Fabulous report, thanks for posting this on the lounge (can't remember who it was!)

Great Stuff, sounds like you are having a blast.

schnauzer

No problems Bokhara, we're in the Keys now so I have 'Kokomo' buzzing in my ears.
Thanks for reading my report schnauzer & thanks to whoever posted it in the lounge (whatever that is!)

Day 16 The Keys to relaxation

My heartfelt thanks to a colleague who suggested we include the Florida Keys on our itinerary. We're only half way down this slender group of almost connected pieces of paradise and I'm totally in love.

From the moment you arrive in Key Largo, the first of the keys, everything is palm trees and pastel coloured shop fronts with barely a fast food outlet to be seen. Shop keepers are laid back and happy to shoot the breeze and even the drivers have slowed down enough for me to feel safe on the single lane, only road that runs from Florida City to Key West.

We called in at the Islamorada info centre and the lovely lady there pointed us in the direction of Robbie's where you can hand feed giant fish called tarpons. Once Geoff had actually been bitten feeding the first one, Taine refused to have a go but I did. My second attempt caused more hysterics than the first because I knew what was coming. You dangle the fish centimetres above the water (while a man fends of marauding pelicans with a foam pool noodle!) and from nowhere this giant fish comes and snaps it out of your hand. So much fun!

Trying to stick to our budget we booked a cheap resort on Wotif. The reviews of La Siesta weren't great but we were trying to squirrel away a few dollars to stay at Key West tomorrow. Imagine our surprise then to find a lovely big apartment style room, a water side location and a beautiful, heated, totally empty pool. Another excellent stumbleupon! Maybe we're just easily pleased because we're simple country folk but lying in a hammock looking out to sea is my kind of holiday ;-)

We had a swim and drank in the sunset from our marina then went to the fish market and bought some stone crabs for dinner. It's a good thing I bought my own McGyver along on this trip because there was nothing in the room to crack the crabs with. Where there's a will there's a way and he sorted them out with a sharp knife and some muscle. I enjoyed the taste but wouldn't pay $15 lb for them again. I'd as soon have yabbies from Tea Tree Lake.

Time now for a glass of wine on our balcony and my day will be complete .

So glad you saved your money and gambled on this hotel!

Am only half way through your trip report and enjoying it very much. DH and I have just got back from a month in the US, (we are from Nelson NZ). We travelled to San Francisco, New Orleans, Hyannis, Boston, Columbus Ohio and New York. We weren't brave enough to drive on the wrong side of the road. We left that up to our DD and SIL who have been living in the US for about four years.

We think we have perfected the art of making tea in a coffee maker. We just add the water in the coffee maker, let it heat up and filter through and then add the tea bags, it is not really boiling hot but is drinkable. Make sure you do a dry run first though to get the coffee taste out!!!. Actually you are probably on your way home by now.

Must go now and read the rest of your great report.

We loved the beignets at Cafe Du Monde, but didn't like the Muffaletta sandwichs, too many olives for me.

I am so loving your trip report! Have read it from start to finish this morning, and its just terrific. It is fun to experience our country through eyes from across "the pond"! I've lived in many of the cities you have visited: Baton Rouge (only 8 months then had to get out of there), New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa, (currently live in St Pete half the year), and we had our honeymoon in Islamorada! We were aiming for Key West but got tired before we got there so Islamorada was our final destination. :).

Because living in a location some of these tourist attractions are always available when you "want to do it", often you just never get around to it. We haven't done any of the things in the Everglades you have. Despite living not far from Venice, we just this Thanksgiving actually got down there and experienced the shark tooth hunt. I hope you got to Caspersen Beach in Venice. It is the rare Florida beach in its almost totally natural state with native cabbage palms, sea oats, dunes and no concession stands motels etc. Interestingly, it's the only FL beach I've ever seen with black sand, and its that color because the sand is composed of pulverized bits of the fossilized shark teeth. That's how many of them are out there!

I wanted to tell you that you bravely drove one of the scariest highways--I-35 between Dallas and Austin. I make my husband drive it when we have to do it! Those 18 wheelers make it a total nightmare and it scares me to death. The speed limit isn't 80 on it, the only bit you might have been on that's 80 is the new toll road (130) that starts near Georgetown and skirts west of Austin. It 70 or 75 on I-35, but that doesn't stop people from driving 80!!! :). The highway didn't used to be that awful. It is the result of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) as it is the main north/south route for trucks carrying goods to and from points in the US and Mexico. It's a total nightmare and you did it your first day and survived! A hearty congratulations!!

Anyway...am loving reading your report, and hope you continue to enjoy your trip as much as you have. It's fun for all of us to go along!

