Miami tourists add Elian's house to itinerary

April 6, 2000
Web posted at: 12:20 p.m. EST (1620 GMT)

MIAMI (CNN) -- Miami's top attractions -- South Beach, Bayside Marketplace and Coconut Grove -- are unlikely to feel a drain of visitors soon, but a few tourists have added the modest home of Lazaro Gonzalez in Little Havana to their itineraries.

The one-story house owned by the great-uncle of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez -- the boy at the center of an international custody battle -- was a tourist stop Wednesday for seven women whose husbands were attending the National Convention of Fire Chiefs.

Late morning, a fire rescue van pulled up in front of the house. The seven women got out, walked past several Miami police officers guarding the house, and went to the chain-link fence that surrounds it.

Hanging on the fence were signs saying "Pray for Elian."

Elian has been caught in a tug-of-war between his father in Cuba and his Miami relatives since he was rescued from the sea off the coast of Florida on November 25. His mother -- who was divorced from Juan Miguel Gonzalez -- was one of 11 people who died when their boat sank as they tried to reach the United States from Cuba. Elian was one of three survivors.

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Juan Miguel Gonzalez arrived in Washington Thursday to be reunited with his son.

Lazaro Gonzalez and Elian emerged from the house and approached the women at the fence, where they talked. One of the women embraced Lazaro and turned away, wiping her eyes. Another woman tousled the boy's hair. Yet another removed her straw hat and handed it to the child.

"We just had to come here," one said.

Several women snapped pictures of the boy, before getting back into the van.

"The family agreed to see them," said one of the police officers when asked why he had allowed the group to cross the police line. Normally, police keep members of the public away from the fence.

A spokeswoman for the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau said few tourists have asked where the house is. But van loads of tourists are seen passing in front of the house from time to time.

Last year, Miami hosted 9.8 million visitors who spent $12.5 billion, said convention bureau spokeswoman Jean Sullivan.

About 10 percent of them visit Little Havana, where the prime attractions are the restaurants along Calle Ocho and Domino Park, she said.

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Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Elian Gonzalez NCC Project - Frequently Asked Questions
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Department of Justice
LibertyForElian.org - Foundation to Help Save Elian
Granma Internacional Digital, Cuba
Kidnap in Miami
Cubaweb
Cuban American National Foundation

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