Would you recommend Calle Ocho to tourists? (Miami, Carol City: Home Depot, to buy)

[tallrick]

There's nothing unique about 8'th street. You can find the same overpriced or run-down stores and apartments throughout Miami.

[Cane Fan]

Originally Posted by big mean bear

I drove down that street twice daily for a year and I never saw "loads of German tourists" let alone loads of people who were tourists let alone people who were white. NEVER. It is incomprehensible why anyone would want to make a tourist stop by that area. They would be disgusted.

Tanner Man- You must not live near there, but I did, and it got old after the first week. Hell, even the Spanish only speaking crowd would tell me all the time they hated it.

It shouldn't be called Little Havana anymore but rather "Little Central America."

I have to agree here .. other than good Cuban food ... Little Havana is a dump ... my Hispanic friends will not even go there ... and yes it is more like Little Nicaragua , or Little Guatemala , or Little Honduras now than Little Havana !!!

[noland123]

Originally Posted by tallrick

There's nothing unique about 8'th street. You can find the same overpriced or run-down stores and apartments throughout Miami.

Little Havana's 8th street puts Jacksonville's Main Street to shame,I wish we had this appearace to our town Little Havana has made many improvements and to me is a very exciting part of Miami.

[canovas]

One of my distant relatives is Cuban and has been living in Miami since 1969...she says she wouldn't go to Little Havana and that there is nothing "Cuban" about it anymore except for a few haunts...and everybody over there seems to agree that it is like "Little Central America" these days.

[TannerMan]

Originally Posted by big mean bear

I drove 8th street twice a day for a year, that's 300+ days x 2 = 600+. And I never seen no bus load of German tourists.

Oh well, sorry. Guess all I saw were bus loads of white cubans from Hialeah and Westchester with back packs and brochures that enjoy talking in foreign languages to each other? Could it be that the time you drove by wasnt particularly tourist time? I mean Im not trying to say Little Havana is something special but the fact is tourist do go there and people beside me have seen them and theres no point in denying it.

And some of you should keep in mind other cultural neighborhoods across the country (Korea Town, Chinatown, Little Italy), most are dumps but people go for the restaurants cafeterias, shops other simple stuff we see here everyday but everywhere else not that normal.

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by tannerman

oh well, sorry. Guess all i saw were bus loads of white cubans from hialeah and westchester with back packs and brochures that enjoy talking in foreign languages to each other?

[socrates]

coming to miami the first time its just somehting everyone has heard of and wants to see. nothing in particular attracting about it but its the same kind of deal as "going to chiniatown" when you're in ny.

[kevinkagy]

I think Little Havana is unique and it's definitely different. I'd recommend people to go visit. However, I'd recommend they take a bus from Downtown, say the 8 that goes right down Calle Ocho. But if you pick up a guide book on Miami, they have detail descriptions on Little Havana and Calle Ocho.

Let's put it this way: Little Havana would be a really big tourist destination if it had good public transit access. Without public transit acess though, tourists find it really hard to visit the area unfortunately.

[planetsurf]

Viva "El Rey de las Fritas‎"!!!
1177 SW 8th St

AWESOME little hole in the wall restaurant -- try it!

[Marlin331]

oh my god are their burgers good!