Correction! The toll road skirts east of Austin, not west, sorry.

t

We free-loaded with husband's parents when they stayed in Clearwater Beach FL. There was a pier where frozen fish was sold to feed the pelicans. I was leaning against a rail when there was an intense fluttering against my arm--it was a pelican who landed right next to me with his eyes on the fish. When you described them as marauding, it brought back that happy memory.

Am looking forward to your reaction to Key West!

Pelicans, like Coromorands and Sea Lions/Seals - can be thieves to fishermen. :) They were lined up all along the railings at Islamorada when we came back from fishing for Sailfish, and we tossed them a few Mackerel, etc.

Nelsonian, we aren't home yet, still have 4 weeks to go (this may be the longest trip report ever). I'd love to hear your thoughts on Boston & NYC because we're visiting there when we're done with Florida.

OO, I wish I'd known about Caspersen Beach. I would have loved to visit there and compare it to the black sand beaches in NZ. You are right about the 1-35, it was terrifying. I'm loving pretty much everything about the US except the driving.

I'm reserving my opinion on Key West until tomorrow night when we've had a chance to check out more of the non commercial sites. It was quite a long drive down the Lower Keys, it drizzled rain all day and I wasn't really in the mood to enjoy anything because I was too tired. Despite smothering myself in super strength insect repellant ( and aerogard bought from home) I still managed to get savaged by the bitey things in the Everglades and spent all night itching and none of it sleeping. Obviously I have super sweet blood because the same thing happens with sand flies every time I go to NZ and yet Taine and Geoff haven't got s single spot between them!

The highlight of the drive to Key West is the 7 mile bridge. 7 whole miles without any land to be seen is a pretty remarkable engineering effort. The remains of the original bridge run alongside the new one and I have to say I'm glad I wasn't traveling down here in the days before the new one was built. A lot of the trip is over water on the overseas highway and of the parts that are on land there is often just room for the road with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean lapping at the other. I'm sure it's just a trick of the light but the Atlantic side looks green and the Gulf side blue (or maybe it's the other way around). Anyway, you can just about reach out and touch both seas at the same time. Needless to say, I bet it's scary down here in a hurricane.

The keys are fascinating in that each one seems to have quite a separate identity. Some are quite opulent, like Duck Key. Others, like Knights Key look really run down and then there was Ohio Key which was really just a big RV park. There are so many keys that there's even one called No Name Key because they must have run out of names or just couldn't be bothered anymore.

We are staying at the Parrot Key Resort in the new part of town (staying in old town doubles the bill). It rates pretty well on Trip Advisor but it hasn't done much to thrill me yet. It has nice pools and pretty coloured furniture but to be honest I've come to appreciate the 'homegrown' nature of the La Quintas and Travelodges who don't pretend to be anything more than they are, charge accordingly AND give you breakfast. The hidden traps in booking hotels in America are the added tax and the resort charges. Every city and state has a different tax rate and this changes daily so you can never be exactly sure how much extra to add to the advertised price. On top of that, anything that calls itself a resort adds a resort tax. In this case for instance, the advertised rate for AAA (RACV members) was $135 per night, plus tax $32, plus $25 resort fee. When Geoff asked what the resort fee covered the receptionist said it was a way of re investing in the resort. Hmmm.

Anyway, the beds seem comfy and there's a fridge for the Budweiser so all's well. We took a drive into Duval St to check out the action this afternoon. Duval St in the day time is a little bit like Beale St and Bourbon St but with chickens. Seriously, there are chooks (and amorous roosters) running free all over the place. It's also very reminiscent of Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise. Lots of T Shirts shops and cheap souvenirs. We did the obligatory visit to the southern most point of the US mainland and headed down to Mallory Square for the nightly sunset ritual. Unfortunately sunset was a non event today because of the rain so we headed back to Duval St for dinner at Caroline's. This improved my mood immensely because my shrimp & bacon sandwich on multi grain was excellent and we were treated to our first taste of the famous key lime pie, a delicious cheesecake concoction served with real cream.

Kwaussie we stayed in hotels that had free internet and free breakfast most of the time. We were at the Quality Inn & Suites in New Orleans, just off Canal St. Rated very highly on Trip Advisor. Our daughter booked our hotel in Boston, although it was an okay hotel, it was not in a good area, (Chelsea), but there was a shuttle to the airport T line, which worked out well. We found hotels in Boston very expensive, have you booked one yet?
We only had a day and a half in Boston we went on a Free Tours by Foot walking tour the one on the Freedom Trail. It is only about a mile long but takes about two hours. We had a young enthusiastic tour guide who really was great at explaining the events that lead up to the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's ride etc. We loved the area around Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall. We also did a harbour cruise, around to the navy base, and the old warship called Ironsides. You can get there on the T though.

