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Filmmaker / Journalist / Writer

Cuba: Old Havana and Beyond

(Click on a photo to start a manual slideshow with captions.)

Old, rusted, 1950s car abandoned on a dark street in Old Havana.
The street where our apartment was located in old Havana.
A cuban driver gives the peace sign while backing up his Pink 1950s Impala.
American cars are passed down in Cuban families and are a good source of income. Above, our driver Lester, in his pink Impala.
An aerial view of Lester's pink 1950s Chevy Impala convertible.
Lester’s pink Impala was passed down to him from his father and grandfather.
A man walks down a street in Old Havana in front of a 1950s American automobile.
The only American cars you’ll see in Cuba are from the 1950s before the embargo.
A view from the highway of a Cuba sign in front of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is off limits to Americans because the U.S. government doesn’t want its citizens spending money that will benefit the Cuban government. However, the Cuban government has no restrictions on Americans staying there or visiting it.
A teenage boy looks through a fence at the camera from a basketball court.
I stopped for a few seconds to take some photos of a basketball game. This young man asked me if I wanted to play basketball with him and his friends.
A young woman wearing a red Santa hat stands before a wall with colorful artwork plastered on it.
In recent years Cubans have been allowed to own small businesses, mostly geared to tourism. This woman sells arts and crafts in Old Havana.
A girl holds on tight to a man on the back of a moving bicycle.
Cubans will ride by on anything. It’s not unusual to see them on bikes, horse-drawn carts, and cycle rickshaws, even on the major highways.
A view of a narrow street in Old Havana taken from a balcony.
The view from our balcony in Old Havana.
A photo of El Capitolio in Havana.
The National Capitol building in Havana is often compared to the U.S. Capitol but it is not a replica. It was built in the late 1920s.
Cubans walk by a large old building in Plaza Christo.
Cubans go about their daily lives in Plaza Christo near our apartment.
A woman points to a man in a government fruit stand.
Jasmine, our walking guide, points out a government fruit stand.
A man sits in a government store with empty shelves.
The shelves are often bare at government stores where Cubans get their rations.
A street sign "San Ignacio" hangs on a wall of brightly colored peeling paint.
The worn buildings are adorned with colors that look as natural as patina on bronze.
A man and woman pose in front of a large building with an outline of Che Guevara on it.
An image of Che Guevara (above) and Fidel Castro adorn buildings in Revolution Square.
A woman stands before a very large photograph of human feet.
The Cuban Art Factory is an art gallery and a nightclub.
An old blue 1950s Chevy is illuminated in a dark alleyway by lights from the Capitolio.
The light from El Capitolio brightens a dark street in Old Havana.
A black and white photo of a woman on a telephone in a coffee shop looking at the camera.
The coffee was strong and sweet at most shops in Havana.
A woman in traditional Cuban clothes walks alone on a cobblestone plaza.
A woman strolls one of Havana’s plazas in traditional clothes.
A woman with her arm around a man leads him through a doorway in Havana.
AFTERNOON ENCOUNTER: The Cuban people are very friendly and warm.