Our first apartment in Miami was on the north side of the Miami river. Although we technically lived in Allahpattah, we were directly across from Little Havana.
My mother moved to a different apartment building when I was in college, but she still lives on the river near East Little Havana, which is one of the most densely populated areas of Miami.
Little Havana feels like South America. Virtually everything is in Spanish. The streets are lined with mom-and-pop discount stores and botanicas. There are café con leche counters, chickens on the road, and the constant sound of reggaeton, salsa, and house music blaring from cars.
One thing about the chickens: there is a very active Santeria community in Little Havana, so on high holy days there was always a problem of headless chickens and goats strewn about the place after the animal sacrifices.
…and I never figured out what they did with the chicken’s heads.
Below are some pictures from last year’s winter trip to Miami. The pictures are of the Calle Ocho area and downtown Miami. They were originally posted on facebook, but the gallery link has since expired. Facebook/RSS readers: click here to view the gallery. The images link to larger files.
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