There is so much to post from my recent visit to Havana. My camera may have snapped away in real time, but sorting out the layered head-trip that is Cuba is taking real time. My mind was—and remains—truly blown by what lays a mere 45-minutes, by plane, from Miami.
Mariane Pearl wrote a piece in the New York Times of her most recent visit to Havana, specifically, the neighborhood Nuevo Vedado, where her cousin lives. Pearl, whose mother was Cuban, has visited many times since the mid 1970s. Her familiarity with the texture of everyday life and the subtle shifts over the years makes for a fascinating glimpse of what a first-time tourist does not see. The accompanying photography by Todd Heisler is exquisite.
Meanwhile, this gringa, remains quite stunned. (Deer-in-the-headlights of--dare I say--decades of vintage cars?)
Pinterest and Flickr are loaded with Havana’s signage and typography. It kind of makes me wonder why I even bothered to bring my camera. I just can’t help myself.
As for postal “letters from Havana,” don’t hold your breath. It’s been a solid month since our trip and not one piece of mail sent by any of our group has yet to arrive at a U.S. address.
Vestigial type on a restored building.
A shop along Calle Mural (Wall Street).
Sarrá was one of the grand pharmacies back in the late 1800s. The name remains embedded in numerous thresholds in an assortment of typefaces.
Italian clothing manufacturer, maker of fine guayaberas.
A corner building identified by its intersecting streets.
Contemporary "Deco" lettering on Club 21 and the internet office at the Hotel Nacional.
This "B" is just one detail of the splendid Edificio Bacardi.
