Wastin' Away in Key West

Nibblin on sponge cake
Watchin the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil

Strummin my six-string
On my front porch swing
Smellin those shrimps
They're beginnin to boil

Wastin' away in Margritiaville,
Lookin' for my lost shaker of salt...,

Jimmy Buffet, 1977

We just had a really fun 3 days in Key West.  We were with friends we love.  Nobody was high maintenance.  Here are a couple of hints for having a safe and sane but fun va-ca in our southern most city.

Airtran - Driving to KW from Orlando takes about 8 or 9 hours.  As you know, I don't do anything for that long.  Airtran flies direct.  Sometimes you can get on line tickets for $69.  I found us an extra special price of $35. 

Fogarty's - Best fish sandwich - Ever!

Tour Bus - I like hop on hop off city bus tours.  If the driver's entertaining I like to take the entire  trip - then decide where to go.  All of our drivers were hilarious.

Butterfly Conservatory - This may not seem like a wild and crazy place to you but we loved it.  It's been voted #1 Key West attraction by People's Choice Awards. 

Hemingway House - Ernest Hemingway was a wild and crazy guy! I've read almost everything he wrote.  Early on, he lived for 9 years in this house  And most scholars agree that he did his best work here.  The house is smaller than I'd imagined with a wrap around porch and beautiful gardens.  Dozens of 6-toed cats make themselves at home.

Art  and  Historical Society (Old Customs House) - The house, itself, is grand.  All red brick with life like statuary on the porches.  Lots of history inside. 

Mallory Square - This is where everybody goes to see the sunset.  Of course, most of us can see the sunset on any given night if we just walk outside.  But we wouldn't have hundreds of other folks with us, including the French guy with the trained cats - and the people from the cruise ships.

Two Fun Facts - When you're in Key West you're much closer to Cuba than to mainland USA.  Dave took all of these photos.

By the way, we didn't get any more "wasted" than Jimmy Buffet (one of the hardest working men in show biz) does - that is to say - not at all.  But Dave did have a Margarita one night.  And I had a sip.

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