This broad boulevard, lined with arcaded porticos, runs south from the Malecón to Avenida Salvador Allende and is [node:60627 link Centro main north–south artery.

The Hotel Lincoln (Galiano, e/ Ánimas y Virtudes) was where Argentina’s world-champion racecar driver Fangio was kidnapped by Castro’s revolutionaries in 1958 during the Cuban Grand Prix. Room #810 is today the Museo de Juan Manuel Fangio, with photos and magazines from the period presenting a predictably one-sided version of the affair.

Also on an Argentinian theme, fans of tango might check out the Caserón del Tango (Neptuno #303, e/ Águila y Italia, tel. 07/863-0097, daily 10 a.m.–8 p.m.), a tiny cultural center-cum-museum run by tango lover Edmundo Daubal in honor of the Argentinian dance.

Cine América (Galiano #253, esq. Concordia, tel. 07/862-5416) dates from 1941 and is one of the world’s great art deco theaters, albeit severely deteriorated. The foyer features a terrazzo floor inlaid with zodiac motifs and a map of the world, with Cuba at the center in polished brass.

Cater-corner, the rarely open Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Monserrate dates from 1843 and is where Padre Fernando de la Vega runs Proyecto SIDA de Cuba (the Cuba AIDS Project) for HIV/AIDS patients.