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 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.
All you have to do is step outside today and you would know exactly what event is going on this week. You guessed it; that constant roar up and down the road signifies bike week is finally here, formally called the 39th annual Key West Poker Run.
Key West has an eclectic hodgepodge of restaurants for locals and visitors to choose from. You will find everything from Jamaican, French, Cuban, American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican and of course local Key West style fare. What exactly is Key West fare you ask. Well, if you consider the location and heritage of the island, you will find a great deal of influence from the Caribbean islands as well as an abundance of local seafood items in several of these recipes, although plenty of recipes will make the landlubbers happy too. Cubans and Bahamians introduced items such as black beans, rice, marinated pork, plantains, conch, and flan to Key West. Today you can find these items served as they originated or in a style locals have coined as Conch-fusion.
So I have found the Mecca for costume jewelry on the island. Jewelry Imposters has been open for about two years in the Searstown Shopping Plaza. The owners design a majority of the items stocked, and the pieces are modeled after designers like Cartier, Gucci, and Harry Winston.
So you are visiting our fair island of Key West and you don’t know what to pack? I will make this very easy for you. Key West is a very casual place. Even the fanciest restaurants do not require you to dress up and more than country club casual. Here are some things not to forget. If possible, don’t bring more than a carry on; it is all you should need!
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.
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.
Living and working on a small island, you can imagine that man people like to get around via bikes. It is a great method of travel,with benefits for both the body and the environment. But it seems to me that lots of people believe that just because they are on a bike they don’t have to follow the rules of the road, and it frankly gets pretty upsetting at times. What I think people do not realize is that in Florida a bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle.
Cuban cigars have long been considered among the best in the world. In the late 1800’s, as war gripped Cuba, many Cuban cigar makers fled to Key West, bringing the cigar industry to the United States. For a time Key West was the cigar capital of the world. By the early 1900’s, however, labor strikes, fires, hurricanes, and the depression ended the island’s domination of the cigar industry. The tradition, although now diminished from what it once was, still remains. There are a number of Cigar shops and cigar makers that can still be found in Key West. The cigar rolling tradition has been handed down for generations and will remain a part of Key West for a long time to come.
