Last Monday, we drove down to the Florida Keys and stayed down in Key West for a few days. Even though we were only there for a few days, it was an amazing vacation. Now we are back up on the eastern coast of Florida and will be heading back home to the Midwest in a few days, but Key West is still fresh in my mind. Here are some of the things that made it such an amazing few days.
1. Tropical/nautical vibe
Key West is the southernmost and westernmost of the Keys. It was lovely there. Walking around the small island, I felt as if I were in the Carribean or the Bahamas. There were Palm trees and tropical flowers everywhere, and the ocean was so clear and so beautiful. There were street vendors selling coconuts, and art stands selling art work with vibrant colors. But the shores of Key West were lined with piers and boats, creating a nautical vibe that blended well with its tropical elements. I was amazed at how well tropical and nautical complemented each other in the Keys; I’ve never experienced anything else like it.
2. Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises
The Florida Keys being islands, they offer the unique opportunity to watch the sun rise from the east, and set in the west. The sun rises pretty early in the Keys, but I was up early enough one morning to catch the sunrise, which was spectacular, as were the sunsets. One if the best places we watched the sun set from was Mallory Square, in Key West. There were street performers and street food vendors and a lovely view of the sunset (bottom right photo). One night, we took a tourist boat out into the ocean to go dolphin watching, go snorkeling in the reefs, and watch the sunset over the ocean. I was amazed at how many dolphins we spotted; they were everywhere. I bought an underwater camera to capture pictures of the coral and sea life, and got some shots of the colorful fish and abundant coral structures. However, the film hasn’t been developed so I’m crossing my fingers that the pictures turned out alright. When we returned to the boat after snorkeling, we cruised along the ocean while sailboats sailed into the gorgeous sunset (top right photo).
3. Delicious dinning
Key West attracts many tourists and travelers year round and provides excellent restaurants and dinning to cater to their tourism industry. I was blown away; the food there was truly delicious. Most restaurants offered fresh seafood dishes, but since I’m not a big fan of seafood or fish I opted for what they called “land lover’s” meals. Pepe’s was a quaint outdoor restaurant where I enjoyed their delicious French toast special (top left photo). One night we headed off Key West to Mile Marker 88, a restaurant on the ocean where we watched the sunset and enjoyed some of the best food I’ve ever had. I ordered a grilled chicken and avocado sandwich with a side of Thai green beans (top right photo), and it was spectacular. Like any warm weathered vacation spot, Key West restaurants and tiki bars offered heavenly smoothies (bottom right photo), which I greatly enjoyed. Over all, the food in the Florida Keys was better than I could have imagined.
To see more of my Florida vacation, check out my Midnight Flights and Florida Sunrises post.
Roaming Elsewhere 
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