Key West – the end of the world (or America at least)
Wherever we go, somehow we manage to be there off-season. We get there just as the rest of the world has decided it’s too hot/cold/windy/humid to visit. And so it was with our trip to Florida – taken in June admittedly as we were out of a home in NY having sub-let our appartment (sssssh) earlier than expected. And thanks to Jet Blue it was cheaper to come down and hang out in Florida than stay in the city while waiting for our flight back home.
The Everglades are a great place to explore and Miami Beach is a good hang-out for a night. Our highlight though was the drive to Key West and the gentle wandering around the town for a couple of days. Evenings to be precise, as the days were so unbearably hot and humid that along with the few other foolish people who had made it down here we didn’t venture far from our AC room and pool until close to sunset.
We did enjoy wandering along Duval St, seeing Hemingway’s house, and standing at the southernmost point of the US. Only 90 miles to Cuba, although it felt a long closer when we were passing the cigar hawkers in Miami. Key West has a very relaxed feel, the pink taxis cruising the streets and couples in their matching his and hers shirts and shorts (truly awful taste, so bad that we were almost tempted – but resisted, thankfully). I imagine it’s far more lively in the spring, but then I expect we would steer clear of here at that point. The sparse crowds we shared the town with were just about right.
(Jun 2004)
