We drove down to Key West from Fort Lauderdale, there and back in one very long, memorable day. The ride through the Keys was great, but Key West itself…oy. 200 miles on the road, then stuck in traffic asshole-to-appetite; hell, we couldn’t even stop to get our picture taken next to that Damn Buoy…
So we drove slowly past the thing and waved, just as we did with Ernest Hemingway’s house and who knows how many other nifty Key West tourist attraction thingies until, finally, we found a place to park and wearily climbed out of the Damn Van. We were tired and thirsty and you’d have to know, I forgot my Damn Camera and was too tuckered out to go back and get it, so no pix of that Key West insanity; the music and colors and throngs of humanity who surrounded and consumed us in short order.
But we had a great time navigating the famous Duval Street, hitting a bar (thank God) and a couple of shops, digging the heady vibes of Key West proper. And the icing on the cake: the quiet little beach we found on our way back to Fort Lauderdale. Truly, a slice of heaven.
Next up, superstorm Jonas…
kkellie: write me 
Key West and back in one single day? Ouch! The time I visited my aunt in Tampa, we thought about doing a Key West day, but that was before I realized quite what a haul the trip would be.
During my trip there, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time driving, just parked where we were staying and walked to DuVal street and then walked around (took the trolley a couple times, or at least once for the tour, anyway). There’s just so much in such a small place, it’s hard to do everything you want, or even ANYTHING sometimes. I do hope to go back one day!
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I do, too! You are right, Jen, it was a loooong haul there and back in one sitting, and when we first drove onto that last key, the traffic and multitudes was off-putting, to say the least.
But once we found a place to park our van, it wasn’t long before we slipped into the throngs and started enjoying ourselves. You’re so right about there being so much packed in such a small place, you can’t really get the full effect in one afternoon. I wish we would have had time to do that trolly, just to get a feel for the place, and stop in more shops, pause longer to listen to the music, stay longer at that little beach.
Maybe next time. For both of us, huh?
xo kk
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Oh my, I’ve missed quite a bit over here. 😮 Love these photos!! I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chicken on the beach before. And now I’m imagining a trip to Key West not as a day trip, maybe a week to explore. It’d be a great meet up for all of us who find ourselves in the shaded part of the Writing/Blogging Venn Diagram, no? 😀
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Chickens were everywhere, mrs fringe, and that reminds me, where we stayed just outside Fort Lauderdale: ducks. One in particular kept coming by for handouts, and almost walked right in the house! And across the street: Butterbean, a sweet English Bulldog who actually did waltz right in, looking for a belly rub. He wasn’t disappointed. 🙂
As for your Venn idea, I can see us sitting on the beach, margaritas in hand and toes in the sand as the evening sun disappears in a blaze of glory. Surely there’s a story there somewhere. 🙂
xoxo kk
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I’m not sure I would love a duck in the house–but the bulldog? Come on in, belly rubs are free 😉 *Dreaming of beach margaritas*
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