For the first time in more than 50 years, a commercial flight direct from Houston landed in Havana Saturday afternoon.
Passengers applauded as United Flight 1506 landed in Cuba. Direct flights that launched from the U.S. last week brought an island just 900 miles from Texas and 90 miles from Florida even closer to the U.S.
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“Well, it's very different for me because I have family here,” said Cesar Cespedes, from Houston. It was his second time to visit Cuba. He was already planning another visit.
“There's nothing like it. You get dropped in this city and you're completely lost, Cespedes said. “But it's a great feeling. You're not even connected. Internet doesn't work that much. Don't use your cellphone that much.”
Walking down the streets of Havana, you quickly see tourists, from the United States.
“Just the excitement that it was open and that it's easier to come and we wanted to check it out and see what it was all about,” said Dena Smits from New York.
Many of the cars on Havana's streets are American classics that cater to the Americans arriving in Cuba by the plane-full, making the island seem frozen in time.
"Yeah, I could'nt agree more," Matthew Tenteromano, from New York said. "The cars are from the mid-'50s or '60s.