Tram Tuesday - Havana, Cuba

I could tell you all about the trams of Havana, Cuba and how they started out as horse-drawn transportation for freight only, and how electrification of the system came fairly late, in large part because of the war with Spain.  However, if you want to know more about streetcars in Havana or anywhere else in Cuba, you should really take a look at Allen Morrison's website, The Tramways of Havana. He documents the entire history of the system, with lots of great photos and postcards.

Here's Prado Avenue with a tram and horse-drawn carriages in about 1905.

The message on the front of the card to Clara L. Gray of Minneapolis says:

Jan 13 '06

This is Prado. I tried to describe in the letter I'm sending at same time. The ocean in the distance also Morro castle. G.D.G

Here's a card showing Morro Castle.

5th Avenue and 49th Street, New York City

Here's the view circa 1910, when St. Patrick's Cathedral was the tallest building and it was surrounded by residential buildings. Plans for the cathedral started taking shape in the 1850s, but many considered the idea preposterous, because the site was so remote. The cathedral's doors opened in 1878. After that, the city grew around the cathedral.

And here's what it looks like today. St. Patrick's Cathedral is still there, it's just dwarfed by skyscrapers.


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Here's the back of the card--sadly with no message.

Czech New Year

The lovely Czech family on the front of this card sends you hearty New Year's greetings. I also wish you a very happy New year, but I don't read or speak Czech, so I'm afraid I can't offer a translation of the message on the back.  Any input from Czech speakers out there would be greatly appreciated.