Miami International Airport.
Not only is it a major gateway to paradise for many tourists, but as the southernmost major international airport in the continental U.S., it also serves as an important gateway to the ‘new world’ for many immigrants from the south of the United States. Opened in 1928, this is America’s 10th busiest airport—always a crossroads of excitement, dreams, and anxiousness.
Gloria Estefan was born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García on September 1, 1957, in Havana, Cuba. The distance between Miami and Havana is only 230 miles away, less than an hour half flight today. However, the Cuban Revolution and the socialist regime made their homeland a near-but-too-far situation for many Cubans who fled to the U.S. by crossing the ocean. Gloria Estefan and her family were among these Cuban refugees, escaping to Miami in 1959 when Gloria was only 14 months old. Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan’s husband and everlasting music partner, is as well.
I couldn’t find the specific source detailing the airport where the Fajardo family entered the U.S., but in an interview, Gloria mentioned the family took a plane. During a Dutch TV program, “College Tour”, Gloria powerfully shared, “The day we left Cuba, they only let us take one suitcase, and she (Gloria’s mother) brought her diploma, and at the airport, they told her ‘you are not taking the education, you are leaving’ and ripped the diploma, which is stupid because your education is here (brain) and here (heart), not a piece of paper” (5:40 below) and also “Hoping to go back (to Cuba) because that was his (Gloria’s father) plan, and I still have my round-trip ticket going back to Cuba from Pan Am which doesn’t exist anymore” (12:38). I think it is reasonable to think that Gloria and their family landed at Miami International Airport by Pan American World Airways, which maintained Miami hub to Latin America and Caribbean from the airport’s opening in 1928 to the airline’s bankruptcy in 1991. One thing I can assume is that The Fajardo family landed in the U.S. with a lot of uncertainty and anxiousness about their future.
Today, American Airlines has the strongest presence in those markets out of Miami Airport…including Cuba. American has 8 daily nonstop flights to Havana alone from Miami as of May 2023. To the land where communication was completely shut down for over 50 years, with too many hardships and lives at risk for those seeking freedom by taking unknown days to flee from the island, now travelers can visit with frequent flights that take only 1 hour 20 minutes after the travel ban was lifted in both 2016 and 2022.
Miami Airport also has an interesting trivia related to Gloria Estefan. During her college years, she worked at the Miami Airport. Fluent in English, Spanish, and French, she served as a translator at the airport’s immigration and customs. Her skills were so remarkable that even the CIA attempted to recruit her!
About a 20-minute drive southwest of Miami Airport, there was a Miami Sound Machine-related place I had wanted to visit for a long time, 37 years. Rather than a place, it was a point or corner.
I knew there would be nothing around there, but it didn’t matter. It was a dreamland as a fan I wanted to see. I never had the chance until 2023, despite visiting Miami Beach so many times. Usually, I went straight to the beach from the airport, even before checking into the hotel, as the beach and sunshine were the primary reasons for my visit. I also preferred Fort Lauderdale Airport, approximately 25 miles north of Miami, over Miami Airport. Honestly, Miami Airport is complicated for me, and it takes time to navigate out of the terminal, which was the same this time. After the airport, bad traffic awaits in many cases. Each terminal at Fort Lauderdale Airport is more streamlined, despite having four terminals, and the travel time to Miami Beach isn’t significantly different from Miami Airport, even though the distance is longer. The beaches are also closer to the airport compared to Miami Airport, which is located inland. This allows me to enjoy beach hopping en route to Miami Beach.
Anyway, I intentionally chose Miami Airport for this trip, and I finally made it to the place I had longed to visit. The specific location that had been on my list was…
Miami Sound Machine Boulevard.
Only 2 blocks, 0.2 miles of stretch on small SW 10th Terrace in Westchester neighborhood was renamed Miami Sound Machine Boulevard. Specifically, at the corner of SW 10th Terrace and SW 89th Avenue, a single iconic street sign proudly declares the presence of “Miami Sound Machine Boulevard”.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan mentioned in a 1986 interview that there were three street signs. However, upon my recent visit, I checked all corners, and there was only one sign.
