Malecón in Spanish means pier. Perhaps Havana’s celebrated boulevard should have been called rompeolas (breakwater) because it was initially designed as a seawall. Yet ocean waves often crash over the top and block traffic. The first third of a mile of Malecón was built by the Americans in 1901. Construction continued through 1952. High-rises from the 1950s accent the Vedado skyline. This neighborhood, plotted into a logical grid system one hundred years earlier, is primarily residential. Recently, Vedado has begun to blossom with nightlife, entertainment and art. So, hail a taxi driver in a classic car or horse-drawn carriage to explore Malecón and Vedado … especially at nightfall.
