I can see why Ernest Hemmingway, Tennessee Williams, Harry Truman and Jimmy Buffet spent so much of their time in Key West. It is an intriguing and charming little city. The old town has kept its charm. New McMansions are not permitted. Duval Street reminds me of a slimmed down French Quarter in New Orleans. The pace is slow, the tourist trade is doing fine and the cruise ships just keep on sailing in. Yesterday Barbara and I took a trolley tour of the entire island. We learned it is only two miles by four miles and has a population of over 23,000 residents. Most of the island is made from land reclaimed from the mangrove swamps. This practice is no longer allowed and it appears what is now Key West will always be Key West. The seafood is terrific. There are many fine places to eat and it appears even more places to drink.
Friday night we ate at the Café Marquesa. This restaurant is cited in the novel I am writing, The Briefcase. It is an upscale restaurant for Key West. No one was dining in shorts, tee shirt and flip flops. We also saw the Mary Immaculate Star of the Sea school where Anna Harte teaches fourth grade in the novel.
While on the trolley tour we learned that at one time Key West had the largest per capita income of any city in the US. The money came from rolling cigars and salvaging wrecks of the reef on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island. Needless to say, those industries are no longer driving the Key West economy. We also learned that Key West seceded from the United States for a short period of time in protest of border closings at the top of the Florida Keys. The Conch (pronounced CONK) Republic was short lived. Our guide told us more about this but, the line between truth and fantasy was getting very jagged as his stories went on.
Today we head out for some nautical adventures!
This is the Key West Bed and Breakfast, our Key West home.
This sign at the airport proudly exclaims Key West's independent status for a brief period in 1828.
Here I am standing near Spong Bob Square Pants maternal grandfather.
Barbara out in front of the B&B on Williams Street.
The Cafe Marquesa from our tour trolley.
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