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Judi Lynn

(163,491 posts)
7. People born after the revolution are unaware Havana was called the "Whorehouse of the Caribbean."
Sun Apr 7, 2024, 07:26 PM
Apr 2024

They are blissfully unaware that Havana was used as a "rest and recreation" town by the U.S. Navy, lucky Cubans!

At one time online you could find old photos taken by men who were sailors then, sitting around in bars with their bar girls. So inspiring! I noted the women didn't look all that impressed!

This publication can really explain a lot to a newcomer to the subject. It was published in 1956:

GUIDE TO AFTER-DARK
HAVANA 1956

https://cuban-exile.com/doc_176-200/doc0186.html

Here's the Entertainment menu section:

https://cuban-exile.com/menu1/%21entertain.html

From this chapter:

HAVANA IS A MAN'S TOWN







Page 29

It's a bad town...It's a beautiful town...It's an ugly town...





Page 30
HAVANA IS A BAD TOWN

HORSE racing, dog racing, jai alai, cock fighting and the roulette wheel–they all get a big play in Havana. Twenty years ago, something new was added when Jesse Owens went down there to race–and beat–a horse. Gambling isn't the only diversion, however. The nightclub shows are fast, tough and guaranteed to keep you awake.




Page 31



. . .

Page 34
HAVANA IS AN UGLY TOWN

HAVANA'S slums are second to none, anywhere. Drifters float in here from all over the world to lead their strange, half-world lives–not of this world, nor out of it. Third-rate hotels, easy pickups, filth piled up in the streets–they're all part of this city of contrasts.

(To view photos it's necessary to right-click, then choose "open link in a new tab" and the photo should appear next.)





ETC.,

I first ran across this website on the internetS in the early 2000's, after Elian Gonzalez was all over the news every day. As mentioned, it was published years before the revolution, of course.

Also, probably mentioned in the "guide" are the "Nightclubs in the Sky" which flew between Miami and Havana, which had dancers, cocktails, champagne, etc.!

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