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Post date: Aug 20, 2016 4:52:23 PM
I awoke to a beautiful day in south Florida. The plan of the day was to make my way to Key West and see what the place had to offer. I packed up my gear and headed south down US 1, the only road in or out of the Keys.
Along the way, I stopped for lunch at a place called Islamorada Fish Company. I had seen this restaurant attached to several Bass Pro Shops along my travels and thought that I would give it a try. The food was good, but the scenery was even better.
Fueled up, I continued on over the Seven Mile Bridge and eventually made it to Key West. It's a bustling area with people everywhere. I wasn't aware of it, but there's a naval air station on the island.
I eventually made my way to the hotel I was staying at, The Saint, that happened to be right off of Duval Street in the heart of the action. It took a minute to check in because I was a bit early, but I passed the time by reviewing brochures advertising local activities. Not to mention I was sucking up the air conditioning as it was almost 100 degrees outside. One activity that struck me was snorkeling. After a brief inquiry with the hotel staff, I booked a snorkeling tour for the next morning with Sebago Water Sports. This is one of those times that I wished that I had my PADI diving certification.
Checked in to my hotel, I headed back out on the bike to snap some photos at the southernmost point buoy. Well, that turned out to be all for naught because there was a line of about 50 people waiting to snap pics at the same location. I turned back for the hotel and decided to awake early before my snorkeling trip to come back to that spot and get my pics. Key West has free motorcycle parking on every corner. It was great!
This time I left the hotel on foot and walked straight down Duval street. It's a good mix of stores, bars, and various eateries. Some places sell high-end clothing. Others sell knickknacks. I would guess that food is good everywhere, else it would survive very long. I was on a mission for Key Lime Pie; however, the place that Yelp says is the best was closed for the day because of a company party. Just my luck.
On my failed pic excursion, I noticed a beach near the buoy so I walked back down that way only to be disappointed. The beach was very small, and it was crowded to boot. I didn't feel like swimming anyways, so I turned around and headed back up Duval Street.
The heat was zapping the energy straight out of my body, so I walked back up to the hotel and decided a nap was in order. I had planned to stay out late and experience Duval Street at night, expecting that it would be similar experience to that of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Well, I was right.
Awoke from my slumber, I headed around the corner to Sloppy Joe's to devour some renowned Sloppy Fries. It's basically a plate of fries smothered in sloppy joe sauce and covered with colby jack cheese - definitely not health conscious. The sauce is a little sweet for me, but overall, the meal was good.
Still on the prowl for some Key Lime Pie, I asked the bartender where I could find the best pie on the island. They told me to go to A&B Lobster House down the street. Well, it turned out to be a nice restaurant, probably the swankiest in town, but the pie was disappointing. It just wasn't limey enough, and it was $8 including a cup of coffee.
Around the corner was Mallory Square and the Sunset Festival where the tourists pay homage to the setting sun of course. There, I enlisted the help of a fellow tourist and got my picture taken at the Selfiemost Point, en lieu of the Southernmost point because of the cadre of professional photographers.
I was able to take in a beautiful sunset though.
Later that I night, I visited a local establishment known as the Red Garter Saloon. If you're a single werewolf in Key West, I recommend you stop here.
I didn't stay out as late as I had anticipated. It was awesome too that my hotel was right around the corner. I stumbled my way back into a bone-chilling cold hotel room and slipped between the sheets. I was out like a light.
The next morning I hopped back on the bike and sealed deal for the Four Corners trip by completing the square. I had visited the four corners of the USA! Mission accomplished.
Next, it was time to swim with the fishes! I again parked the bike at the hotel and walked over to the marina to find the boat that was to take me snorkeling. It was rather sizable catamaran, by my estimates anyways, that could support a slew of people. The boat wasn't crowded at all, and for the 20th time on this trip, I met some folks from Indiana.
While we sailed towards a place called Rock Reef, the crew doled out snorkeling gear and conducted a brief introduction to the activity. Once there though, it was abandon ship for an awesome experience! I jumped into the clear blue waters with nothing but excitement and anticipation.
I was able to see several different species of fish, none of which I could identify by name, except for Barracuda. The largest of the nine encountered looked to be about four feet in length. It circled around me several times, and I began to get the feeling that it was looking for a tasty digit or appendage of mine to fill its gut. Not today, Son!
I moved on and swam around for what seemed like mere minutes glancing up at the boat occasionally to see if it was time to go. Well, I guess I had lost track of time because the last time I looked up, the boat was full of people and they were yelling and waving for me to get back on the boat. Time to go.
Back on dry land, I passed by Kermit's Key West Key Lime Pie Shop and decided that since last nights pie adventure was disappointing, redemption was in sight. It was definitely better pie here.
I stopped in at Caroline's and had some much needed lunch before packing up and heading back to Miami.
Key West was a great experience, and I will definitely be back.
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