Florida Keys - The Key Wester

Key West and Florida Keys Saddened by Jose Wejebe Death

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:April 7, 2012
Post category:Fishing

It was a sad day for the Florida Keys and Key West fishing community yesterday. News spread quickly that local TV celebrity and host of the Spanish Fly died in a plane crash. Shocked friends and fans texted each other and posted RIP on Jose’s Facebook page yesterday.

The Cuban born Jose was a natural at fishing, building his career and his reputation first as a guide and later as a TV personality; but his new love in recent years was flying. He was alone on his single engine plane when it crashed in Everglades City just after take off around 4:30 pm yesterday.

“Nobody has done more for fishing in the Keys than Jose,” said Dream Catcher Charters owner Capt Steven Lamp, “you will be missed.”

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Restaurant Review: Sunset Grille

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:January 13, 2012
Post category:Uncategorized

Sunset Grille is located at the south end of Marathon on Knight’s Key. We ate lunch here a few days ago with some friends and we were really impressed with the food and the great layout. This is an open air tiki bar / restaurant with a pool overlooking the ocean and the 7 mile bridge. In fact the only thing that bothered us was that the beautiful vistas of the ocean to the south was partially obstructed by a huge screen which they use to show sporting events. I wish they would have put up a retractable screen instead.

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Driving to Key West…

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:January 12, 2012
Post category:Uncategorized

Driving to Key West? Many people do not realize that the Florida Keys are a chain of islands connected by a series of bridges, and Key West is the very last island in the chain. Driving time from Miami to Key West takes approximately 3 hours, although due to traffic it may take longer. But the vistas are breathtaking, making the drive well worth it at least once in a lifetime.

Below is a charter showing milage from different major FLorida cities to help you plan your drive. (more…)

Key West – Hurricane Rina

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:October 27, 2011
Post category:Uncategorized

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.

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Hurricane Season

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:August 31, 2011
Post category:Uncategorized

So hurricane season started on June first, but we are now getting into the busiest part of the season. Thus far we have been lucky, with little storm activity and recently dodging Irene. After our past experiences with Georges, Wilma, Katrina, etc, we sincerely feel for the Northeast and the havoc that Irene created there. Chances are the season will remain slow and no evacuations will be called. But in case a storm does come our way and the Keys are in the “cone” there are a few things to keep in mind for those vacationing here.

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I’m Back Key West

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:August 30, 2011
Post category:Uncategorized

Well, I have not posted anything for a few days now. My birthday was Sunday so my husband surprised me with a quick getaway to Islamorada, about a 1.5 hour drive away from Key West. Key West is a wonderful place to be, but for those of us who live there we like to get away once in awhile too.

We stayed at the Islander Resort located on the oceanside of US1, right across the street from the famous Lorelei Marina, Restaurant, and Bar. The Islander was built in the 1950’s but it has had some renovations, although the bathrooms still need to be updated. The rooms are clean and large with kitchens and either one king or two double beds in the standard rooms which either overlook the gardens or the ocean. There are also suites for larger parties.

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Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:August 23, 2011
Post category:Activities

When the Eco Discovery Center opened down here, I was skeptical. But my husband and I one day finally decided to check it out. Unfortunately, thinking it would have to be lame, we did no allot ourselves enough time to visit this place, which turned out to be awesome and super informative about the Florida Keys eco-system.

We had enough time to run through the different exhibits very quickly and we also got to see the 20 minute movie, “Reflections of the Florida Keys”, starring local dive celebrity Megan Haney Greer. If you have just a little bit of time here, I highly recommend viewing this film as one of the things you check out. The footage was amazing and the story was very interesting while still imparting lots of information to the viewers. Plus, the theater is HD with surround sound. (If you don’t have time to see the film you can purchase it in the gift shop.)

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The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge

Post author:Island Genn
Post published:August 9, 2011
Post category:Activities History

Great White Heron Key West, Florida — Great White Heron on a mangrove island in Key West, Florida

Established in 1938, the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and Key West and is comprised of about 200,000 acres of open water and islands which provides nesting, feeding, and resting areas for over 250 species of birds. The refuge was originally created to protect the great white heron, which are only found in the Florida Keys, from extinction. This area has also become an area where loggerhead and green turtles come to nest and feed.

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