Hialeah Park

Hialeah is more Havanan than Little Havana (more than 90% of the population speak Spanish as a first language), and the symbol and center of this working-class Cuban community is this grand but endangered former race track. Although Seabiscuit and Seattle Slew once raced here, the last race was held in 2001, and since then a fight has been raging to keep this gem from being paved over. The track was even the subject of a pop-culture protest in the form of the song ‘Save Hialeah Park’ by Los Primeros, a Hialeah-based Latin boy band in 2008. A walk through the grounds is recommended, if just to gaze at the grand staircases and pastel-painted concourse, and imaging the thunder of racing hooves. Look for the caps, boots and saddle carved into the window below the administration building, and the oft-photographed central fountain.