Key West getaway

Old Feb 12th, 2011, 07:36 AM
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Key West getaway

DH gave me a trip to Key West for Christmas - and, thanks to all your help, we had a wonderful time! We live in Bradenton (just south of Tampa on Fl's west coast) which means either a 7+ hour drive, a 3 hour ferry from Ft. Myers (that can't run if the weather turns bad), or a 1 1/2 hour flight on a commuter plane (8 passenger) from Clearwater. Part of the present was plane tickets - which was a great way to go. I took a book, but spent almost the whole time looking out the window as I had never flown down the Gulf coast. I had just finished reading a 1950s history of this coast by Karl Bickel which talked about the importance of Charlotte Harbor - I had no idea how big it was until we flew over it! We arrived at Key West about noon and shared a taxi into Old Town to our hotel - the Marquesa. It was a splurge, but well worth it - we had a second story deluxe suite (look on the web site - it has a picture of one that isn't exactly set up the way ours was, but close) in the main building of the 4 1880s buildings - a bedroom and a sitting room, which was nice because if one of us wanted to nap the other could read in the sitting area. Second story was nice even though we didn't have an outside sitting area (plenty of that around the pools!) - we could leave the curtains open all the time - bright and airy. It was very traditional - reminded me of the old River House at Sea Island - beautiful woodwork, comfortable furniture (included a small 'frig and two TVs, which we turned on only for weather reports), and soothing colors. Breakfast wasn't included, but they had hot tea and coffee set up and we got yogurts, etc., from a small, very nice grocery a block or two away. After breakfast, they had ice tea available from the same table in the courtyard. One nice thing - we had two closets with more than adequate number of hangers - one of my pet peeves is not enough hangers! Our room did overlook a street and we did hear street noises (including,during the day, one of the tour trams telling passengers about the hotel!) and the roosters started up about 6am, but it didn't bother us. DH took earplugs just in case, but didn't ever use them. The buildings encircle the courtyard on three sides - a fence and lots of trees separate it from the house next door. There were two pools - one heated, one not - with lots of lounge chairs and maybe three tables with umbrellas (where we ate our breakfasts). The landscaping was lovely. There were also some buildings facing the pool with their own outside seating areas - looked nice, but I liked the privacy of where we were. We spent the afternoon wandering around. It was very different from what I had expected - or at least the area we were in. We were a couple blocks off Duval, but it could have been miles - we were in an 1880s residential area that made me think of a very tropical New Orleans Garden district maybe - old houses, gingerbread, narrow streets without much traffic, beautiful vegetation, very quiet. I had thought that more of the area would have been taken over by Duval Street type shopping (very toned down Bourbon Street - more restaurants and shops (t-shirt to Banana Republic) and the condos near Mallory Square, which wasn't what we were looking for. We walked around the old cemetery - saw the memorial to the Maine, the grave of a Confederate States of American veteran, Jewish and Catholic and Protestant sections, Cubans who came for the cigar industry - interesting. By then I was giving out, so we went back to the hotel. I slept and DH read. More later....
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Old Feb 12th, 2011, 09:28 AM
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bell - Thanks so much for starting a trip report! You're not the only person who has likened Old Town Key West to New Orleans (especially the garden district). Many years ago my husband and I took an annual trip to New Orleans, but after we "discovered" Key West, we settled on it. We used to describe it to our friends as NO without the water!

Looking forward to the rest of your report!
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Old Feb 12th, 2011, 10:12 AM
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Thanks for the report so far. We are headed to the Marquesa in a few weeks. I'm glad to hear that there are refrigerators in the room since I thought breakfast was included in the price. Guess we'll be bringing yogurt too. Looking forward to reading more.
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Old Feb 14th, 2011, 05:24 AM
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I'm going to write more this afternoon, but in the meantime...Breakfast is not included at the Marquesa and it's rather expensive. The grocery is Faustos at 522 Fleming St - just a couple blocks away. It's an interesting mix of regular grocery items and more gourmet things. There are also some breakfast/lunch places nearby - it's just that I'm not much of a morning person and yogurt and hot tea was enough for me.
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Old Feb 15th, 2011, 07:36 AM
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The first night we ate at Santiago's Bodega - what fun! We got there early and they tried to sit us at two different tables in the "front" (entrance there as well as kitchen door) area - which we rejected - then they gave us a nice quiet table in the second room. We ordered a cheese plate (manchago, a nice creamy blue, and a third - I've blanked but it was good) which was accompanied by bread, walnuts, and dried cherries plus (and this was mentioned by someone one a post, but I can't find the post to thank the person) dates stuffed with chevre and wrapped in prosciutto. It was one of the best things I have ever tasted! The plate had 5 - and there were two of us, but with my chemo-reduced appetite I thought I would be nice and let DH have 3. No way! We split the last one! Our last plate was a sauteed portobella/onion mix in puff pastry with bernaise sauce - again, yum! There could have been a tad more bernaise for me (but then I just like to eat it by the spoonful!) - DH thought the amount was fine. By then we were both full, so we skipped dessert. When they brought our neighbors' bread pudding I sort of wished we had gotten it - but we can save that for another trip. As someone mentioned in an earlier post, the neighborhood was a bit dark and iffy - so we asked about walking back - no problem. We finished the evening sitting out by the pool and watching stars.

The next day we got up late, went down and had our yogurt (from Faustos) and coffee in the courtyard, and wandered across the street to an antique store. They had "DO NOT TOUCH" signs up all over the place, but apart from that it was a fun way to pass the time. They had all sorts of things - including (my personal favorite) some beautiful cut glass pieces. I really coveted a $700+ cut glass lemonade pitcher, but it wasn't something I needed. DH did sneak back and got me a present for Valentines! I'm not sure what you call the work, but it is a crystal perfume bottle with chased sliver art nouveau flowers - gorgeous! He got a sandwich at Faustos and I got some apple chip things - then one, if not THE, highlight of the trip: the 8 passenger seaplane out to Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas! We flew low all the way out - the different colors in the water and all the little keys! - it was a 30+ minute trip that seemed like 10! The brochure talks about seeing rays, turtles, and dolphins - the lady in back of me saw dolphins,that was it for sealife - but just looking out was enough for me. We landed and taxied right up to the beach - didn't get even damp getting off the plane. After the pilot got things settled he gave us and another couple a nice tour of the fort (there were markers, so you could do it by yourself- but the pilot was really fun and knew lots) then we walked around the seawall as far as we could (they are repairing the walls of the fort, so a part was cut off) and then just sat on the edge of the seawall and watched fish swimming by. We were there 2 1/2 hours, I think. A couple of hearty souls (must have been from WAY up north) went snorkeling and said it was breathtaking - maybe in the summer for me! The water was crystal clear and very calm with lots of colorful fish - the pilot said the coral reefs pretty much stopped the waves and the park rangers had stayed out there during several hurricanes. I wouldn't! On the way back the pilot circled a couple of wrecks, then flew over a key with 3 obviously homemade boats abandoned on it - he said that Cubans build the boats secretly, jerry rig an engine, and set off. If their feet are on dry land when they are caught, they get to stay in the US - if they aren't on dry land they are sent back to Cuba. I was amazed - he said it happens monthly - and we had never heard about it. We only hear about the people who get caught and sent back. That was a long day for me - I rested until it was time for dinner at the hotel. We dressed up a little for that (no jeans or tennis shoes) - although we didn't have to. Another wonderful meal: pate to start with (one country and one creamy and foie gras-ish), the DH had duck breast - not with the red curry sauce listed on the menu on their site. I forget the sauce, but it was really good. I had the conch and blue crab cake appetizer, which was more than enough for a main course for me. In fact, I shared it with DH. It was very good, but I probably should have gotten a dinner - or asked for a side to go with it - it was a lot of one taste and I couldn't eat the slaw that came with it because of my diet restrictions. We shared a wonderful cheesecake dessert - wish I had gotten one all for myself.
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Old Feb 15th, 2011, 10:30 AM
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Oh, what a wonderful continuation!! I'm SO glad you enjoyed Santiago's...I think it's a really special place and though they didn't do a lot of business when they first opened, they seem to be doing quite well now!

