Monday, March 14, 2016

8 REASONS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH LITTLE HAVANA AND CALLE OCHO



COURTESY OF MIAMI.COM



By Tere Figueras Negrete | negretecommunications@gmail.com 3/12/2016

From the strains of salsa music that spill from storefronts to the iconic ventanitas that dispense potent doses of Cuban coffee – and even more potent political discourse – you’d be hard-pressed to find a Miami neighborhood more, well, Miami than Little Havana.

Changing demographics and the ever-shifting geopolitics of our hemisphere has meant that the neighborhood is also now proudly home to not only Cubans, but Nicaraguans, Hondurans, and other immigrants from the Caribbean and Latin America. But it will forever remain the spiritual center of Miami’s Cuban exile community, both burdened and blessed by history and circumstance. 

Where else can you find street art that celebrates both dissident Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez and Pitbull?

Here’s just a few reasons why we will always have big love for Little Havana:
#3. Ball & Chain
Like most everything in Miami, the swinging bar and live-music venue on Calle Ocho has a dubious past. First opened in the 1930’s, its history includes a clientele that represented the finest of Miami’s criminal underbelly and a shady repertoire of former owners -- one of whom was sued for said shadiness by the legendary Count Basie. New owners Bill Fuller and brothers Zack and Ben Bush have kept the place legit, resurrecting the bar’s architectural charms (and great mojitos) and keeping the now-trademark neon sign aglow since 2014. Can’t make it out to Little Havana? This year the club began broadcasting a live jazz radio program on WDNA, which features live performances from the Ball & Chain stage

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE STORY 

MYCALLE8.ORG 

No comments:

Post a Comment