Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 90

As

THE SUN DROPPED LOW ON THE
horizon, our caravan of 1950s American
convertibles motored along Havana's
famed esplanade, the Malecón, where
residents strolled the waterfront and
fishermen cast lines into the surf crashing against the seawall. Passing the faded,
crumbling facades of once-grand architectural buildings, my friends and I should
have been reflecting on the paradoxical
paradise that is Cuba. But caught up in the
carefree moment, we were grinning unabashedly, snapping selfies, and relishing
every mile of the sunset drive. While jaded
globe-trotters pride themselves on avoiding
touristy clichés, some clichés transcend
themselves to become quintessential
experiences - and a classic car ride in Cuba
definitely qualifies.
We were there to celebrate my (ahem)
50th birthday. Milestones are funny things:
I'd toggled between pushing the occasion to
the furthest corner of my mind in a wishful
attempt to forget it and pondering unforgettable ways to welcome it. If I was going
to go somewhere, I wanted bucket-list
big, but doable in a long weekend - nixing

90

V I RT U O S O L I F E

long-haul flights and lengthy itineraries.
Narrowing the search to North America, I
sought sophisticated but not sleepy (next
time, Napa) and fun but not frenzied (been
there, done Vegas). Most of all, I wanted
to leave the planning to a pro so I could
actually enjoy myself. When my mental
globe-spinning landed on Cuba, I knew just
who to call: Orlando-based Virtuoso travel
advisor David Lee, who has built a business
specializing in the destination.
"Havana is the heart and soul of Cuba,
and three to four nights is ideal," he assured
me. "In fact, it's recommended, especially
for a private group, to make it easier for
more couples to go."
After the U.S. briefly restored diplomatic
relations with the country in 2015, following a five-decade standstill, the Communist
Caribbean republic became the darling of
the travel world, thanks to eased restrictions for U.S. visitors. Even with President
Donald Trump's recent rollback of that
short-lived Obama-era "Cuban thaw,"
Americans can still visit today - but it's not
really a plan-it-yourself destination.
"U.S. citizens must travel under one

YOU CAN'T HELP BUT MARVEL
AT AND MOURN WHAT HAVANA
ONCE WAS, WHAT'S BEEN
LOST, WHAT IT COULD'VE
BEEN, AND WHAT IT STILL
COULD BE. THE PEOPLE AND
THE POLITICS AND THE U.S.'S
INTERTWINEMENT WITH IT ALL
IMBUE EVEN A BREEZY WEEKEND GETAWAY WITH A TANGLE
OF MIXED EMOTIONS.



Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018

Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018
Contents
Editor’s Note
Contributors
The Virtuoso Life
Passport
Bon Voyage
Suite Talk
Inspired By
City to Go
Interview
Seat at the Bar
On the Table
Out & About
In My Bag
Be Right Back
Cuba Calling
Insiders’ Amsterdam
Lens on the World
Travel for Good
First Person
Need to Know
Souvenir
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Intro
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Cover2
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 1
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 2
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 3
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 4
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 5
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 6
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 7
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Contents
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 9
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 10
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 11
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Editor’s Note
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 13
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 14
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 15
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Contributors
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 17
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 18
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 19
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - The Virtuoso Life
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 21
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 22
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 23
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 24
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 25
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 26
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Passport
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 28
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 29
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 30
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 31
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 32
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 33
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 34
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 35
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 36
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 37
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Bon Voyage
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 39
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 40
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 41
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Suite Talk
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 43
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 44
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 45
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 46
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 47
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Inspired By
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 49
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - City to Go
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 51
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 52
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 53
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Interview
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 55
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Seat at the Bar
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 57
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 58
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 59
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - On the Table
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 61
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 62
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 63
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 64
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 65
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Out & About
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 67
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 68
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 69
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 70
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 71
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 72
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 73
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - In My Bag
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 75
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 76
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Be Right Back
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 78
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 79
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 80
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 81
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 82
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 83
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 84
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 85
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 86
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 87
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Cuba Calling
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 89
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 90
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 91
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 92
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 93
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 94
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 95
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 96
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 97
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Insiders’ Amsterdam
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 99
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 100
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 101
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 102
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 103
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 104
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 105
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Lens on the World
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 107
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 108
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 109
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 110
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 111
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 112
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Travel for Good
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 114
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 115
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 116
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 117
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 118
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 119
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 120
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 121
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 122
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 123
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - First Person
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 125
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 126
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 127
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Need to Know
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 129
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 130
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 131
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Souvenir
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Cover3
Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - Cover4
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