And I love that you did the seaplane to Dry Tortugas...it's still on my list of things to do, and your report made it seem even more inviting.
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Old Feb 15th, 2011, 05:41 PM
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Susan - was it you who suggested the date dish at Santiagos? They do seem to be doing quite well - we got there early (good for the table switching!), but by the time we left (close to 8) it was almost full - and this was a Wednesday night. One thing about the seaplane - schedule it for the first day possible. The day we left we saw the pilot - they had gotten all the way out there and then fog rolled in and they couldn't land. Can you imagine the disappointment if that was your only chance?
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Old Feb 16th, 2011, 01:54 AM
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I wasn't the one who suggested the date dish (I don't like dates!), but it's very popular! And thanks for the tip about the seaplane, I cannot imagine how disappointing it'd be to get to Dry Tortugas and not be able to land.
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Old Feb 16th, 2011, 08:28 AM
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Wow, glad you had a good time! I'm trying to plan a get-a-way for myself and will definitely be taking this into consideration! Thanks for sharing all of your information, it will be very helpful!
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Old Feb 16th, 2011, 11:21 AM
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Bookmarking for later! Why does work get in the way of pleasure??
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Old Feb 16th, 2011, 03:41 PM
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Really! Life just isn't fair, is it? Glad you guys are enjoying this - my last installment will be posted tomorrow (Thursday) or the next day. Youngest son is getting a wisdom tooth pulled tomorrow, so I should have plenty of time - depending on pain medication! Poor thing...
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Old Feb 17th, 2011, 11:07 AM
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Wonderful TR, bellhouse. Your hotel, meals and plane tour sounded wonderful. Sorry to read the word chemo but happy that "post-" preceded it.

Keep up the good TR!
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Old Feb 18th, 2011, 01:43 PM
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Wednesday we had another lazy morning, then set out to buy tickets for the City View Trolley tour of Key West at the La Concha Hotel. Thanks to PeterK for the passed on suggestion of City View - it was about $10 less than the other tours, covered the same ground, and had great drivers - lots of history and stories. We started at the La Concha and stayed on until we got to the Southernmost stop - we got off there for the obligatory picture and walked around a bit, then got back on. DH was getting hungry, so we go off near Hemingway's house and set off to look for lunch. We checked out several places (including a crepe place that looked and smelled really good - but there weren't many tables, so it was a longer wait than we wanted). At some point on the tour we had passed Babalou's and the driver pointed it out as his favorite pizza place on the island. We were walking past it, so we checked the menu, and decided to stay. DH had a fried conch sandwich which he thought was really good - way more tender than most conch. The restaurant is open air in front - and a chicken wandered in. The waitress shooed it off - said that the chickens were terrible beggars. A few minutes later the chicken came back. I had wondered how chickens beg and found out - they stand still and stare at you! This time the waitress came back with a water pistol - the chicken knew what that meant and took off in a hurry - it was the last we saw of her!
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Old Feb 18th, 2011, 06:05 PM
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Enjoying the trip report (funny enough I too said I felt I was "reminded of New Orleans if anywhere" when I wrote my report on KW a number of years back). Thanks for this; makes me want to return to Key West!