Obviously, the street sign has been changed since 1986, but the location remained the same, and the house behind the couple was also the same, although it has undergone renovations.
That was the middle of nowhere. Only houses. A peaceful neighborhood where the only sounds were chirps. The sign was only a small piece of green metal plate. But I felt absolutely fine. That was the moment I made my long-time dream come true, coming from a long, long distance.
Why was this small hidden street behind the major highway named after Miami’s own legendary band? The reason was that Gloria and Emilio Estefan lived there when Miami Sound Machine gained popularity. Unfortunately, despite my efforts, I couldn’t find any articles or media for evidence. However, I still remember watching a Top 40 TV program when I was 14 that announced the City of Miami had named a street where the “members” lived Miami Sound Machine Boulevard and had a big celebration right there. But this also meant that their home address was disclosed, and eventually, they had to flee for a while. In fact, in the video, Gloria and Emilio mentioned during the interview that they had a big naming party on Miami Sound Machine Boulevard.
Still searching for a story to corroborate my old memory, even though memories could serve as good proof, I decided to ask my Lyft driver from the airport if he knew why the tiny street was named Miami Sound Machine Boulevard. Opting for a car service instead of a rental car from the airport was driven by the possible opportunity to interact with locals, as drivers often have valuable local insights. He, being a 4.9-star Latino driver, seemed optimistic, and indeed, he was a wonderful driver. Here was his answer.
“What is Miami Sound Machine?”
Oh, boy. The young Latino driver knew Gloria Estefan but wasn’t aware of the legendary ’80s band from Miami.
I decided to ask a resident after getting there, but the neighborhood was empty. Eventually, I spotted another young man walking on the street, though he was wearing a high school uniform. Despite expecting a challenge, I did ask him the same question. He said he lived just a few blocks away. The same answer. He knew Gloria Estefan but didn’t know Miami Sound Machine. It was surprising to discover that even the locals were unaware. Has time flown that fast? Am I really that old?
Fortunately, the resident from the house behind the street sign appeared in the garage. I approached the gentleman and posed the same question.
“Oh. Because Gloria and Emilio lived on this street back then”.
Great!
“Do you know where they lived?” I asked.
“On the Terrace. 3 houses away from here on the other side.” The gentleman pointed to the left, across the street.
I thanked him and walked in that direction. However, as an out-of-towner, I had no clue what “Terrace” meant because the street was SW 10 Terrace. What was the difference? Unfortunately, the gentleman had already left with his car. I walked to the dead-end of the street but couldn’t locate Gloria and Emilio’s former residence. Well, at least I could back up my old memory that they lived somewhere on that street, perhaps one of those houses I passed.
👆 Houses on Miami Sound Machine Blvd. The Estefans’ former house might be one of them.
After taking a walk in the neighborhood, I headed to the University of Miami in Coral Gable, about 7 miles southeast of Miami Sound Machine Boulevard and also about 7 miles southwest of Downtown Miami. The intelligent Gloria Estefan earned two bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Communication, along with a minor degree in French, from the University of Miami, graduating in 1979.
The University of Miami is a large institution with nearly 20,000 students spread across 240 acres of campus. Fortunately, the Psychology department building is conveniently located on the main streets of Ponce De Leon Blvd and Route 1. However, Gloria’s other major and minor buildings were on the opposite side, and walking there in the 85°F (29.4°C) tropical heat proved a bit challenging. I took photos of the Flipse Building, which now houses the Department of Psychology and campus security, and wandered around the campus where Gloria enjoyed her college life. Most of the college buildings appeared relatively new, including the Flipse Building, which was constructed in 2003. I’m quite sure these structures didn’t exist when Gloria was a student. The visit was simply to immerse myself in the environment that Gloria experienced during her time at the university.
👆 The University of Miami
