Havana Photo Gallery - Plaza de la Revolucion

Plaza de la Revolucion was designed in the 1920s to impress, just like Paris' Place de l'Etoile, with avenues radiating out from here. Unfortunately, the grandeur is tarnished by the ugly 1950's style government buildings around it. A lot of concrete-paved space but very few occupants to use it. You can't really enjoy it either with the intense sun right above you. The busiest part was the parking area where many chartered old American cars await tourists sightseeing in the area. The Memorial a Jose Marti is the city's tallest structure. Standing at 138.5m tall, you first need to find an entrance to the ramp up, pay your way, then pay again for the observation deck elevator. Admission prices are very affordable, and it is definitely worth paying your way up for the view. No need to climb a long flight of stairs, and the observation deck has some air conditioning. Looking east, the city actually is not that high-rise or dense. The historic centre is to the northeast. You can make out Capitolio the to the left. To the north, the beautiful blue ocean awaits. The plaza looks so small from up here, but the huge exposed concrete space still resonates. More residential areas followed from the other windows. Luckily, the deck was not crowded but they really need to clean the windows!