Say “Madison Avenue” and everyone knows you’re talking New York. Rodeo Drive is synonymous with Beverly Hills. Worth Avenue is the prime shopping drive in Palm Beach and Peachtree Street is Atlanta’s signature address. Avenue of the Tides is a bit tougher, but anyone who has become familiar with Charleston will never forget it.

And so it is for Miami’s S.W. Eighth Street, better known as Calle Ocho, the centro vasco (main artery) of Little Havana, the Latin heart and soul of Miami.

The 10 square blocks that comprise today’s Little Havana also are the political nerve center for Miami’s passionately political Cuban population. It is a vibrant section of town that tantalizes the visitor with an all-out assault on the senses. Nothing is subtle here and the sights, sounds and smells of the neighborhood are all designed to jolt the visitor, from the heavy aroma of café cubano, which packs the wallop of caffeine-laced jet fuel, to the whirl of colors in the stores along Calle Ocho, the smell of cigar smoke and emphatic conversations among the abuelos playing checkers against the background of murals at Maximo Gomez Park.

When you visit, don’t miss out on the opportunity to sample Cuban food. You may find it less-spicy than you might have imagined, but it’s wholesome and tasty and Little Havana is a fine place to find a great plate of lechon asado con platinitos maduros y congris (roast pork with fried plantains and rice and beans). If you’re not quite as hungry, just sidle up to one of the open-air lunch counters and order a medianoche, sandwich cubano or some empanadas. Cuban food is outstanding. Try it once and you’re addicted, amigo.