Our last days in Havana were filled with cultural tours. Several of the things we did has rules against photography so although the days were very active, I don’t have many photos. Cigars, arts, food, dancing…I hadn’t even left yet and I already couldn’t wait to come back. This is my final post from my FIRST trip to Cuba. Continue reading
I’d heard the horror stories about this place running out of food. I then experienced it for myself and cursed their clearly flawed business model. But at the end of the day, the food at Community Q is too damn delicious to ignore. So I go during the week or at lunch on the weekends to ensure I can get my fix of the most fabulous pulled chicken one could ever hope to eat. Continue reading
Ah, Buford Highway. You never disappoint and in the case of Las Delicias de al Abuela, you exceed expectations. This Colombian restaurant recently moved to the building right next door to the Buford Highway Farmers Market and is always busy! That’s a good sign so Sean and I decided to check it out a few weeks ago while his mom was in town. Continue reading
While I loved each day of our trip to Cuba, if I were forced to pick my favorite day this would probably be it. Visits to Regla, an organic farm, the town of Cojimar, Hemingway’s house in Cuba, Fusterlandia, a Hemingway bar, and dinner in Old Havana made for a truly fantastic day of learning, culture, beauty and fun. Continue reading
Ok, so this isn’t technically a New Bite because this was our 2nd time – but we brought a group of 6 adults and 3 kiddos and it was THEIR first time. So I’m including it as part of my New Bites series. 😉
Nam Phuong is definitely in the “must-go” set for Vietnamese in Atlanta as a whole and Buford Highway specifically. Their menu is large and full of variety – traditional pho to strange combinations of odd cuts of pork and everything in between. Continue reading
Tuesday was our first breakfast at the casa and it was, according to our guides, very traditional: lots of fresh fruit, breads, eggs, slices of jamon and chorizo, coffee and fresh juices. I was in heaven. I love toast and fruits for breakfast! We then headed into Old Havana, passing many sites along the way including the capitol building, the Spanish Embassy, Havana Opera House, etc. before arriving at a local hotel where we were ushered into a conference room for a presentation on Cuba and Havana. It was conducted by one of the managers of the Cuban tour company we were with and it was interesting and informative. Continue reading
I had wanted to visit Cuba since the summer of 2005 when my friend Natalie and I were drinking mojitos at a Latin bar along the Mediterranean in Glyfada, Athens, Greece and she was telling me what a fabulous place it was. Americans have always gone to Cuba – just in roundabout and secret ways. I was willing to do that, too – but was excited to be able to join a week-long tour of Havana with Friendly Planet. Sean and I both felt that the time to go was now (or maybe even a year or so ago) before the cruise ships started really pouring in and flooding Havana’s limited infrastructure and restaurants with tourists. While we want to see more of the country, we felt that Havana was changing the fastest and wanted to get a glimpse of history in the making with our first (but not last) trip to this mysterious island.
The flight from Miami was only 40 minutes. As my mother-in-law says of such short flights – “here drink this! We’re landing!” 🙂 Me, being the sap I am and in awe of this tiny country’s resilience, history and completely different economy and government, cried during landing. But hey – American Airlines leaving a U.S. airport and landing in Cuba is definitely a piece of history and one I found made me emotional.
Our trip to Havana, Cuba was flanked on either side by time in Miami. I’d never been before but was very excited to explore a new city – especially with the Kimpton EPIC Hotel downtown as our base. While it was rainy and gray for our days there we still had a blast and got to do a lot. What a fun and vibrant city – we can’t wait to go back for a weekend trip soon.
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