Conch Fritters in Paradise!

11.13.2009: After another huge breakfast we headed even further south for a day trip to Key West, FL. The drive was incredible - aquamarine and teal ocean water and sunshine the entire way. There were many times when we were driving on a narrow two lane road completely surrounded by water. The trip down to Key West, FL took about three and a half hours from Abuela's. On the way down our "check engine" light came on. After stopping to check the car, we determined there were no major issues (everything sounded and smelled fine) and chalked it up to Friday the 13th. We arrived in Key West around noon.



Our first stop was a walk around the historic seaport and a visit to the historic Flagler Railroad Station Museum. A little history - Flagler spent over $30 million of his personal money to build an overseas railroad from mainland Florida to Key West, FL. Though the railroad was destroyed during a hurricane, many credit Flagler for providing access to Key West, FL. The museum included many artifacts from the original railroad company.

We decided to take a Conch Tour Train ride around the island, operated by Historic Tours of America. Our hour and a half tour thoroughly covered old town Key West, FL and included much history, architecture and island folk lore. One interesting story from our tour: Key West, FL was struggling financially during the Great Depression and after they did no receive the money requested in aid from the government, they decided to secede from the United States and become the Conch Republic. The attack included storming a nearby Navy base and throwing stale Cuban bread. The secession did not last long, but the island gained much attention and is still known fondly to this day as the Conch Republic.

At one of our tour breaks we purchased a Key Lime float at Mallory Square. It was very cold, refreshing and the perfect Key West, FL drink! At another stop on our tour we also enjoyed another Key Lime treat - a frozen key lime pie on a stick, covered in chocolate!

After our tour we walked around to explore many of the sites of the island - Harry S. Truman's Little White House, Ernest Hemingway's House, Bahama Village, and we happened upon the Mile 0 sign for US Highway 1. US Highway 1 is known as the Palms to Pines Highway - starting in Key West, FL and continuing all the way north to Maine.

Key West, FL is the southernmost point in the Continental United States, marked by a giant buoy. For a moment we were the southernmost couple in the United States as evidenced by the picture below. The buoy is 90 miles from Cuba.

After the buoy and some time on the beach, where we witnessed a gorgeous Key West, FL sunset, we headed to Mallory Square for the nightly sunset celebration. There were many odd performers at Mallory Square including a crazy Frenchman with a cat show and a younger guy who escaped from a straight jacket and chains. There were also lots of art and food vendors and it was fun to walk around for a while. Key West, FL is known for its eccentric culture.

The main road in Key West, FL is Duval Street and we walked along it to find dinner. Recognizing that everywhere would be touristy we stopped at Willie T's. We enjoyed Conch Chowder, Conch Fritters and fresh seafood for dinner, along with Key West Sunset Ale. You may be asking yourself what the heck is conch? Conch is a shell fish similar to clams which are found in waters surrounding the Florida Keys. There is a conch shell pictured on the southernmost buoy above - the shells are quite large, and what most people picture when thinking of a shell to hold up to your ear to hear the ocean.

During the day there were cigarette boat races taking place around the island, and after we finished dinner the boats had all been pulled on to Duval Street. We spent time walking around and looking at the boats. We stopped at The Whistle Bar, we walked by Sloppy Joe's and stopped in Captain Tony's. Captain Tony's is the original Sloppy Joe's and is where Ernest Hemingway spent time writing and drinking while living in Key West, FL. Captain Tony's had very interesting decor, mostly signed bras and business cards covering every possible surface.

After the sun had set on our time in paradise we headed back to Miami, FL.