Key West
Feb. 28 – March 3
Feb.28
We’ve been absent because the roaming internet is not working well and I’ve caught a bit of a virus. So here’s an overview of our first few days in Key West. [Note from Rick - this hasn't been completed, but we'll up load it now and edit later - the internet is working for a few minutes this morning the 4th!]
Arrive at Boyd’s Key West Campground about noon and begin a battle to get the waterfront site I reserved two months ago. The smiling staff is trying very hard to accommodate and we win…sort of. Except for the palms trees, warm weather and a view of an inlet, this is a very undesirable place. Everyone is packed in cheek to jowl and the cast of characters must be extras from Deliverance.
Determined to try to ignore all this, we call an old friend of mine from Litchfield, CT who moved last year to Key West and arrange to meet for lunch. Fritz gives us a driving tour of Key West and we have a late lunch at Mangoes on Duval Street. A crab cake sandwich and grilled mahi mahi in pita are okay. Fritz says his chicken/avocado BLT is good.
After lunch we explore the Duval Street shops and pick up the obligatory Margaritaville t-shirts and I buy some sandals at a fun shop called Fast Buck Eddies. (Apparently they also have an outlet called Half Buck Eddies.)
After such a late lunch, we pass on dinner and just nibble on some peel and eat shrimp we had made earlier.
Feb. 29
We plan on staying “on campus” today to just sit in the sun and read. Get’s old about mid- afternoon and we go exploring to the docks on Stock Island to pick up the fresh catch for dinner. I call the numbers listed in a good guide book I bought called Florida Keys by Victoria Sheare and Nancy Toppino (11th edition). Find both of the locations listed are either no longer there or not answering th
eir phone. See a fun looking local hangout called Hogfish Bar and they point us in the right direction down the block. Fishbusters has just opened and we buy Florida lobster tails to grill. Take them back to Gigantor to refrigerate and head to Mallory Square for the sundown celebration. The photos pretty much say it all…good fun.
Feb. 28 – March 3
Feb.28
We’ve been absent because the roaming internet is not working well and I’ve caught a bit of a virus. So here’s an overview of our first few days in Key West. [Note from Rick - this hasn't been completed, but we'll up load it now and edit later - the internet is working for a few minutes this morning the 4th!]
Arrive at Boyd’s Key West Campground about noon and begin a battle to get the waterfront site I reserved two months ago. The smiling staff is trying very hard to accommodate and we win…sort of. Except for the palms trees, warm weather and a view of an inlet, this is a very undesirable place. Everyone is packed in cheek to jowl and the cast of characters must be extras from Deliverance.
Determined to try to ignore all this, we call an old friend of mine from Litchfield, CT who moved last year to Key West and arrange to meet for lunch. Fritz gives us a driving tour of Key West and we have a late lunch at Mangoes on Duval Street. A crab cake sandwich and grilled mahi mahi in pita are okay. Fritz says his chicken/avocado BLT is good.
After lunch we explore the Duval Street shops and pick up the obligatory Margaritaville t-shirts and I buy some sandals at a fun shop called Fast Buck Eddies. (Apparently they also have an outlet called Half Buck Eddies.)
After such a late lunch, we pass on dinner and just nibble on some peel and eat shrimp we had made earlier.
Feb. 29
We plan on staying “on campus” today to just sit in the sun and read. Get’s old about mid- afternoon and we go exploring to the docks on Stock Island to pick up the fresh catch for dinner. I call the numbers listed in a good guide book I bought called Florida Keys by Victoria Sheare and Nancy Toppino (11th edition). Find both of the locations listed are either no longer there or not answering th
eir phone. See a fun looking local hangout called Hogfish Bar and they point us in the right direction down the block. Fishbusters has just opened and we buy Florida lobster tails to grill. Take them back to Gigantor to refrigerate and head to Mallory Square for the sundown celebration. The photos pretty much say it all…good fun.
Grilled lobster tails, drawn butter, French fries and cole slaw….perfection!
March 1
The tummy bug hits…I stay put all day and encourage Rick to paint. He goes out for awhile with a sketch pad, but hasn’t seemed to find anything that moves his creative juices yet.
Rick prepares the dinner I was to make tonight and does a bang-up job. Whole chicken seasoned with Herbs de Provence, garlic, salt and pepper grilled on a cedar plank. This is a wonderful method of cooking…imparts a fabulous smoky flavor and works particularly well on poultry and fish. Asparagus and rice pilaf round out the very tasty meal….unfortunately I can’t eat anything. The good news is we have terrific leftovers.
March 2
Tummy is still awful, but there are things we want to do. Decide the legendary houses in town will fill the day. We drive by Tennessee Williams’ home….appears to be privately owned and is a charming little well-kept place in a not so well-kept neighborhood. There appears to be no zoning regulations here. Seems odd because I thought I read it had been designated a National Historic District. Coming from Georgetown I know all too well what that means and the things I’m seeing wouldn’t be allowed.
Head on to the Hemmingway House and while I think the $12 admission is outrageous, we did find it interesting. Lovely property with the first swimming pool in Key West. What struck me most wa
s the diminutive, very formal furniture. Not really a man’s man kind of place. His studio in an outbuilding is more suiting.Across from the Hemmingway House is a handsome lighthouse that will go into Rick's "to-be-painted file".
My daughter, Kelly, and I have always found it intriguing to roam old cemeteries.
The inscriptions, the family plots, the embellishments tell great stories. So Rick and I go to the Key West Cemetery. It’s mostly an above ground burial location, like New Orleans because of the sea level.
The inscriptions, the family plots, the embellishments tell great stories. So Rick and I go to the Key West Cemetery. It’s mostly an above ground burial location, like New Orleans because of the sea level.
We've heard of some interesting markers to look for...like "I told you I was sick"..but can't find anything very remarkable. Later I find an article in a free magazine called Sharon Wells Walking and Biking Guide to Historic Key West which lays out 14 very good tours. You can pick up this guide at many of the stores on Duval.
We move on to Truman's Little White House Annex and stumble upon a delightful scene. A garden party complete with period dress and croquet.
It had to be blowing at least 20mph....stopped by Smathers Beach to watch some parasailors with a death wish!
March 2
Our friend, Fritz, had scheduled a dinner for us at a wonderful out of the way restaurant...by stomach's not up to it. We go elsewhere and I watch the boys eat a most incredible meal. Santiago's Bodega is a tapas restaurant tucked away in a less than desirable neighborhood. Go there. The little bits I nibbled on and the reviews from the guys were spectacular, unusual and very ample portions for tapas.
March 2
Since I'm still a bit under the weather, we decide to focus our energies on the evening. Spend the day in the sun and at the pool. (The pool at Boyd's in pretty nice and the crowd is less outrageous than those we have seen around before.)
We go to Michaels in an Old Town neighborhood far from the maddening crowds. Fritz has made friends with the owners (Michael was a former chef at Morton's) and we are treated royally. We eat in the garden which is picture perfect. The coconut shrimp in a Thai chili sauce is wonderful. I have a seared duck breast which surrounds a mound of smashed potatoes and features a duck leg on top. Lamb chops and Grouper Oscar round out the table. And their Volcano chocolate cake is an explosion for the mouth.
Then we do a real Key West thing...go to a drag show at La Te Da. It's wonderful! There's also a piano bar and restaurant downstairs which is surprisingly pretty. Tip: Don't let them charge you $30 per person at the door. When we only slightly hesitated, the price went to $30 for all three of us...there is, however, a two drink minimum. And only sit in the front row c
ocktail tables if you want to be part of the show!
ocktail tables if you want to be part of the show!
No comments:
Post a Comment