Travel is one of the most enjoyable and exciting things life has to offer and I will go almost anywhere anytime there is an opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate to get to explore parts of eastern and western Europe, Morocco, and Guam. While I love travel outside the U.S. I also really enjoy all our home country has to offer because there is so much interesting stuff across this great wide expanse of a country.
I am that rare creature that was born and raised in Florida and still live in Florida. I love it here and I love the south. I’ve always found the people here to be intelligent, open and welcoming. I love the heat and our silly little winters. I love that Floridians pull out their sweaters and boots every year after Labor Day even though it is still 80 degrees in the shade.
Florida is a state filled with diversity from her small sleepy fishing towns to the wild hot days and nights of South Beach to the world of Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter. There’s also a huge assortment of citrus farms, horse farms, cattle farms, and major universities. We’ve also got some hilarious authors (Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry), famous musicians and entertainers - seems like we’ve got it all! I love our other 49 states but am not sure any other state can lay claim to the broad range of experiences and diversity that Florida offers.
So let me tell you about my recent trip to one of our most famous and wacky places: Key West.
My husband and I came to a screeching halt on the Key West runway on a very hot Saturday afternoon. The pilot warned us that the stop would be very abrupt after touchdown because it is a small island and he likes to stop short of the Gulf of Mexico. I agree with him! You exit the plane and find yourself descending a staircase and walking across the tarmac to the terminal, like it’s 1956. The tiny little terminal has one luggage carousel so there’s no confusion about where your luggage is. It’s all kind of adorable!
After collecting our luggage we took a taxi to our hotel, unpacked and couldn’t wait to get to the bar for a cold tasty beverage. It was at least 97 degrees. Our lovely waitress recommended the, always tasty, margarita and we had several. The bar was outside by the pool, surrounded by the beautiful, crystal clear, Gulf of Mexico and a wide array of chickens and iguanas. Chickens and iguanas?! The waitress told us that the chickens are protected on Key West and the locals call them gypsy chickens. They are colorful, noisy, and at times, annoying much like the city itself…and they are everywhere all the time. The momma chickens usually have a bunch of baby chicks trailing behind them and they go wherever they want. Hilarious!
Another interesting little critter that is everywhere are the iguanas. The iguanas are a bit creepy and come in lots of sizes from your standard lizard-size to several feet long. We were told that during really cold winters the iguanas, which are cold blooded, fall out of the trees, because their blood freezes. Splat-splat-splat, it’s raining iguanas. You cant make this stuff up, folks! It is for real and all over Key West.
We were having lunch by the pool one day and an iguana came up and grabbed half of my husbands sandwich right off his plate. It was a sneak attack from behind. Crazy! The iguanas aren’t really aggressive but they are so used to people that they just walk up and join your party. They don’t mind a quick swim in the pool either.
Old Town is another Key West highlight that is filled with bars, restaurants, tourist shops, hand rolled cigar shops, and the famous Kino sandal shop. Kino sandals are handmade right in their Old Town shop and come in a wide variety of colors and styles for unbelievably low prices. Every day this area is packed with visitors from local hotels and the huge cruise ships that park nearby.
A walk through this area gives you a chance to see famous restaurants like Sloppy Joes and Blue Heaven, Ernest Hemingway’s home and his six-toed cats, and some of the most beautiful historic homes on the east coast.
Key West is one of those places that everyone should visit because of its flare for the unique, its beautiful scenery, delicious seafood, AND the not-to-be-missed chickens and iguanas.
For more about Key West:
I love Key West, the food, sun, sand and Ernest Hemmingway!
I have been to Key West several times, and my favorite thing about it is every single time you visit, there is something new to experience! Even if you go to the same bar, a new group of visitors make it a totally different adventure!