Walking down Duval Street, I closed my eyes and felt as if I was living in 1934 and Ernest Hemingway was hurrying to Sloppy Joe's to have his afternoon whiskey and to visit with the locals. Key West is definitely commercialized, but there is still the feel of that particular time period. The buildings still look the same and there are not any high-rises or modern buildings.
Full-time residents in 2020 is approximately 25,000 compared to the 1930s, when it was around 13,000. It is the tourists that keeps Key West over-populated. In 2018, there were more than three million visitors. But if it wasn't for the tourists, there would be no income coming in.
The major industries for Key West in the 19th century were wrecking, fishing, turtling and salt manufacturing. In the early 1831's, the cigar industry was also very important. Key West became the center of Havana cigar making place in the United States. It was once the richest city in the U.S. per capita due to the cigar industry and wrecking/salvaging ships that crashed into the reef.
Key West is known for the watersports, beaches, historic sites and its pastel, conch style architecture. Since I had "48" hours there, I wanted to make sure that I used my time wisely.
My husband and I had flown into Ft. Myers on Thursday and our friends drove over from Orlando. Early Friday morning, we enjoyed a four hour jet powered catamaran ride(Key West Express) that sailed through the calm waters of the Gulf to our destination of the America's Caribbean Island, Key West. You can fly into the Keys or drive from Miami. One hundred and thirteen miles of concrete(known as the Seven Mile Bridge) longest and most scenic forty-two bridges will connect you to paradise, Key West.
To get the feel of Key West, let's look at some interesting facts. It is Florida's southernmost point, lying roughly 90 miles north of Cuba. There are more than 700 islands throughout the Florida keys. It is a small island, only four miles long and two miles wide. The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet here in the keys at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. The only living reef in the U.S. is here. Key West was originally known as Cayo Hueso(Bone Island).
Arriving in Key West, the four of us headed to our hotel to check-in and to drop off our luggage. It was almost 2 pm and we were starved. So we grabbed some food and headed into the historic district of Key West. Our friends have been to Key West several times. As we toured the area, the streets were filled with tourists. Key West Songwriters Festival was this weekend. It is the largest festival of its kind in the world. We enjoyed going from bar to bar, listening to the various songwriters.
There is a lot of history in Key West. Walking down Whitehead Street, we saw the Green Parrot Bar. This bar dates back to 1890, when it was known as the "Brown Derby". It was definitely packed and people were enjoying their Friday afternoon. P.S., Jimmy Buffet hangs out here when he is in town. As we journey down the street, we came across the Kapok Tree. We were in awe of its 130 feet height. This is a sacred tree of the Mayan people who believed that the souls of the dead climbed the kapok tree to reach heaven. About a block down, we came to the Cornish Memorial Church. It was founded for the African-American residents of Key West by Sandy Cornish. He was a slave in 1793 and he purchased his freedom , acquired land and was well-known among the community.
As you wander through the historic district get ready to dodge the roosters and hens and possibly even the baby chicks. You hear them 24/7 throughout the island. When cock-fighting became illegal and not as many people were cooking chicken for Sunday dinner, the chickens became liberated and began to roam the island. They are protected and it is illegal to kill them. They are known as the "Gypsy Chickens".
The lovely walk finally got us to our destination for dinner, Santiago Bodega. This very quaint restaurant was off the beaten path and away from the crowds. It is definitely a restaurant that I would go back to.
Saturday was our one full day in Key West. Our day began at the eccentric, iconic "Blue Heaven". A must for breakfast. The outdoor seating and the live music made our hearty breakfast that much better.
After our delicious breakfast, we headed south on Whitehead Street. We came to Hemingway' house, but the line was long. Hemingway and his second wife, lived there during the 1930's. During this time, he wrote some novels and many short stories, such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro". Next time, I will take the time to tour the house and see Hemingway's cats that are known for their extra toes. Hemingway received the cat "Snow White" from a sailing captain. Among sailors, 6-toed cats are viewed as good luck.
Across the street is the Key West Lighthouse, a sixty-five foot tower, was completed in 1825. There are eighty-eight steps to the top and the view is sensational.
After walking several more blocks, Whitehead Street dead ended at the Southernmost Point Buoy of the Continental U.S. This is one of the most visited and photographed icon. From this point, you are about ninety miles from Cuba.
What is so nice about Key West is that you can walk everywhere. My daily goal is to walk 10,000 steps daily and today was a day that I was going to overachieve those steps.
The Butterfly Conservatory was about a block from he Southernmost Point. I enjoyed an hour of wandering through this conservatory and observing the various butterflies. This is home to 50-60 different species of butterflies.
In between sightseeing, we rested our feet and wet our whistle at the many bars along the way.
Onward to Higgs Beach to enjoy the white sand, tropical trees, aqua blue water and people watching. We also enjoyed a delicious meal at "Salute!".
After enjoying the beach, we headed north on Duval. We took a side-trip on Windsor to see The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, which is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Florida. One last stop before heading back to our hotel and that was going to be "Sloppy Joe's" to enjoy music and a "Sloppy Rita".
Sunday morning came early. We packed and stored our luggage so that we could enjoy a few more hours in Key West before boarding the Key West Express to Ft. Myers. One needs a protein breakfast before beginning the day. Harpoon Harry's was our targeted destination. Key Lime French Toast and crispy bacon was how I started the day. Yum!!!!
With a full stomach, we all boarded The Conch Tour Train. Our guide, Bob, was full of information and facts about the island. The train passed sites that we already seen, as well as buildings that we hadn't seen. Our last stop was "Sloppy Joe's" for one more Sloppy Ritas and the others enjoyed a Corona Light.
On the trip back to Ft. Myers, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset to the west. We were in awe as we watched the fire ball sun dropped into the blue ocean.
Forty-eight hours went by fast, but a good time was enjoyed by all. The friends, the food, the sun and the warm temperatures were what we all needed to restore our souls.
2 comments:
When I think of Key West history, my mind goes to that horrible hurricane hit they took...
I know bugga all about Key West
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