop along the side of the road without getting fined (there's no stopping along 5th). I took this walk late in the morning and it's perfectly safe. It's probably safe at night as well in this neighborhood but I'm not telling you to do it. To walk the distance between 12 & 60, without stopping as I did, would probably take less than an hour at a decent pace.
I tried to find out something about the history of this street on the internet but I couldn't find anything. I'm going to look for books while I'm in Cuba next time. For now, I hope you enjoy the pictures.
If you've ever been to Havana and driven along 5th Ave, have you ever wondered what's on either side of it. Although 7th Ave is not as stately as 5th, it still deserves some recognition. After all, my country's Embassy (Canadian) is located on this street. It too has it's fair amount of Embassies and Mansions but not as many and you'll find more houses owned by regular Cubans which won't be as well kept as the government houses. I also found a few houses that were left abandoned, more than I saw on 5th. This road is also a main thruway, you can't drive as fast but unlike 5th Ave, you can stop along the side of the road without getting fined (there's no stopping along 5th). I took this walk late in the morning and it's perfectly safe. It's probably safe at night as well in this neighborhood but I'm not telling you to do it. To walk the distance between 12 & 60, without stopping as I did, would probably take less than an hour at a decent pace.
I tried to find out something about the history of this street on the internet but I couldn't find anything. I'm going to look for books while I'm in Cuba next time. For now, I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Was a church....now a community center
No comments:
Post a Comment