The cruise has ended and we docked back in Ft. Lauderdale on the 3rd and opted to be one of the first to get off the ship. So we grabbed the first taxi we could find, a nice guy from Haiti whose family survived the earthquake, who took us to the airport to pick up our rental car.
Deane rented us a 2009 Mustang convertible which we had a great time driving after the sun finally came out.
We headed straight for Key West. Driving down Hwy 1 the keys are 126 miles long and are connected by 42 bridges, one of which is 7-mile bridge. Highway 1 actually ends or begins in Key West depending on which way you are going.
Key West is a great little town to walk. We stayed at the Heron House Court hotel which was about 5 blocks from Duval street. First day we arrived around 1pm and our room was not ready and we were hungry. So we took off and ended up at the Historic Seaport. After lunch we jumped on the tour train and spent 90 minutes getting acquainted with Key West and figuring out what we wanted to see in the next couple of days.
Tours are great….. You learn so much. We learned that prior to 1933 and the depression, Key West was the wealthiest city in the US and then in 1933 it was unable to pay the salaries of the city employees and actually went bankrupt. Key West had three major industries that contributed to it’s wealth. The first was the “Wreckers”. About once a week a ship would run aground, and the Wreckers would race to salvage the ship and its ladings. In 1856 the 2000 residents split almost $400,000 in booty. When lighthouses and buoys were put up, ships stopped running aground and that industry ended.
Next, Key West became the worlds leading cigar manufacturing center, with 166 factories. This business moved to Tampa and ended the industry. The last industry that made Key West rich and famous was sponging. Sponges from Key West were known as superior. But a natural disaster of red tide killed the beds, and thus the industry.
Now tourism is Key West’s major sustaining industry. One of the things we did was walk from the Atlantic Ocean starting from the furthest point south in the USA, to the Gulf of Mexico. Duval Street is known as the longest Main Street because it runs from one ocean to another.
We also visited Hemingway’s House and heard some great stories about Hemingway ‘s life, his 4 wives and the time he spent in Key West. http://www.hemingwayhome.com/
We also took an incredible our of the Little Truman White House. This was where Truman would vacation or go when he wanted to actually get some work done. He would travel with his staff and they would relax playing poker in the evenings and working during the days. He was so comfortable here, he would drive his staff around the town visiting the locals. We were not allowed to take photographs inside the house as it is still used and there is high security. http://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com/key-west/history-little-white-house-museum.htm
One other tour we took was of Fort Zachary Taylor. This fort was built prior to the Civil war and was actually a post for the Union Army during the Civil War.. Nary a shot was fired from this fort, but instead it acted more of a deterrent for Confederate ships bringing in supplies as it guarded the entrance to Key West Harbor.
Real estate was a real shocker…the city has an ordinance that you must maintain the integrity or ‘look’ of old Key west, so houses cannot be torn down and rebuilt. Of the ones we walked by, whether little or large, in good shape or really needing lots of work was always over a Million dollars.
Another surprise as we walked were all of the chickens we saw everywhere. Roosters would crow at any time of day, and they were on lawns, in the yards of public buildings and everywhere else. We asked and found that the chickens are a result of cockfighting being outlawed and the birds just being released many years ago. It is illegal to harass or kill them….. A fine of $500 is assessed if you are caught.
The food in Key West was great, and our last night there a place called SaraBeths was recommended. Oh my, were we glad we went. We had yellowtail snapper (which we had never heard of) and the best key lime pie we have ever had. The presentation of the snapper was unusual. He had filet the fish with the head and tail still intact, breaded lightly and fried, served with the salad in the center of the fish. Wish we had taken a picture!
Weather in Key West was like everywhere else…. Odd! Our first day we ended up buying sweatshirts because we were so cold. And we were glad we had them everyday we were there.
Walking so much, along with the cold afternoons, took its toll on us each day and we ended up in the hot tub each night with a glass of port sharing experiences with the others staying at the hotel. AHHHHHH!
Pictures:
Key West - http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=641569603407%3A310071107
Hemingway house - http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=416671203407%3A1771168043
Little Truman Whitehouse - http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=854652203407%3A1911937260
Ft. Taylor - http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=916671203407%3A506530488