Tim’s Havana

Tim Weed may live in Vermont, but his heart belongs to Havana. Having led students and adults on trips to the island nation of Cuba for more than a decade, Tim has come to feel at home in its dynamic capital city. In addition to helping establish our Student Expeditions program, the award-winning writer and educator is a featured expert for National Geographic Expeditions. Check out a few of Tim’s favorite things about this striking city, then add your own two cents!

Follow Tim’s travels on Twitter @weedlit, on his personal website, or join us on our next trip to Cuba!

Havana is My City

The first place I take a friend in Havana is the roof of the Plaza Hotel.

Early spring is the best time to visit my city because the weather is perfect and you might be tired of the northern winter.

You can see my city best from the Morro fortress.

Locals know to skip the Tropicana cabaret club and check out the bars along Obispo instead.

The used book market in the Plaza de Armas is the place to buy authentic, local souvenirs.

In the past, notable people like Ernest Hemingway, Meyer Lansky, and Che Guevara have called my city home.

My city’s best museum is the Museo de Bellas Artes because it has an amazing collection of Cuban art and a surprisingly great international art collection as well.

If there’s one thing you should know about getting around my city, it’s you don’t need an air-conditioned bus.

The best place to spend time outdoors in my city is the Malecón – or on a fishing boat from the Marina Tarará.

My city really knows how to celebrate the important things in life — art, music, and the unassailable dignity of the human spirit — because its people understand that luxuries are hard to come by, and the future is impossible to predict.

You can tell if someone is from my city if they know that the best food isn’t in state-run restaurants and the best nightlife doesn’t come with a cover charge.

For a fancy night out, I avoid the places meant exclusively for tourists.

Just outside my city, you can visit the Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s writing haven for nearly three decades, and Cojímar, the setting for The Old Man and the Sea.

My city is known for being frozen in time, but it’s really changing pretty quickly.

Any casa particular is my favorite place to grab breakfast, and the Copelia has good ice cream.

To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, ask a local.

My city’s biggest sports event is the pelota. Watch it at Estadio Latinoamericano.

When I’m feeling cash-strapped, I walk down Obispo or take a stroll on the Malecón.

To escape the crowds, I head east for the beaches or into the interior for the Parques Naturales.

The dish that represents my city best is ropa vieja, and the mojito is my city’s signature drink.

The Bacardi is my favorite building in town because it’s beautifully art deco and I love the bat statue on top.

The most random thing about my city is the Colón Necropolis and the U.S. Interests Section.

Obispo is the best place to see live music, but if you’re in the mood to dance, check out la Casa del Son.

So many things could only happen in my city. Where do I begin?

The best book about my city is probably Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is “Compositor Confundido” by Ibrahim Ferrer.

In 140 characters or less, the world should heart my city because it’s glorious and simultaneously joyous and sad. It’s also one of the few world capitals I know where you can see the stars at night.