HAVANA TIMES – Last week, seeking shelter from the rain, I took refuge in the front of a building on Amargura Street in Old Havana. Several people were there, and as is natural among Cubans, conversation became the main event during the wait. Initially informative, the chatter focused on the history of the building where we found ourselves. The story, vividly told, filled me with sadness as I contemplated the bitterness of its reality, and then it sparked my inquisitive and questioning nature.
The multifamily building in question was none other than the famed Hotel La Unión. Built in 1846 and reconstructed in the second decade of the 20th century with five floors and a modern design marked by luxury and elegance in all its facilities. It was cited as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals over the following decades and coveted by European and American tourists.
Once the downpour ended, I ventured up the stairs with an indescribable sense of loss. The ruin was
