Three nights in Key West, the Conch Republic!

For the first part of our Florida get-a-way, Dayven and I left the kids with my parents and headed for a little get-a-way on the island of Key West. We hopped a tiny plane for the 80 minute flight to the southernmost point in the United States.

Key West is a fairly small island with a really unique vibe. It's an eclectic mix of beautiful old restored homes, beach shacks, restaurants, shops and plenty of bars with live music. They have a ton of wild roosters, chickens and cats roaming the island, which adds to the character. It's not uncommon to hear roosters crowing at all hours of the day and night. The main concentration of activity is on Duval Street. If you walk from one end of Duval to the other (known as the "Duval Crawl"), you are literally walking from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Mallory Square is at one end, right on the water, full of vendors and street performers looking to make a buck. Sunsets in Key West are so beautiful, they are celebrated and every night, a crowd gathers in Mallory Square and waits for the sun to go down. This is also the most touristy part of town, as the cruise ships dock just a short distance away and all the day trippers are schlepping through the streets. Like Las Vegas and New Orleans, Key West has no open liquor ordinances so people are just walking through the streets, sipping their drinks. Although it's fun to be a part of all the action, we loved wandering to some more obscure parts of the island. One day, we rented bikes and explored all the little back streets where the locals hang out.

We stayed at a charming little Bed & Breakfast just a block off Duval Street. Despite the fact that it was just a block from all the action, it was a quiet oasis that seemed a million miles away. The property is covered in lush, tropical gardens and they have many unique permanent "residents", including three large tortoises, parrots, cats and dogs. They had a fabulous breakfast of fruit, homemade granola and fresh baked breads every morning on the patio among the creatures. Every afternoon, we headed back to our hotel to relax by the pool, swim, read and have a cocktail.

Key West has been home and haven to many famous authors over the years, including Hunter S Thompson, Tennessee Williams, and probably the most famous, Ernest Hemingway. His home is still open for tours and you can walk through the very rooms where he did some of his writing. I even read one of his books ("A Movable Feast", about his life in Paris with his first wife, Hadley) to get into the spirit. The property is crawling with cats (43 in total), most of whom have SIX toes. Hemingway received a six toed cat as a gift and all the descendants of this cat now have six toes. It's quite a strange thing to see and makes them look like they're wearing mittens.

We spent most of our time exploring the island on foot and bikes, just taking in the vibe. We had some incredible meals, including some delicious authentic Cuban food and of course, local fresh seafood. 


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We had a blissfully relaxing vacation and the best part may have been that even when our vacation was over, it wasn't really over. We left one island and headed to another. We spent the next week in Cedar Key, with my family.