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I must admit that on the drive to Key West from Miami, I was a bit nervous. It was raining really hard and the forecast was calling for lots more. Having never driven the Overseas Highway before, I was worried it might get flooded and we'd get stuck. I also wasn't too thrilled by the prospect of spending two rainy days in Key West. I called our hotel and tried to change our reservations, but we couldn't and they said it was still sunny down there, so we went. The rain got a bit lighter the further south we went, and eventually stopped altogether.
We stayed at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort. While a bit far from all the fun of Duval Street, there were free hourly shuttles downtown. Immediately upon arriving, we got on the 7pm shuttle in hopes the rain would hold off and we'd be able to enjoy the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. Just before sunset, the storm swept in. Luckily, we were able to take shelter under a restaurant canopy as we finished the Yuengling beers we were enjoying at the water's edge. After 15 minutes or so, the rain let up a bit and
Sloppy Joe
The band was playing country, so i prefered to take this picture rather than go inside. we moved on to Hog's Breath Bar for some fish tacos and more beer. Even with the crumby weather, there were lots of tourists about Duval Street, drinking and happily carrying their drinks from one bar to the next. There was lots of live music, but sadly all the musicians only played covers - I guess they think that's what tourists want to hear. We finished off the night buying some delicious Key West beer with spices and key lime at the liqour store, and a few cigars to enjoy in the street before catching the shuttle back to the hotel.
Next morning the sun was out so we decided to enjoy the outdoor pool and hot tub at the hotel. It was nice while it lasted - rain soon forced us back inside. We got on another shuttle to see Hemingway's house. I was hoping the pouring rain would finish around the time we finished visiting Hemingway's house. It didn't. All the cats at Hemingway's house are neat, especially the ones with extra toes! They are said to be descendants of Hemingway's cat Snowball, and there's a cat cemetery in the massive yard, along with a big pool
and lots of beautiful gardens. We went on one of the tours, and it was pretty good except for something our tour guide said at the end. He was talking about how Hemingway lost his house, boat, and all his manuscripts in Cuba after the 1959 revolution. A friend asked him why he didn't just return to Cuba and ask Fidel for his manuscripts back, as he surely must have known him. Hemingway had competed with Castro in a fishing tournament once, so they had met; but Hemingway reportedly said "No, I know civil war and if I go back they'll kill me." The guide was telling it in such a way that we should feel "damn that revolution, they stole Hemingway's shit!" But actually right inside the house is a huge photograph of Hemingway arriving in Cuba with a Cuban friend, dated 1960 or 1961. So I think that story may have been bullshit.
For lunch we went to this awesome Cuban restaurant called El Sibony (900 Catherine St.) We mistakenly each ordered a meal - big mistake in America. We left with a whole bunch of leftover beef stew because we couldn't eat it all. We later
gave it to a homeless man after he complained he was hungry. After this we started to get the hang of eating out in Florida - either share a meal altogether, or order one meal, plus an appetizer, or salad, or dessert (not all three!) Generally, two meals at most restaurants in Florida is way more than two people should reasonably eat.
As we were walking around this day, when the rain got really heavy we would take shelter somewhere along the street with a canopy, like at the Court House, or a law office. We were passing by the convent after lunch when the rain started to be it's heaviest. But this time, it didn't slow down after a few minutes. We were stuck there for probably about 20 minutes of really heavy rain. When it finally let up, we made our way to Key West Winery (103 Simonton St.) and saw that many streets were completely flooded. The winery was just about to close when we showed up because of the flood. Luckily, they stayed open long enough for us to taste several of their fruit wines. They have every flavour you could think of, like key
Yuengling beer at Mallory Square
I had never tried Yuengling before visiting Florida. Very good beer. I like the label too. lime, pineapple, mango, orange, blueberry, and even carrot! We bought two of their best sellers, the Key Limen and the Hurricane 5 (a blend of Key Limen, Pineapple, Mango,Watermelon and Passionfruit.) This winery also had a very cute dog.
After making our way through some flooded streets, we sat at Sunset Pier for a few beers to watch the sun set. Yes, the sun did finally come out again! Later we had our first taste of key lime pie along Duval and shared a pizza and more beer at The Cafe, A Mostly Vegetarian Place, before checking out Durty Harry's (208 Duval.) We ended our night at the original Sloppy Joe's, now called Tony's Saloon. There were lots of bras hanging from the cieling and a guy playing acousitic guitar - he played Hurt by NIN, which was very out of character for the area.
Our last day in Key West, we had lobster and key lime pie at Blue Heaven (729 Thomas St.), visited the lighthouse, and the southernmost point. Again, it was raining off and on. We almost went to Fort Taylor State Park, but decided against paying the entrance fee when it seemed like the
rain was starting again. We decided to drive back up the Keys, where we hoped the weather would be better and we could find a free beach to hang out on.
While I don't feel like I got to truly appreciate Key West due to the crumby weather, I did like the character of the place - small town feel with lots of beautiful, historic houses and big trees, mixed with the energy of Duval street and drunken tourists. It was fun - and all the roosters and hens running around added a bit of extra charm. While I'm sure it can get annoying listening to roosters crow all day and night (they don't just do it at dawn), it's nothing compared to the loud, annoying fighter jets we heard. The locals claim to love having a military base so close so they can hear the jets, but I couldn't stand feeling like I'm living in a war zone. We were told the rain made the jets seem louder than usual for some reason - I can't remember why.
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