Key West

You can fly to Key West – all the major U.S. carriers serve the island – but I suggest you do what we’ve done both times we’ve been there: fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale, rent a convertible, and drive there.

It’s about 250 km. from Miami, three or four hours along US 1, crossing 42 bridges, the longest being over 10 km. long. The Atlantic Ocean on your left, the Gulf of Mexico on your right, it’s one of the great drives. Stop at the Islamorada Fish Company in (where else?) Islamorada, about half-way. Walk across the white sand, look out at the blue waters of the Gulf, try the conch fritters.

Conch is a marine mollusc (that’s a polite way of saying water snail). White, firm, and flavourful, it’s turned into chowder, salad, fritters, and sandwiches by the locals. You have to try it.

In fact, Key West calls itself the Conch Republic. In 1982, in response to a U.S. Customs closure of US 1 (they were searching for drugs, among other contraband that was widely smuggled into the U.S. via the Keys at the time), Key West declared its independence, promptly surrendered, and asked for foreign aid. They didn’t get the foreign aid, but the resulting publicly got the blockade lifted, and Key West’s motto remains: “We seceded where others failed”. It’s emblematic of the pirate spirit that animates the place.

Harry Truman made Key West the location of the little White House and writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams have lived and written here.

Trolley and train tours (actually a bus and tractor-pulled cars) do a good job of explaining local history, and there are attractions ranging from an aquarium to a butterfly conservatory to a museum describing the recovery of sunken Spanish treasure in the local waters. You can also take a trip out to snorkel on the nearby reefs or watch the sunset.

Watching the sunset from Mallory Square is a daily ritual and the square attracts not only hundreds of visitors, but also dozens of hawkers and buskers. It’s a must do.

Duval Street is the main street where you’ll find most of the bars, restaurants, and shopping. You can read about some of those in my previous post.

Key West is only about 3 km. by 6 km. Given its small size and idyllic winter weather (daytime highs in the mid-20's), it's popular, and thus expensive. Hotels tend to start at US$300 per day, but you may find lower rates at one of the many B&B's. The weather is hot and humid in the summer and hurricane season lasts into November, but rates are lower then.

There are many good places to eat, especially if you enjoy fresh seafood or Cuban, and plenty of bars. Beer is reasonably priced, but cocktails, at US$10-12 are big-city priced.

Public transit really isn't an option for visitors, but taxis are plentiful, and the drivers are friendly and knowledgeable. The hotels that aren't right downtown offer free shuttles.

Change your latitude; change your attitude. Key West embodies that laid-back Jimmy Buffet spirit. Don't pack dinner clothes; you won't need them. You're always over-dressed in Key West.

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Sipping in the Sunshine State

Just back from a week in Florida, split between Key West and Fort Lauderdale. More on those two towns in upcoming posts, but I promised a special drinks post a while back and here it is.

Key West is a slightly less crazy version of New Orleans. Old Town is its French Quarter and Duval its Bourbon Street. Most of the shopping, bars, and restaurants are here, though some gems are tucked away elsewhere.

Camille's (1202 Simonton) serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the menu changes daily. The food is terrific and so are the drinks. "Denise's Medication", named for the owner, is a vodka martini with three olives that delivers fast-acting relief. The designated drinker (a.k.a. Mrs. 500 Words) assures me the Lemon Drop martini is also top-notch.

We stopped at Jimmy Buffet's Original Margaritaville (500 Duval) for some souvenirs. We had tried the Margaritas here when we were in Key West five years ago. Made with a commercial sour mix, they were disappointing.

Instead, go across the street to Willie T's (525 Duval), which has more than 30 kinds of Mojitos on the menu. The food is better than you'd expect.

A great place to catch the daily sunset celebration at Mallory Square is from Sunset Pier at the foot of Duval Street. Service is spotty, though. Best go up to the bar to order drinks or food. Begin the evening here and you can say you started your crawl at 1 Duval.

Another terrific spot for sunset viewing is the rooftop bar of the Crowne Plaza La Concha Hotel (430 Duval), Key West's tallest building. Get your drinks from the bar inside before going outside to the patio, which is undergoing some sprucing up. Enter through the Starbucks at street level and take the elevator to the roof. Get there early if you want a seat.

The Rum Barrel (528 Front at Simonton) proved irresistible to the designated drinker. A confirmed rum fanatic, it took her quite a while to decide from among the more than 180 rums on offer (alas, none from Cuba). Good selection of micro beers too. Try the Capn' Kidd's Crock, a shrimp, crab, and spinach dip served with tortilla chips. Good service.

We were slowing down a bit by the time we hit Fort Lauderdale. Riding the water taxi along its entire route to stop 1, we had lunch at Shooters on the Intracoastal Waterway. The food was OK, but I suspect there was a problem with their draft lines, as both beers I sampled had the same musty odour and taste. I didn't finish them. Service was slow too.

The real highlight of our trip came on the final night when we stopped for a drink in the Wreck Bar at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. This is the former Yankee Clipper Hotel, an iconic 1950's era Fort Lauderdale landmark built in the shape of an ocean liner. The bar itself is constructed to resemble the hold of a wooden sailing ship, and windows behind the bar offer a view into the deep end of the hotel pool. They still have an underwater "mermaid" swim show Friday night. A scene from the Robert De Niro/Billy Crystal movie Analyze This was filmed here, and Tim Dorsey sets a scene from his novel Nuclear Jellyfish here as well. Pure nostalgia.

Look for more on Key West and Fort Lauderdale in the next few days.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane