Key West - At The End Of The U.S.

[Sketching]

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[ColDayMan]

Awesome shots.

[MayDay]

I've only been once, and I *adore* Key West - so many favorite 'moments' from the trip:

1. I highly recommend the visit to the Hemingway House - the guides don't just show you around, they truly give you a sense of context.

2. Disregard any "Key Lime" joint - go to dinner at My Blue Heaven, and *then* get a slice of Key Lime Pie - it's been years but I still drool thinking of that meal.

3. "Over three hours from Miami driving out into the ocean." I'm sure we will be paying Key West another visit; if my partner ever suggests flying into Miami and then driving out to Key West instead of flying in direct from Atlanta, you've just given me ammo and I owe you a drink

[OhioGuy]

Love it!

[AviationGuy]

What a great tour. I looked at every photo and every caption. Learned a lot about this wonderful place. I go to Florida a lot, but have never ventured out to Key West.

[Chef]

This thread makes me relaxed and happy. It would be freaky driving over the ocean for so long.

[Jawnadelphia]

Great pics. I love KW, been twice in the last 5-6 years. It definitely a party town ...way out in the ocean. The Hemingway House is very cool, love the 6-toed cats. I do agree, that drive from Miami to KW can be brutal... especially if there is one accident... it's mostly a two lane highway for most of the drive so ...if one accident occurs... get ready to wait. I recommend driving that highway on a bright, sunny, summer day... the water is aqua, beautiful. There is one decent public beach, called Smathers Beach ..I think.
Ohh, and clothing is truly optional on the roof top of that New Orleans-esque bar; however, it's mostly all older men who are nude.

I have a KW album on my Flickr if anyone wants to explore more.

Thanks again.

[djbowen]

Charming but that retail is vile. Chain stores, T-shirt shops, half-price tours...as someone who cares about urban planning the Keys are a good example of what not to do. And then you have Overseas Highway, which is in some of the most beautiful settings on Earth but which is lined with strip malls and trailer parks...basically central Long Island in paradise.

[brickell]

You captured the experience pretty accurately.

For those driving down there's also a weekend migration out of Miami on Fridays and back on Sundays. If you're visiting, try to avoid those periods... or long weekends.

Originally Posted by djbowen

Charming but that retail is vile. Chain stores, T-shirt shops, half-price tours...as someone who cares about urban planning the Keys are a good example of what not to do. And then you have Overseas Highway, which is in some of the most beautiful settings on Earth but which is lined with strip malls and trailer parks...basically central Long Island in paradise.

It always felt a more southern to me, but agree in principal. It's slowly changing as the old school keys rats are getting priced out.

[SignalHillHiker]

That was so much fun. Great commentary. God, I would LOVE to do that drive. And the similar one in Louisiana. I'd love it!

[arkitekte]

Nice tour! I'll have to add this to my list.

[L41A]

Thanks for sharing Sketching. I really enjoyed my brief stay in Key West. Your pics bring back memories of my trip. I want to visit again. It is beautiful, relaxing, interesting, fun place.

[Sketching]

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Awesome shots.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by MayDay

I've only been once, and I *adore* Key West - so many favorite 'moments' from the trip:

1. I highly recommend the visit to the Hemingway House - the guides don't just show you around, they truly give you a sense of context.

2. Disregard any "Key Lime" joint - go to dinner at My Blue Heaven, and *then* get a slice of Key Lime Pie - it's been years but I still drool thinking of that meal.

3. "Over three hours from Miami driving out into the ocean." I'm sure we will be paying Key West another visit; if my partner ever suggests flying into Miami and then driving out to Key West instead of flying in direct from Atlanta, you've just given me ammo and I owe you a drink

Hahaha any beer will do. If you do it I hope you enjoy it. The first 1/3 of the way isn't all that interesting a drive through Key Largo to Islamorada. After that it becomes more scenic with the rail bridges, open water, places to stop and enjoy the view and distant keys. Get gas in Miami before going as filling up the tank on the way is more expensive in the Keys. Watch your speed though as it was one speed trap after another with speed limits of 45 to 55 with limited passing opportunities. It's a drive worth doing once.

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Love it!

Thank you.

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

What a great tour. I looked at every photo and every caption. Learned a lot about this wonderful place. I go to Florida a lot, but have never ventured out to Key West.

Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I found Key West to be unique from the rest of the state in a mostly good way. It is very relaxed.

Originally Posted by Chef

This thread makes me relaxed and happy. It would be freaky driving over the ocean for so long.

Glad to read your reaction. Key West is just that, relaxing. It's not totally a drive over water. The first 1/3 of the way is through the center of the islands so you don't see much water. After that though, you see plenty.

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Great pics. I love KW, been twice in the last 5-6 years. It definitely a party town ...way out in the ocean. The Hemingway House is very cool, love the 6-toed cats. I do agree, that drive from Miami to KW can be brutal... especially if there is one accident... it's mostly a two lane highway for most of the drive so ...if one accident occurs... get ready to wait. I recommend driving that highway on a bright, sunny, summer day... the water is aqua, beautiful. There is one decent public beach, called Smathers Beach ..I think.
Ohh, and clothing is truly optional on the roof top of that New Orleans-esque bar; however, it's mostly all older men who are nude.

I have a KW album on my Flickr if anyone wants to explore more.

Thanks again.

Thank you and thanks for the tip on Smathers Beach. If I ever get that far down again I will check in and see it. RE: The clothing optional bar - I saw plenty of that crowd amongst others when I have visited Haulover Beach near Miami a couple of times in past years.

Originally Posted by djbowen

Charming but that retail is vile. Chain stores, T-shirt shops, half-price tours...as someone who cares about urban planning the Keys are a good example of what not to do. And then you have Overseas Highway, which is in some of the most beautiful settings on Earth but which is lined with strip malls and trailer parks...basically central Long Island in paradise.

I agree that about a 1/3 of the drive from Key Largo to Islamorada reminded me of driving through any suburb anywhere in the U.S. That part of the drive surprised me. It was the typical fast food chains, big box stores and one traffic light after another.

Originally Posted by brickell

You captured the experience pretty accurately.

For those driving down there's also a weekend migration out of Miami on Fridays and back on Sundays. If you're visiting, try to avoid those periods... or long weekends.




It always felt a more southern to me, but agree in principal. It's slowly changing as the old school keys rats are getting priced out.

Thank you. I made the drive early on a Monday before noon so traffic wasn't too bad. My main complaint was that it seemed to be one big speed trap. I've never seen so many cars pulled over along the way.

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

That was so much fun. Great commentary. God, I would LOVE to do that drive. And the similar one in Louisiana. I'd love it!

Thank you. If you ever get the opportunity it is worth seeing at least once. The old rail bridges have places you can get out and walk on and stare at the sea. I could do an entire photo thread just on the drive itself.

Originally Posted by arkitekte

Nice tour! I'll have to add this to my list.

Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.

Originally Posted by L41A

Thanks for sharing Sketching. I really enjoyed my brief stay in Key West. Your pics bring back memories of my trip. I want to visit again. It is beautiful, relaxing, interesting, fun place.

Thank you. Relaxing, laid-back, charming, quirky and fun with enough history and character to make it an interesting place.

[mSeattle]

Nice

[PopYourColla]

Very cool. I've always wondered what Key West was like and your photos showed it off nicely. I always thought it was more of a suburb of Miami, didn't realize they are quite a ways apart. Looks like a very colourful little town. Thanks!

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures! Key West seems like the closest thing to a Caribbean island in the US.

I like the swordfish balustrades (?).

[Austinlee]

Awesome. Had no idea it was such a long drive into the ocean.

[dave8721]

Its about a 3 hour drive from Miami depending on traffic (leaving on a Friday afternoon/evening at the start of a holiday weekend could make that time double) but I've never made the drive without stopping somewhere in between. The drive to the Upper Keys is a little easier. I can make it from my house to Key Largo in about 40 minutes. Its easier to get to than Fort Lauderdale. With any historic town that has been overrun with tourists, the key to exploring the place is to get off the main tourist street (Duval St).
I've always thought Key West would be a nice place to retire to but the hurricane evacuations are a nightmare with one 2 lane road connecting the 100,000+ (80k residents plus who knows how many tourists/part time residents) to the mainland. It doesn't get evacuated often, and most residents don't leave even when ordered, but it does happen once every 10 years or so.

Real estate prices can be a little steep but I could see myself retiring to a place like this and taking a bike/scooter for all my daily needs:
https://www.google.com/maps/@24.5543...lzZbGYWzVA!2e0

[MayDay]

The flight in/out is a hoot - when we started the descent, the pilot came on the intercom "alright everyone, we will be doing what's called a high performance landing - nothing the plane isn't capable of withstanding but just letting you know." Sure enough, we land and instead of the usual leaning forward a little, *everyone* was full on leaning forward and had both hands on the seat in front of them. On the way out, again the pilot says "we call this the Disney ride takeoff" - probably the steepest takeoff I've ever experienced.

[Centropolis]

wonderful shots. florida isn't my cup of tea this time of year, but once january rolls around i'm always more than ready to visit south florida...