So, it looks like Key West are dodging a potential bullet with Rina, making everyone happy since she would have put a damper on our Fantasy Fest Celebrations. Only once in the past 20+ years has Fantasy Fest been cancelled and rescheduled, and that was in fact due to a hurricane. You can read more about this and Fantasy Fest in general by reading my article on the history of the celebration.
Well, we had an unusually soggy week in Key West last week. It rained for about 5 days straight, flooding parts of the island. That means that most activities like fishing, sunset sails, and water sports tours were shut down during that time. Visitors were relegated to only hanging out at the bars like Sloppy Joe’s or visiting museums like the Hemingway House. Now that can be fun and relaxing, but after a while people surely want to get out and about. Now is the time. Weather is clear and a little breezy making the outdoors extremely comfortable this time of year in Key West.
I was wondering downtown the other day and I came across a sign posted in front of one of the historic downtown homes that said “Pirates Well.” I have walked by this place a hundred times and had never noticed it before, so I read the marker at the house and did a bit or research on it.
Apparently where this house sits was where the first fresh water on the island was found by pirates in the 1700s. But this house, located at 410 Caroline Street between Duval and Whitehead Streets, known as the Captain George Carey House has a few more claims to fame.
Well October is here, the weather is starting to cool slightly, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas displays are already going up in the stores. That means Fantasy Fest is just around the corner. I always equate this annual festival to Mardi Gras. We have a ton of celebrations during these days (October 21 – 30) including parades, costume parties and contests, street fairs, body painting, and all sorts of wacky events.
I have an entire section of this blog dedicated to Fantasy Fest information. You can check it out HERE!
I have lived in Key West for nearly 13 years now. Wow! I know the island pretty darn well. But every once in a while I still get surprised. Hard to do on a 2×4 square mile island? I say not! Key West is very tourist industry driven so we have a ton of restaurants, bars, shops, and attractions directed toward capturing that tourist market. Often times businesses start up and don’t make it so something new will pop up before you know it.
My BFF”s birthday was Thursday so to celebrate she wanted to go to her favorite sushi restaurant, Ambrosia. When we got there at 7pm there was nobody there yet, but as the evening progressed the place became packed. Moral, make a reservation to eat here, lol.
Ambrosia is located at the Santa Marina Suites on Simonton Street. The decor is very modern and sleek.
When we first arrived we sat at the bar for a little bit and got a drink. Saki, sakitinis, beer. The sakitinis are the bartender’s version of a martini, but made with saki instead of vodka. I had a white peach sakitini that was delicious, if not a bit sweet. But after one I was good with water the rest of the evening. (Typically I order plumb wine which is also a sweet wine that I adore, but I decided to go with something different since other members of our group got sakitinis too. The bartender was fantastic (sorry cannot remember his name). (more…)