From Havana to New York With Love – Amelia

I always have to try to take a vacation. I have learned that I have to plan for a vacation. This month I was able to go and experience two things I had never thought I would experience. I went to Havana, Cuba for vacation and then attended a Yankees game. Both experiences helped me to celebrate the birthday of each of my sisters. I went to Cuba and thought that we were not going to get to go. I had heard all of these things about Cuba and how forbidden it seemed. We went for a week and it was divine. I put my phone in airplane mode and was off to the races. We stayed in a casa particular. In Cuba, there are shops (mercados) for everything. There is a shop for water, a shop for food, a shop for household items and a shop for medical items. We had great hosts, who warned us about all of the scams and where to go and not to go. We went to Vinales and had a lovely great day in the countryside. We walked to Parque Central to see the Capitol and go on tours of New Havana. We took a bus to Santa Maria Beach and then ate at one of the best spots in Cuba in Paladar San Cristobal. It was one of the spots visited by former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. I visited the Ernest Hemingway Museum where I saw his home. He was a prolific writer and an adoptive son of Cuba. I loved where he wrote and his baseball field. I really liked his boat. It was such a dream to walk to paths that were home to this amazing writer. We drove to his home in a classic car and went back to Old Havana. I love the ways that Old Havana were about times gone by. We stayed near the old square. You could feel the sense of history and the subtle luxury of how it used to be in the 50s and 60s. When we got back to the US, we were able to call loved ones and talk on our phones. We connected back through Fort Lauderdale before making our way home. We had a day to rest before going to New York City. It was awesome to go to Yankees Stadium and see the Yankees lose to the Chicago Sox. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Stadium and feeling the history of the park. We will always cherish that memory along with seeing Nicole’s name on the board. We went to Hudson Yards and walked through the Vessel, which was so brand new some of the concrete steps were loose. It was gorgeous and extraordinary to see. It is amazing that someone is living today who is that creative to envision and build such a thing in New York City. We ended up at the Tik Tock Diner singing happy birthday to my sister. I woke up the next morning to exercise and start my routine. We started to go to Brooklyn to see the Bridge, the Bushwick Collective and visiting the Whitney before walking the High Line. We headed home after that. Being away did a body good. It also gave me perspective and room to breathe. Now I know I have to plan for next year. And where to next? Only time and God knows.