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Travel Review March 2017
Little Havana Walking Tour

We were treated to various Cuban statues, monuments, homes, and offices before heading into a section known as Westmoreland which, according to our guide, was home to lots of Jewish families who began moving here in the late 1920’s. Dr. George mentioned that the Brickell's (Mary and William) owned from 17^th Avenue to the west to Biscayne Boulevard to the east and to where the Miami Marlins Stadium (formerly Orange Bowl) is today to the north. He explained that the early homes were constructed using what is known as Dade County Pine wood which was used for the framing. The area was affected by prohibition (illegal alcohol, bootleg) from 1914-1933, he said. He also mentioned that Catholics lived in this area as well.

We learned that the official tree of Miami is the Royal Palm Tree which explains streets so-named, hotels, etc… The homes, said Dr. George, average about $500K (Thousand) in this area which is considered pricey. In 1962, he said, 1 million people called Dade County home. In July 2016 it was estimated at 2,712,945, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. I was quite impressed when our guide was able to identify the large splendid area trees as Terminalia Catappa (a.k.a. Tropical Almond) which are not native to Florida and grow to 30 to 55 feet tall and up to 35 feet in diameter (around).

On a more somber note Dr. George stated that the Westmoreland community was segregated until the late 1950’s (when the Cubans began to arrive). We then strolled near Brickell Estates at the corner of SW 12^th Avenue and 15^th Street where, according to our guide, the median price of a home was $850K (Thousand). He also mentioned the Holloman Park and Shenandoah neighborhoods nearby. We then walked through the Waterbury neighborhood where Dr. George identified the former home (pointed out on the QCT Miami Daily City Tour of a guy named Harry Welch who, he said, was the voice of Popeye the sailor man from one of my favorite cartoons. I did some digging and learned that Mr. Welch actually took over the voice originally created by a fella by the name of Billy Costello for the movies in 1934 and later in 14 Popeye short films. According to the same article (www.cartoonresearch.com) he was also the voice of Olive Oyl, Wimpy, and Bluto; as well as the Big Bad Wolf in The Three Little Pigs, and six of the Seven Dwarfs (Dopey was too dumb to speak, Smile!) from Snow White.

Our guide was nice enough to identify the unique trees along SW 11^th Street (formerly Shenandoah Avenue) as part of the ficus family (commonly known as weeping fig, from Asia and Australia). He also pointed out the former home (identified on the QCT Miami Daily City Tour of Miami’s first Mayor the honorable John B. Reilly (served 1896 - 1900) who was only 26 years old when elected. Dr. George also covered the story of the Ball & Chain Bar and Music Hall which included late great entertainers like Billie Holiday and Count Basie, the childhood home of internationally known Cuban-born artist Gloria Estefan (identified on the QCT Miami Daily City Tour, the former Cuban Art Museum, and many more nuggets of Little Havana history.

All in all this was a great learning and cultural experience that lowered some of the barriers I have experienced since childhood that have kept me (and perhaps others) out of the Little Havana neighborhood due to language barriers. I especially enjoyed the festiva that was going on at the end of our tour. In addition, I look forward to visiting time and time again during the QCT Miami Daily City Tour and bringing some friends along to enjoy the rich history of this one-of-a-kind U.S. community.