HAVANA’S FIFTH AVENUE
Havana´s majestic Fifth Avenue connects two of the Cuban capital´s most traversed residential neighborhoods, Miramar and Vedado. It´s eastern end begins at the apply named Fifth Avenue Tunnel, and ends at Santa Fe, Havana´s westernmost suburb. It takes about twenty minutes to drive it from end to end, and it is probably the nicest drive in Havana. The road is lined by beautiful mansions, and quite a few foreign embassies are housed in these homes. It has a wide, center median divider with sidewalk running down most of its length, and this area fills with pedestrians, dog walkers, runners, skaters, and others during the early morning and late afternoon hours.
Near where Fifth Avenue crosses Tenth Street, there is a clock bell tower in the center walkway that plays music to mark every half hour. It was this music that caught my attention during a recent morning walk down Fifth Avenue. Dozens of people ran past me as they exercised, quite a few of them with their dogs. I also noticed the beautiful landscaping along the walk, with many of the shrubs and bushes that are living sculptures. This area of Miramar is full of parks, which provide something of a haven from Havana´s summer heat. I continued walking until I reached the area where the traffic circles begin near 90th Street, with the morning sun as my constant companion. I realized how peaceful it is to walk along Havana’s Fifth Avenue, especially when compared with other areas of the city. This was a brief and welcome escape from the hustle and bustle that is all too common on the streets of Havana.
By Nivaldo Asuncion