God save the Colonies. ".....and the old warship called Ironsides". Blimey!!!!!

That is one of the most sacred "old warships" we have ever had in the U S of A. :) And surely - you must have heard of the poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ironsides_(poem)

As for Key West - have heard mixed reviews - and we only made it to 7 mile bridge (yes - quite amazing) but had to return for an early flight back to SD.

We were in Florida primarily were on a cruise out of Miami and had a bonus day/night in the Keys at Islamorada (a "bonus" stay at the Cheeca Lodge - where the next night - the rate tripled for the Xmas vacation period http://www.cheeca.com/ ) - where I was going fishing for Sailfish while my wife enjoyed some quiet pool time. (We also enjoyed snorkeling at John PennyKamp park if you can catch that on your way back? - just terrific - and there was a big Barracuda who hung out on his own reef. http://www.pennekamppark.com/ )

Well, since I was only going out fishing for half a day/the morning - we (I shared the boat with a nice couple from NY) - wound up with an Asst Captain - who had the wrong bait - while around us - the other 4 boats were hooked up with sails - while we could only watch their good fortune. Oh well - that's why they call is fishing.

We did manage to catch a couple mackerel which the Cheeca Lodge cooked up beautifully (and reasonably - only about $10 as I recall - with all the "fixings") - so it wasn't a total waste.

Also - if you get a chance while visiting Boston - you might try to get out to Concord - where "the shot heard round the world" was fired. We Yanks also fancy that a bit - as did Ralph Waldo Emerson. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord_Hymn

And lest we forget - another famous American writer (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) forever memorialized "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" - of which - the first few verses we had to learn in the 2nd grade was it?

Ahhh -------------- to paraphrase - One if Land - Two if by Sea - and I on the opposite shore shall be - ready to ride and spread the alarm - through every village, countryside and farm...................

And for all the teachers out there - here is the verbatim beginning: :)

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

http://www.nationalcenter.org/PaulRevere'sRide.html

OK - now back to watching sports on ESPN. :)

Juat talked to a college buddy whose girl friend lives in Key West - and they travel all over together. She hosts a radio travel show? - and writes a weekly column - and he thinks the best thing to do there is to camp out at the Dry Tortugas for a few days.

You probably don't have the time, but there are also cruises out to the islands. See: http://www.yankeefreedom.com/

"Duval St in the day time is a little bit like Beale St and Bourbon St but with chickens." You could probably change the word 'chickens' to some other noun and aptly describe many touristy places. LOL.

Wish I’d thought to tell you to get witch hazel—it takes the sting out of mosquito bites. CVS sells it. Others swear by Skin So Soft by Avon but it didn’t work for me.

Hope you get to see the sunset circus in Key West. Oh and the 6-toed cats who are descendents of Hemmingway's cat.

I'm crying from laughter reading this. I live in Texas & seeing it thru your eyes is priceless!!!

Thanks again for all your feedback :) Nelsonian, I haven't booked anything in Boston yet. It was a last minute idea to go there because I got crazy cheap airfares on Jet Blue. I'm thinking we'll stay in the Back Bay area to get a train to NYC. Does that seem right? Thanks for the walking tour idea, that sounds perfect for us.

Tom, when I was little my favourite story was about Revere's ride so I'm very interested to follow up that piece of history.

Topeater, I hope I haven't made too many gaffes about Texas. We loved the place and my daughter feels like a Texan now so I'm sure she'll be back some day.

It's still raining in Key West so alas, no sunset for us. Given that I've seen some pretty spectacular sunsets in my time; no 1 on the beach at Fremantle WA, no 2 just last week at Sanibel and 3, from our lounge room window at home in Mortlake, I guess we'll just imagine how gorgeous this one might be.

Key West is a paradox. Wander the back streets on foot and be overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture and fascinated by the eccentricity of the locals, the chickens and the cats. Walk on Duval St and surrounds and be overwhelmed and annoyed by the hawkers, the drunks and the scammers.

It's impossible (for me anyway) to capture the magnificence of the houses here in words or pictures. There's such a huge range of architecture and each style is intriguing and makes you want to live there. You can almost feel yourself swinging on the porch seats of the more modest dwellings, swanning down the stair cases of the extravagant four story mansions.

It's hot and humid in Key West. Even in early Winter the air is languid and the feeling is laid back. I can see that Hemingway would have found inspiration here but I'm surprised perspiration didn't smudge all his writing. The sea is calm because the coral reef prevents wave build up. On a grey day like this the horizon is seamless. The chickens cross the road at will. We found out today that they are the descendants of Cuban cock fighting birds, let loose on the island when cock fighting was banned and protected under the wildlife laws. Likewise the cats, some of whom can prove Hemingway's cat Snowball as an ancestor with their extra toes. The cats are everywhere, well kept but not at all tame, arrogantly peering out at you from behind fences or trees. Traffic rules appear to be non existent but there's very little of the road rage arrogance that we've seen in other places. Lots of people ride bicycles or scooters, none with helmets and many of them in various states of intoxication. At night time the place shines like a Christmas tree, the gabled roof lines lending themselves perfectly to the seasonal light displays.

