Eight tips on what NOT to do while visiting Calle Ocho Miami, so don’t say no one told you so!
There are many ways to describe Calle Ocho Miami. It is vibrant, historic, and multicultural, like nowhere else in the country possibly the hemisphere. People from near and far come, and some stay longer than planned. The community here is very welcoming, which is why we can all get along and “fit in.” It is a matter of goodwill. That could very well be our message to the world.
Welcome, we say “MI CASA ES SU CASA,” but before you come, here are a few tips you can go by when in Calle Ocho Miami:
- DO NOT SUPPOSE that others may (or may not) understand a specific language. You shall be surprised in the best of cases. We are proudly a multicultural community where boundaries and barriers are highly abstract here. We all do our best; nobody wants misunderstandings. Try it, learn a little, smile a little, and go with the flow. Enjoy yourself! What happens in Little Havana stays in Little Havana!
- DO NOT “NOT TIP” Simply not cool. If you are not satisfied with your service, ask to speak to a manager and discuss the matter. If your bill is a bit higher than expected, then check, its possible a “gratuity” or “service charge” has already been included.
- DO NOT ALLOW POLITICS to spoil your stay. High tension, high complexities, high sensitivity are all a part of the norm. Be respectful and sensitive to others, for you do not know where they came from or what brought them here. If you must, approach the tertulia as you would a game of chess and not a cockfight. Whatever your points, you shall learn plenty by listening more and not getting caught up in rising tones.
- DO NOT DRIVE here if you don’t have to. Driving in Miami can be stressful, and we would like for you to enjoy your visit so you can get the most out of it. There are plenty of convenient and far more exciting options available to explore if you have no car to worry about, plus we are right next to Downtown!
- DO NOT STRESS IT everybody and anybody can just be running late every once in a while; it is understandable. Some more than others. of course. Don’t stress it and everything will be alright. We are here to chill, so let our hot Caribbean flavored breeze loosen you up some.
- DO NOT UNDER UNDERVALUE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PHOTOGRAPH bring your camera(s), come loaded with an extra battery or portable charger perhaps, you prefer film, tripod, ring flashes, bring it all. You will be glad you did. Calle Ocho Miami, either as a subject or as a setting, never gets boring. Explore, let it out through a lens, be happy, feel free, be inspired. Use common sense; you are in a barrio, not Disney.
- DO NOT FEEL that Calle Ocho Miami is solely a tourist attraction for outsider tourists, for it is as exciting as comfortable for locals as well. Shop, dine, or explore the Hispanic Heritage with local flare.
- AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET that Little Havana is not only a tourist attraction, it is a barrio, our community, and our home. Please be respectful of our people, our streets, our monuments, our businesses, our trees, our roosters, our stories, and whatever else you find in Calle Ocho Miami. We are not here for you, but we are glad you came, understood? After all, life can be so good that it deserves to be shared. Little Havana has plenty to share, so why not enjoy it?
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