Best wishes, Daniel
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Old Feb 19th, 2011, 06:35 AM
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Thanks, Daniel. I need encouragement to do trip reports - as i said, I'm a terrible procrastinator. After lunch we walked back to the Hemingway House trolley stop to get back on teh trolley and continue our tour. We didn't see the H. House - can't remember why - think that it was getting a little late and DH wanted to be sure to see the Mel Fisher Museum. That was our next get off stop. Even though it wasn't high on my list when I was planning the trip, I was fascinated with the variety of objects they had been able to recover - they had even found sewing needles! I do wish they had a movie about the finding of the wrecks/recovery/conservation - there were a fair number of people there so it was difficult to read all the - can't think what to call them - explanatory boards. I would also have enjoyed going to one of the lectures they offer. Needless to say DH, who is a history buff in general and nautical in particular, was beside himself! After that, we went to the Audubon House. The work of his that they had displayed was magnificent. We had seen one of the portfolios (right term?) at the Huntington Library in Pasadena - but to see the paintings up close and to read the comments about where he was, the habitat of the bird, etc! I was also very interested in the house itself and the furnishings (not original, but of the period and what would have been found in a wrecker's home of the time) - the wine glasses had square bottoms, so they were from a ship - the square bottoms were less likely to tip than the familiar round ones! We walked in the gardens a bit, then headed back to the hotel - it had been a long day for me. We went to A B Lobster House for dinner that night. Luckily the hotel made the reservations for us - I probably would have gone for the informal downstairs, but they made us reservations for the more formal (or at least as "more formal" as Key West gets - I was in jeans and no one cared) upstairs and we had a table on the balcony. It was beginning to get dark when we arrived, and we watched boats coming back into the harbor - made me wish we had another day so we could go boating! Some of the reviews we had read commented on the rudeness of the waitstaff, but we liked the menu and thought it was worth a try. DH had some sort of scallops for an appetizer (he was very pleased - I'm not a scallop person), then I asked if I could have a half portion of one of the fish dishes. The waiter was a bit huffy about that - they did not do half dishes! However, DH and I could split a dish and he brought two plates for the appetizer and the main course! Go figure! After he got over that bit of huffiness, every thing was fine - and the sauteed hog fish (my favorite fish) was delicious. He recommended the creme brulee for dessert - it was wonderful! It was much lighter than I expected - guess I was thinking Cuban flan - I'm just glad we each got one so I didn't have to share. We took our time walking back - had a glass of wine by the pool and went to bed.

Thursday, after breakfast, we packed, walked around a bit, and went to Faustos to get a sandwich for DH since the plane left at noon. When we got to the hanger, we were asked if we were Seacoast people and sent to sit at a picnic table overlooking the airfield. This time they just asked us how much our luggage weighed - they took our word that it was 20 lbs or less, we were who we were, and we didn't have any weapons - such a nice change. It got to be about 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave - and no plane. One of our fellow passengers called Seacoast (we never did see their office), and was told that the plane had stopped at Marathon and would be about 20 minutes late. Island time - but no problem for us. It showed up, we got on, and took off into lots of clouds - we had a couple of bumps, but then got above the weather and had a great flight back.

It was a great trip and we appreciate all the suggestions you guys gave us. If you get a chance to go to Key West - go! We're already talking about what we would want to do the next time we go!
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Old Feb 19th, 2011, 08:43 AM
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Oh, bell, I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip. You've put me a little to shame by mentioning your trip to the Audobon House, because after 20+ years of trips to Key West, we've never been! We'll make sure and go our next trip.

And for your next trip you need to schedule in a tour of the Hemingway House. It's really an interesting place, and those polydactyl cats - we saw one with seven toes!!!
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Old Feb 19th, 2011, 12:50 PM
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Susan - thanks. Twenty years of trips to Key West? Wow - but I can see it. Where do you live?
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Old Feb 19th, 2011, 01:10 PM
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Thanks again bellhouse. You really made me want to visit.
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Old Feb 19th, 2011, 03:41 PM
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bell - We live in Little Rock - not the most convenient spot for Key West lovers - and we spend 4-6 weeks a year there. It generally takes us an entire day get there/get back home, no matter which flight(s) we take.

Two meal culpas: 1) Our first trip to Key West was in 1993, so it's only 18 years.

2) I actually DO know how to spell Audubon...and there's something particularly embarrassing about having a misspelled word floating around cyberspace forever!
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Old Feb 20th, 2011, 09:35 AM
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LOL...meal culpas? I give up!!! (I must be getting hungry)
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