Reddit mentions of Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground

Holy Crap! Thank you. I was aware of much of what you wrote, but there was soooo much more great food for thought.

So here's my goal, to better understand. I do get that the La Florida/Floridita Bar is a tourist trap, as are many of the Art Deco / bar and building locations in the city. That's what I'm researching and wanted first hand knowledge of. But beyond that I also want to experience the many wonderful bars and experiences that may be of that era, but not so well known either. I'll be in Cuba for a full week, so my goal is to make it as far as Trinidad and document the experiences I have. I plan on staying in a Casa Particular (Thank you for the wonderful websites etc) and can't wait for the experience. I want to approach the entire country, tourist trap or not in a historical aspect, and while there are many touristy areas, the history behind them is quite amazing. As an example, Constante Ribilagua (owner of the La Florida bar back in it's hey day ) is a bit of an icon for me and that sort of thing is what I am dying to experience.

I didn't realize Sloppy Joe's had been rennovated. This gives me an idea for the presentation for the lecture as I have photos from 2007 when it was hollowed out for rennovation (probably for the new bar). I welcome any other destinations you may have experienced. And THANK YOU for the recommendations for the travel books, I was inundated by them on amazon and wasn't sure where to go with that. I also picked up "Havana Before Castro" as sort of an historical guide for consideration.

https://www.amazon.com/Havana-Before-Castro-Tropical-Playground/dp/1423603672/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475105181&sr=1-1&keywords=havana+before+castro