Sunday, June 14, 2009

Going to Havana?

It will be nice when restrictions finally come down on travel to Cuba. Not only will John Clare be able to enjoy a genuine "Cubano", we will have opportunities to experience a varied and lively arts scene in Havana. I'm James Baker, and I often speak to the topic of the vitality of the making of art, music, and culture throughout Latin America. The problem for the traveler, however, is knowing what to see and hear and where to go for culture in the various capitals of Latin America. For example, Mexico City is only about 2 hours away from San Antonio and it is alive with arts and culture. Forget about the bullfights, the Friday market in Toluca, and even the mariachis at Garibaldi Plaza. (Don't take me too literally here. I would miss the bullfights but try to make it to Toluca and Garibaldi.) Instead, take in an opera at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Or go down to the Sala Nezahualcoyotl on the campus of the National University (UNAM) and hear a concert in this world class acoustic space.

But wait! All these good ideas, but where is the calendar? How do I know what is showing where? And that's the problem, not only as it relates to Mexico City, but also to Caracas, Bogota, Sau Paulo or Buenos Aires. But go to Havana and here is where you would look ahead of time in order to plan your agenda. Won't it be nice when there are similar listings readily available for those other great Latin American cities?

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