Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2009

6. The Elián González House, Miami

Of all of Miami's unusual sights, none is more surreal than the four-room bungalow where 6-year-old Elián González spent a good part of the year 2000 under the watchful eyes of the international media and the Cuban-exile community. The house functions as a shrine to Elián: walls are covered with photo collages of his face, display cases brim with his toys, and the closets are filled with his old clothes. There is even a room devoted to the nighttime raid by federal agents that led to Elián's return to Cuba. It's all morbidly fascinating and an indelible part of the city's recent history. The house doesn't have a phone number, official operating hours or a required admission fee (it accepts donations), but if you show up during an average day, Elián's great-uncle Delfín will emerge to show you around personally — if he isn't tending to a busload of Japanese tourists.