As many of you may know, the Florida Keys are a chain of small islands that actually end at Key West, Florida in the U.S.A. (and as such), is the most southern point of the Continental U.S. But, as I tried to think of a picture for this post, I didn't want to use the one that is actually associtated with the REAL (most southern) point, because frankly, it is a landmark that looks to me to be a very large beer bottle that could be used at a Jimmy Buffett concert for some Mexican beer promo.And it is far from being a shot I would relish posting. I also could have used the other landmark which is in a place called the Sunset Pier "Bar & Raw Bar" at Zero Duval St. It has a sign that has arrows pointing to the left and to the right saying "Atlantic Ocean" and "Gulf of Mexico". But instead of either of those, I like the composition of this one which was right down there in that same area. The three pelikans in it also were pretty cool too.
We rented a car in Miami because we wanted the expierince of driving all the way down to Key West and going through all of the Keys. Although it was a long drive, it was still a very neat and unique experience for Mrs. LZ and I. Some of the keys that I remember were; Key Largo (obviously named after the movie of the same name), Islamorada Key, Marathon Key, Big Pine and the lower Keys and then of course the culmination of the drive ending at Key West.
We took the South Dixie Highway south through the Florida Everglades National Park to "Highway 1" which goes all the way to Key West. Along this trip there were many very neat things to see like the "Seven Mile Bridge" which connects Islamorada Key to Indian Key Channel (if I remember correctly). And several side trip adventures on some of the different keys.
In Key West proper, you can discover a city where real estate titles date back to the Kings of Spain. Stroll the palm-lined streets and discover gingerbread mansions, tin-roofed conch houses, the John Audubon House and Ernest Hemingway's home. You can walk in the footsteps of Thomas Edison, Lou Gehrig, Harry Truman, and Tennessee Williams. Gaze at the fabled treasure of the galleon Atocha. Discover tomorrow's fine art treasures by Key West's well-known and some equally unknown artists.
The island's seafaring tradition lives on at the renovated Historic Seaport district, known locally as the Key West Bight. Dozens of shrimp boats once called this harbor home. "The Bight" is a popular place to arrange a day on the water, whether you are a diver, snorkeler, fisherman or eco-tourist. Others come just to stroll along the harbor walk or dine at one of the many restaurants. In this city of fascinating contrasts, you could easily find yourself wanting to let go of mainland hassles permanently. But frankly, we didn't!
We also found out that if you just wanted to fly there to Key West directly, that you can visit these and a host of other attractions by taking advantage of convenient public transportation, taxis, pedi-cabs, tour trains, trolleys, bicycles or even your own two feet. For a visual introduction to the sights of Key West.
As I look back at some of the pictures I took, I found some interesting names, like "Captain Tony's Saloon", "Sloppy Joe's Bar" and a "Jimmy Buffet Store". That alone should give you a hint of the mystique about this place. This looked like it could be a very neat place to be on Spring Break if you were a college kid trying to have a good time! But truly it was a memorable drive to Key West.
"Come along, let's have some fun.
The hard work has been done
We'll barrell roll into the sun
Just for starters"
~ From "Barometer Soup" ~ Jimmy Buffett
