Key West

We've been here over two weeks - it's time to write about Key West! We've been having a great time. Key West has a feel to it that I can't really compare to anywhere I've been before. It's laid back yet energetic and there is a diversity to the scene that I really appreciate. Here's a sample walk down the street in Key West:

You're walking down a street packed with people in shorts, tie-dye, bikinis and grins. A rooster crows. It's sunny and warmish. The street is lined with beach wear/tee shirt shops, bars, restaurants and art galleries. You wait at a stop light for 3 electric carts, 4 scooters, a car and a dozen bicycles fly by. A cat is sunning itself on a bench. It's loud. A train/trolly rolls down the road packed with tourists. The outdoor bars are filled with people drinking, young and old, and each bar has live music performing all day. Outdoor restaurants are full and playing music too. A 40ish year old woman stumbles down the street with her husband, both holding cups of beer (it's legal here) and big smiles. A pirate walks down the sidewalk greeting people. Another rooster crows. A man on a scooter cruises past smoking a cigarette. A woman on a bike rides by talking on her cell phone. Motorcycles and scooters abound, and not a helmet is to be seen (that's legal too). Two men walk by holding hands. You pass an enormous banyan tree. A cruise ship horn blows. A very loud parrot squawks from somewhere on high. You pass an old Victorian house filled with fat-footed cats. A man plays a flute on the corner, his dog, dressed in tie-dye and sun glasses, lounges next to him and howls to the music. The cigar vendor is doing a smashing business on the corner. And the taxis are pink.

The island themes seem to include smiling, drinking, good humored debauchery, tales of piracy and sunken treasured found, drinking, and Jimmy Buffet. And drinking.

I feel a bit badly that Martin and I haven't indulged in the "true" Key West experience. We haven't gone to a bar at all, let alone during the daytime. And neither of us has gotten drunk, though Martin has come close with his new found favorite cocktail - the Pain In The Ass (I bite my tongue because that one is simply too easy). We have 2 days left...we're off to drink ;)