And then you step onto Duval St. Every doorway has a spruiker. If you step into a shop you're pounced on. Want a picture with the parrot or the man dressed as a pirate? $10. It's more overt than Bourbon St and in our opinion, more annoying and confronting.

Taine talked us into the conch (that's pronounce 'conk' ) train rather than the trolley tour. We were told we could get on and off as many times as we liked. What we weren't told was that the stops were all back at the terminal! The commentary was informative and kind of interesting but we wanted to be able to get off and take photos and that wasn't possible. Our day was brightened considerably by excellent Mexican food at a street side bar, complemented by the chance to people watch while we ate. You see all kinds of people in Key West. The local women's group were meeting outside a very auspicious looking house across the road, straight out of 'The Help' or 'The Stepford Wives'. There are buck's parties and senior's groups and hippies and foreigners like us. People in all states of dress and undress! We've even seen two brides in their wedding dresses in Duval St.

For dinner we had ribs and wings at Daddy Bones BBQ across the road. It was delicious. Like everything else here, food prices are also a conundrum. I paid $10 for Taine to have a reheated pretzel and a lemonade from a fast food vendor down the street this morning but tonight we feasted on 3 types of BBQ, collared greens (this is a delicious discovery), sweet potato chips, corn bread, root beer, budweiser and key lime pie for $35. Go figure!

We drove one way to Boston, with our daughter, they drove back the day before and we flew back to NYC as there were cheap fares. I was considering taking either the Megabus of the Bolt bus back originally. You can real cheap fares, if you book early but they may be a popular choice at this time of year. I didn't look at Amtrak from Boston, but have taken it from Baltimore to New York, last time we visited and we enjoyed it.

Haven't taken a bus in the NE but much prefer Amtrak anyway, at least perhaps from NYC to Boston.

You can stretch your legs, have a mini-picnic on board, etc.

I've booked the Amtrak for Boston to NYC. Because of my dithering it cost me a lot (price went from $49 a seat to $71) but at least I know we have transport for that leg. Not at all sure how we'll manage our growing stack of luggage once we ditch the car but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

Usually today would be TGIF but with Friday came the realisation that we've already been in the US for 3 weeks and eventually it will be time to go home. Each day so far has been packed with new adventures and we have to keep pinching each other to remind ourselves that we're really here.

Today we raced into town to grab a couple of rainbow t shirts & postcards before we left Key West. Once again I my senses were assaulted by the sheer madness of sounds and sights and smells. The noise in town is crazy, even at 10am and in hindsight I wish I'd voice recorded it on my phone. Jamaican music combined with hawkers shouting , people laughing and arguing in English and Spanish, cigar smoke and Mexican food and cats and chooks and crazy people on bicycles and scooters dodging trolleys and the stupid conch train. I'm so glad we came here and in a different way to Memphis, I was glad to leave.

I thought the trip back up the Keys might be boring because we'd aready traveled it but honestly, I don't think you could ever get sick of sea views on either side. The pelicans are particularly fascinating. They glide effortlessly alongside the highway at window height and then suddenly plummet down to grab a fish. Their landing is as ungainly as their flight is elegant.

We made land fall at Key Largo and in a totally uncharacteristic move for two vehement anti gun people, we went to a shooting range and learnt to shoot a hand gun. Turns out both of us are crack shots, hitting around the bulls eye with every round. Just holding a loaded gun made my knees tremble and every time the man next to us let of a shot I jumped. What worried me most was that by the time we'd got to the end of our box of ammo I wasn't nearly as afraid. Anyway, like many of our experiences here it was a one off. I certainly won't be looking to bear arms when I get home.

I booked a 2 star hotel on Priceline tonight because it was the only rental I could find under $150. It's called, ( ironically since we're 90 miles away) ,the Key West Inn and it suits our purposes beautifully. A full kitchen and a bedroom upstairs so Taine can have the TV all to himself for a night. We went for a walk around the neighborhood before dinner and it was beautiful. There's nothing at all pretentious about this side of Key Largo but it looks like a great place to kick back and enjoy the weather.

This ends our time in South Florida and we'll be sad to say goodbye. It's a unique and beautiful part of the world and I would recommend it to anyone traveling this way. Tomorrow we'll start wending our way up toward Orlando and Disneyworld. I'm hoping we'll get close to Cape Canaveral so we can check out the space centre.