view raw text
CUBA A WINTER PARADISE Ha,vana Already Beckoning Expectant Hosts of Visitors. 9 jrinth Annual Season of Racing Begins at Beautiful Oriental Park on Thanksgiving Day, November 30. HAVANA. Cuba. October 27. Cuba, the Pearl of the Antilles, with its unmatched climate and favorable location, will the coming winter make a stronger appeal than ever to those Americans who are desirous of escaping the chilly blasts of the northern clime to bask in the semi-tropical sunshine that favors Uncle Sams neighboring republic to the south. Havana, the Paris of the western hemisphere and the gayest capital in North America, is already beckoning her expectant i hosts of visitors and wants them all to know I that she is now better equipped than ever to entertain and afford them all the diversions i that may appeal to their imagination. Havana for a good many years has been ithe favorite winter resort for thousands of j pleasure seeking Americans, some who have come for a brief visit, while others have made it their abode all during the winter months. And the first-time visitor invariably returns the following year, so strong is the appeal that the climate and the means of ree-jreation and rest have upon visitors from i abroad. Its accessibility and improved j means of transportation have done much to add to the popularity of Havana with Americans. One can now step aboard a palatial steamship in New York and in sixty-six : hours be passing the lights of historic Morro Castle, the frowning structure that guards the entrance to Havana harbor. If faster time is desired express trains carrying drawing room cars will land one in Havana fifty-ifour hours after leaving the American me-tropolis. The facilities for speedily reaching Havana from other large American cities are equally as good. SHORT TRIP FROM FLORIDA. The popularity of the various Florida resorts has been a big boon to Havana, situat- ed in such close proximity to such popular places as Miami, Palm Beach und .Tackson-iville. Thousands of visitors to thos cities jhave come to regard a side trip to Havana as indispensable and Havana is attracting each year a growing patronage of this description. Many of the visitors use tno flying boat service between Key West iun Havana. Havana offers to visitors a varty f entertainment that cannpt be hud clsowhero on the North American continent, while its hotel facilities cannot be excelled anywhere. There are hotels of all description supplying excellent service and at rates that will compare favorably with those charged at the larger Florida resorts. The ,000,000 Almendares Hotel, opened two years ago to accommodate those preferring a residence away from the city noise and bustle, will throw open its doors for the coming winter session early in December. This palatial hostelry, under American management and largely controlled by the Cuba-American Jockey Club, combines elegance with comfort and is largely patronized by Americans seeking the winter outdoor life, on account of its close proximity to Marianao bathing beach, the Havana Country Club with its eighteen-hole golf course, one of tha finest to be found anywhere, and the far-famed Oriental Park race track, the home of the Cuba-American Jockey and Auto Club. For those who prefer the life of the city with its old world atmosphere, its gay throngs of paraders on the Malecon and Prado, its noted restaurants and its all-absorbing jai ali games and innumerable other entertainments, there are such fine hotels as the Inglaterra, Plaza. Telegrafo, La Union, Lafayette and Sevilla, besides numerous moderate-priced hostelries. The Sevilla, operated by the Biltmore Hotel of New York management, has gained wide popularity since it was reopened a few years ago and is the chief gathering place for the social element The growing patronage of this hotel necessitated the construction of an addition of one hundred rooms and it is expected these will be ready some time in December. ORIENTAL PARK SHOW PLACE. Every visitor to Havana makes the trip to Oriental Park, the picturesque race track situated at Marianao, a suburb of Havana, and said to be one of the finest and best-appointed race courses to be found anywhere. It is one of the show places of Havana. The ninth annual winter season of racing will be inaugurated at the plant Thanksgiving Day, November 30, which also marks the opening of the Havana winter season of gayety and social activity. The Jockey Club has in Mr. Frank J. Bruen a most capable and popular executive and he has surrounded hmiself with a most capable staff of racing officials, who see to it that patrons are afforded nothing but the highest grade of racing. The rapid growth of the thoroughbred breeding industry in Cuba is due largely to the efforts of manager Bruen and his associates. The racing season will continue for over one hundred days, during which time a fortune will be distributed among the horsemen. The aggregate distribution will exceed that of former years. The Casino, sometimes referred to as the Monte Carlo of America, which was last year acquired by the Jockey Club interests, is also managed by Mr. Bruen, whose executive ability last year brought the place into much favorable notice. Under its present management the Casino with its opportunity for tempting Dame Fortune and its unsurpassed cuisine has grown to be one of the institutions of the City of Havana and its patronage numbers members of the highest political and social circles. The Casino and the handsomely-appointed clubhouse at Oriental Park now divide the honor of be ins Havanas chief social centers.
