Key West

Our patio at Larry & Penny Thompson Campground.

Chris & I checked in to the Larry & Penny Thompson Campground for a two week stay in Miami. There was so much we wanted to do in southern Florida and this seemed like a good “base”. The campground is a county park with 240 RV sites, paved roads throughout, a lake, tons of shade trees and plenty of amenities (pool, laundry, clubhouse, etc.), at considerably less than most RV parks in Miami. It is a wonderful place to hang out for a couple weeks.

Our cottage at Island Bay Resort.

One of our first “projects” was planning a trip to visit the Florida Keys. RV parks in the Keys cost about $100/night so we decided to drive the PT down and stay in a nice motel. Sort of an extended “date night”. We located a wonderful “in home” dog sitter for Abby and after much research I reserved a room in a small resort in Key Largo. Key Largo is a 2 hour drive from Key West but the closer to Key West you get the more expensive the rooms are. The Island Bay Resort turned out to be wonderful. Each of the 10 individual cottages had its own patio with table/chairs & bar-b-cue and we were just steps from the private beach where two-person hammocks and chaise lounges beckoned. 

Chaise lounges on the beach await!

In addition, a long dock with Adirondack chairs was the perfect spot for guests to gather at the end of the day to watch the sunset. Upon entering our room we were greeted by lovely island décor and Jimmy Buffet singing softly in the background. It was perfect! And very romantic! 

It is hard to get a photo of the beautiful water but I tried!

We rose early the next morning for the drive to Key West. The 98 mile long causeway afforded us long views of the beautiful water between the numerous islands. Road work on the outskirts of town and finding a parking spot slowed us down so it was close to noon before we actually got walking around town. It didn’t seem like that big a place so we opted for the $20 fee for 2 hours instead of $35 for all day. Looks can be deceiving! The only place on our “list” that we managed to locate was the buoy marking the Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S. After taking pictures, a bit of lunch and a little shopping we found ourselves 15 minutes late getting back to the car which required paying the additional $15 in fees. The thought of a long drive back in heavy traffic discouraged us from staying longer.

Here we are...90 miles from Cuba!

That evening over a wonderful dinner we realized that we wanted more. The day was too short and we aren’t likely to be here again so we decided to bite the bullet and bring the RV down for 3 nights.

This is the height of the “season” as well as the beginning of Spring Break so locating an acceptable RV park was a little tricky. After much research I found a KOA on Sugarloaf Key (17 miles from Key West). I read the reviews complaining of noise but thought surely it couldn’t be that bad. Hah! Two of the 3 nights we were there the live music in the bar by the pool (right in front of us) didn’t stop before 10:30. Then…the drunks spent hours wandering around yelling. I didn’t get much sleep but I tried to remember that it was only for 3 nights!

So…we were (happily) close enough to Key West to spend much of two days there. And…we had located a better (and cheaper) parking lot. Life was good!

Eclectic shop seen from the trolley.

On day one, we decided to first take a trolley tour of the town to get the lay of the land. The bonus was that the trolley driver also gave us quite a bit of history about the area.

The Avalon

Southernmost House.

A couple “tidbits”:

11)      Many of the houses and buildings in Key West are not only beautiful architecturally, but they were built in the 1800’s and have survived hurricanes, termites, neglect and the Great Depression. One reason is they were built by shipbuilders who knew a thing or two about making structures that have a bit of flexibility and are made with materials known to withstand storms and parasites. Also, during the 1970’s when many were in serious disrepair, a group of artists, gays, lesbians and hippies purchased the homes for next to nothing and set to work restoring them. In fact, the Gay community is credited with the gentrification of Key West. These beautiful homes (many of which are now hotels or bed & breakfasts) are like the icing on a wonderful, lively cake.

One of the great sculptures at the U.S. Customs House.

Chris being funny with one of the sculptures.

22)      There are very few “beaches” in the Keys and their “sand” is actually more accurately rock or crushed shells & coral. That is because the Keys are protected by a barrier reef and there is no surf…which is what makes sand. The main tourist beaches in the Keys are not especially big and the sand is all imported from the Bahamas!

Captain Tony's Saloon (originally Sloppy Joe's)

My friend, Pat, is a big Jimmy Buffet fan (as are we) and suggested a couple places to visit where he was known to hang out so those were on our list. We located Captain Tony’s Bar (which was, originally, Sloppy Joes’…Ernest Hemingway’s hangout of choice) and went in to have a beer. It was interesting looking at the hundreds of bras hanging from the rafters but the smoking drove us out long before we got that cold drink.

Pat also suggested the Blue Heaven Restaurant (which is the subject of one of Jimmy’s songs) and that was great fun. 

Great local entertainment.

My travel books recommended it for breakfast due to the long wait times (and no reservations) so we showed up early (well…9:30 or so) and only had a 30 minute wait. While we waited we enjoyed listening to some talented local musicians as well as checking out the “interesting” décor and watching multiple chickens running around under the tables. 

"Showers $1.00 To Watch $2.00"

My Lobster Benedict was deee-licious. Of course, once breakfast was over we had to visit the gift shop and drop a few dollars. I hope Pat appreciated the little gift I sent her for her un-Birthday!

More lobster than Benedict. Yum!

Chris really wanted to visit the Mel Fisher Museum and it was interesting tho’ not one of the best museums I’ve seen. Mr. Fisher is the man who found the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha that went down in 1622. There were some items from the shipwrecks that Mr. Fisher found and excavated and a lot of information about the ship, the reason it sank (hurricane) and how he located the wreck. The worst part for me was that the museum was so dimly lit I had trouble reading the small print.

Hemingway Home

Ernest's Writing Studio

Cat Cemetery at the Hemingway House.

We fell in love with the Ernest Hemingway Home and our tour guide was a real kick. He was from Boston and was clearly a huge aficionado of Hemingway with lots of interesting tidbits about his life and loves to share. The home is beautiful and I was especially awed when Chris & I walked into the studio. Just to think that was where Hemingway worked for 9 hours every day that he lived in that home gave me the shivers. Of course, being the bibliophile that I am, I couldn’t leave without purchasing a book from the small gift shop at the home. I am looking forward to reading A Farewell To Arms and am hopeful that it isn’t depressing as some of his works have been.

The coolest Walgreen's I've seen yet!

Of all the places we have visited in Florida, Key West was the most magical. It is unique and historic and eclectic and pretty and just plain fun. I would love to go back someday and stay in one of the wonderful hotels in downtown so I could enjoy the ambiance 24 hours a day.