GENERAL NOTES

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GETTING THERE

We got journalist visas but were never asked for them.  We flew from Cancun on Cubana Air and I would really not recommend flying Cubana.  We had a harrowing experience flying back and recently one of their planes crashed killing everyone on board.  Better to fly a major airline even if it’s more expensive.

TIME TRAVEL TO PRE INTERNET DAYS & WAYS
Write down all the addresses and phone numbers before you go because internet it hard to come by so you need to be organized with printed info in case you can't get an internet card etc.  Taxis will sometimes need to know the address of a restaurant etc and if you don't have it on you you're out of luck.

To access WIFI you have to buy pre-paid internet cards usually from hotels like the Hotel Nacional or Hotel Saratoga.  You scratch off the codes and have an allotted amount of time and usage.  Once you leave the area of the hotel you will lose the internet access so write down everything you need for the day.

LODGING

A friend recommended Casa Concordia which is like a B&B: laconcordia@cubarte.cult.cu but it was booked when we went.  Also check out Hotel Santa Isabel, Parque Central or the Saratoga which are nice hotels there with WIFI and are more centrally located than the Hotel Nacional.  They were both fully booked when we went.

 We stayed at the Hotel Nacional which had WIFI which was nice but rather dank and overpriced for what it was.  It also required a cab ride pretty much everywhere.  We also stayed at an Airbnb in town but if you’re going to do that better to stay at a place where someone who runs it lives there.  Take advantage of their hospitality and get their recommendations or introductions to locals as it can be hard to infiltrate without people wanting to make a buck off of you.

RESERVATIONS

Make them!  Even for lunch.  Cuba is not set up around tourism so there are not enough restaurants to serve all the tourists there.  We had one day where we wandered around for hours trying to have lunch and kept getting turned away because we didn’t have a reservation.  We ended up eating a plate of rice and beans at a hotel around 4pm.  If you stay at a hotel you can try to have them help with this but because it’s Cuba they probably won’t.  Best thing is to email the restaurant before you leave and then follow up with a phone call (ideally in Spanish) once you’re there to confirm.

TRANSPORTATION

 Every time you get in a taxi be ready to negotiate.  Cool 50s ones cost more.  They will try to upsell you for a tour or take you to some other restaurant where they get a cut.  Stand your ground and make sure they take where you want to go.

CASH IS KING

There are two currencies there.  One for locals which is worth 25 times less than the Convertible Cubans (CUC) that tourists have to use.  When you arrive at the airport your first stop needs to be to change money to CUC so that you can get a cab and leave.  There is a penalty fee for changing US dollars so before you leave get Euros from your bank instead of dollars.  Long lines to change money are everywhere so try to do it as few times as possible.  Also, you won't be able to use a credit card or an ATM while you're there so you need to figure out how much money you'll need in advance with a cushion.

NOT WORTH YOUR TIME

We also went all the way to this place Casa Fuster and we personally thought it wasn't worth it.  Sort of like a Gaudi rip off.

DO

DANCE

Try to see a show at the Ballet Nacional.  I had the privilege of photographing three amazing dancers from the Ballet Nacional for a personal project that you can see here.

La Fabrica de Arte is a night club/gallery that used to be an oil factory.  FAC is cool but mostly tourists.  If you’re looking for a weekend electronic music dance party this is the place.

MUSEUMS

The Museo de la Revolución and the Museo de Bellas Artes are definitely worth checking out.  You get a taste of what it's like to live in a communist society.

Hotel Riviera is worth seeing for throwback sake.  Super rundown but nothing has seemed to have been changed since the 50s:
http://www.jessicasample.com/Places-&-Stories/Cuba/2/

Restaurants & Bars

To eat, I recommend these spots and making a reservation even for lunch.  People eat on the later side so lunch is closer to 2pm and dinner at 8 or 9pm.  

La Guarida, incredible setting, and beautiful and romantic.  Go for lunch so you can take pics of the gorgeous old mansion it's in.
O’Reilly 304 at the same address in Old Havana, best cocktails and ceviche.  Teeny tiny so you def need a res.

Ivan Chef Justo, the paella is awesome and cute decor.  Near the Museo de la Revolucion which is fascinating in a propaganda down your throat way

Dona Eutimia, I thought it was just ok but apparently the Ropa Vieja is great which I don't eat

El Cocinero, beautiful setting next to Fabrica de Arte which is a night club/gallery that used to be an oil factory.  FAC is cool but sadly mostly all tourists and no locals.

La Zorra y el Cuervo.  Legendary jazz club (again mostly tourists that can afford to go).  Opens at 10pm so you need to line up 30-60 mins before to get in.

El Gato Tuerto  Walking distance to La Zorra and The Nacional.  A fun late night spot to hear boleros where people sing along.

Cafe Arcangel  We didn't make it here but my friend Kathryn stayed with this family years ago and loved them.  Now they have their own cafe in their house.

(We did not like Casa Miglis FYI)

How I Got That Shot

This is my favorite photo from a personal project called Cuba Libre exploring how a culture’s dance can help us understand the place it comes from. I emailed the Ballet Nacional in Spanish and asked if I could photograph some dancers. They replied and let me come visit their school while practicing where I met three amazing dancers to be in the project. Cash is king in Cuba so I paid them a modeling fee and we paid the neighbor to borrow his car for about half an hour. We played around with different kinds of movement around the car and this was the one shot where they both looked like they were floating and there were no distracting cars going by. I shot at 1/250th of a second to freeze the movement but add a little bit of blur in their feet and fingers.

Canon 5D Mark III with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens

ISO 160 f/8 1/250th. Focal length 55m.