Havana—The Insider's Guide • November/December 2011
Features
Havana Cigar Shops
The woman in the yellow suit is standing by the cash register, smoking a Cohiba Siglo VI. It’s a massive cigar, and it chugs smoke like an age-old locomotive struggling up a …
Havana: The Lost City of the Caribbean
Say the city’s name out loud and the word triggers a cascade of images in the mind’s eye. Hot tropical nights lit by dim yellow street lights. Hip-gyrating rhythms of native …
The Hotels of Havana
Sitting on a bluff above a slight inward curve in Havana’s seaside promenade, the Malecón, the twin cupola towers of the Hotel Nacional stand like two sentinels. Built by the New …
A Walk Through Old Havana
What makes up a perfect day in Havana? After a week of walking the streets, exploring museums, hotels and restaurants, and spending the wee hours in jazz clubs and cabarets, …
A Day Trip to Pinar del Río
The car slows down as it leaves the main road for a rutted dirt path. Dust rises from the tires, the sound of rocks crunching beneath vulcanized rubber reaches your ears, and a …
The Sounds of Havana
Sometimes walking down a street in Havana from late afternoon into the wee hours, the walls echo with the sounds of music. A tight Son beat drifts out from a small stage occupied …
Golf's Super Agent
He strides through the golf world as a colossus, making calls at the practice ranges, the putting greens, the clubhouses, the media centers, the official hotels and the unofficial …
Wagering 1-on-1 Sports
If it’s golf season on a Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas, then it is a lock that Bill Krackomberger will be cruising the casinos and placing bets on matchups for the coming week’s …
Free Agent Frenzy
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and players’ head DeMaurice Smith announced on July 25 that the owners and players of pro football had reached agreement on a 10-year collectiv…
Havana Restaurants
Update (June 2012): See "Havana Restaurant Update" The climb up three flights of a dimly lit, crumbling marble staircase doesn’t do anything to quiet the little voice …
Cigars
Just Do It
Tom Celani reclines in a beige leather easy chair in the vaulted confines of a sitting room (“My man cave,” he jokes) off of the massive two-story dining room/wine cellar …
The Grandson Also Rises
A year ago on the first evening of autumn, Hirochi Robaina pulled a chair to the corner of the porch of his tobacco farm, Cuchillas de Barbacoa, and sat down to feel the wind …
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
Give Them a Break
They value education and hard work. They are peace-loving. They are friendly. They pose no threat to the United States. They love Americans. A country with that kind of profile …
Out of the Humidor
Dear Marvin, I live in Ireland and travel to New York every Christmas for a shopping trip with my wife. I have to say we spend quite a bit of money there on clothes, etc. I …
The Good Life
A Toolbox in a Smartphone
At my skill level the most sensible home improvement use of my smartphone is to keep the speed dial loaded with the number of a good contractor, but if you just can’t resist doing …
Cell Phone Tour Guides
Wherever you wander, odds are you’re carrying a cell phone. Armed with the right apps, it can make your travel a richly rewarding experience, driven by a combination of cutting-ed…
Knowing Napa
Wine lovers love to travel because nothing showcases great wines better than exploring them at the vineyards and wineries that create them. Context reveals character. That idea …
The Looking Dap App
The fashion world is well-represented in the small-screen venue of the smartphone. A number of apps will clue you to the latest looks and where to find clothes that are this …
Get Your Cook On
Whether you’re trying to perfect your technique for Beef Bourguignon or you just can’t seem to boil an egg, the world of culinary apps brings help to your kitchen. Peruse the …
Clock-Watching in Style
Your smartphone already shows the time, of course, but upgrading to a clock app can give you more information as well as a distinctive dollop of visual style—they come in all …
Bring Your Game
In tech’s dark ages, staying current with sports on the go meant spotty transistor-radio coverage. Today’s smartphones and tablets not only keep sports nuts abreast of scores and …
Shop, But Don't Drop
What’s the best way to shop for technology? Use technology, of course. With a smartphone loaded with the right app, you can quickly figure out which product is best for your needs …
Audi's Mobile Hot Spot
Forget horsepower. These days, automakers are as likely to brag about the wattage of their onboard infotainment systems, the speaker count more important than the number of …
Joining the Music Stream
I still don’t understand why subscription music services haven’t drawn a mass audience. The value proposition seems compelling: pay a monthly fee roughly equal to the price of a …