LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2016 LOCALadk Magazine 36 LOCALadk was raised above the U.S. Embassy for the first time in 54 years. The Hotel Nacional de Cuba does have a lighter side to it. The gallery contains photos of many American celebrities who had been guests before and after the U.S. Embargo. These include Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn, Rita Hayworth, Fred As- taire, and more modern-day celebrities such as Robert de Niro, Danny Glover, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Jodie Foster, Kate Moss, and Naomi Campbell. One of the most unusual parts of the hotel is the Mafia Room, frequented by Mafioso since the 1940s. The most notorious is Charles "Lucky" Luciano, often referred to as the creator of the American mob. The hotel displays a plaque outside the door of the room where he and other Mafia members stayed. The hotel also offered that same room for overnight stays to any interest- ed guests, though at a much higher price. This is a great hotel for American history buffs, but its popularity can make it difficult to arrange reservations. Fortunately, a hotel stay is not required in order to walk through the galleries or tour the underground trenches: the building is a national monument and open to the public. The next day, we walked over to a street lined with traditional Cuban cars – the 1950s-era Chevrolets and Fords – that also serve as taxis. After negotiating a fee (always do this in advance), we headed to Revolution Square. This large outdoor plaza is where the political leaders Fidel Castro and Che Guevara held rallies and attracted tens of thousands from throughout the country. In addition, Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis each held large outdoor masses during their papal visits there. The site includes a memorial tower in honor of Cuban leader Jose Marti, as well as the national library and the ministries of the Interior and Com- munications, where the faces of past leaders appear in steel out- lines on the building façades. We also visited the Museum of the Revolution, formerly the Presidential Palace. It is the seat of the Cuban government and the Communist party which controls the nation's media resourc- es. It was there that we had the opportunity to talk American and Cuban politics with Carlos, a self-employed tour guide, who also taught college classes in Havana. "Every American will be welcome in Cuba," he said. "We share so much culture already – our music, our food, and our baseball traditions." As he pointed out the government buildings, Carlos spoke about the attitude of Cubans regarding reestablishing diplomatic rela- tions with the United States. "Many Cubans are optimistic, they would like to improve rela- tions," said Carlos. "Not being able to do business with the Unit- ed States has been a big predicament." He believes the Cuban people are eager to have more Americans visit their country, experience their culture, discuss Cuban-Amer-

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