The Next Road Takes Us to Key West

After  six weeks in Sarasota, Florida, enjoying the Holidays with family and friends, the next road led us 376  miles to Key West, Florida. Our stay became a rich and memorable experience filled with exciting and interesting people in a picturesque and historical setting.

Cayo Hueso  is the original Spanish term for Key West. Translated, it means Bone Island, which makes sense because it was a Native American burial ground.  Story has it that because in Spanish, Hueso (weso) sounded to English speakers like “west,” Cayo, like key, that eventually it became Key West. Es posible. Characters, legends, and myths abound here with pirates, bootleggers, adventurers, and salvagers central to many stories told in Key West.

Writers and artists migrate to Key West for inspiration, including the most famous, Ernest Hemingway, who wrote many of his most famous novels here including A Farewell to Arms. Other recognizable names include Winslow Homer, Tennessee Williams, and Mario Sanchez.

Hemingway stories seem endless and always engaging, his home is the No. 1 tourist destination in Key West. During our tour, the guide pointed to a much-discussed picture showing a young Ernest with Joseph Kennedy in Havana, Cuba, during Prohibition, which only adds fuel to Ernest’s boozing reputation and the rumors that Kennedy was bootlegging from Cuba. A favorite story is that young Ernest bought that particular home among other reasons because of its proximity to the lighthouse. It was a sales point for Ernest that after a night of drinking at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the beacon would provide a landmark to guide his way home.

It doesn’t stop; as legend has it, the Hogfish Bar and Grill where we ate one night, is purported to be the launching point for the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion.

Key West’s  unique island milieu of immigrants has the much-deserved reputation for acceptance of people from all persuasions partially explained by its history.  As the 19th century ended, Key West had a population of approximately 19,000 and was the richest city in Florida. Half the residents were said to be of Cuban origin. Add the fact that many of the residents of Key West were immigrants from the Bahamas, known as Conchs (pronounced ‘conks’) and pretty soon you understand why Key West has a history of tolerance and acceptance.

We came to Key West for a month-long stay  from a Craigslist advertisement that found us residing in a beautifully restored home in the historical district a few short blocks to downtown, Mallory Square, the State Park Beach, and just about anything we needed or wanted. While we drove to Key West, we parked the car and moved it only twice in a month.

The amazing woman we rented from is a longtime resident embedded in the Key West arts community. A ballet dancer for 35 years, she now teaches Pilates and ballet in her home. Her energy level is surreal, going from early morning until late at night. A few years ago she decided to produce a Key West version of the Nutcracker Ballet. Creating it is an amazing story chronicled in an award-winning documentary called, “Underwater, the Making of the Key West Nutcracker.” If you have a chance, be sure to see it. She invested somewhere between .5 and 1.5 million dollars to produce the ballet. Meanwhile, four hurricanes did everything possible to make the production fail. It is a story of triumph over despair and adversity.

To give an idea of production costs, Joyce brings in professional ballet dancers from New York for her Nutcracker to dance along with local talent and children. Added to those costs, the costumes are beautiful and the set is amazing. She had a vision for her ballet and executed it with little consideration for cost.

Our rented home was a busy place, crowns and tutus were being designed and created while we were there.  Pilates classes were mostly all day every day. Joyce owns two beautiful homes side-by-side with a supporting cast of a caretaker, housekeeper, and seamstress all with interesting stories of their own. The house activity started around 7 a.m. The caretaker is busy all day with two homes to oversee. We shared our house with Carlos, his room across from ours. He is also an artist, so many evenings he would peddle to Mallory Park to sell his jewelry creations. By evening the houses quieted but many nights we would find Joyce overseeing costume-making and managing preparations for the ballet nine months away.

We had many wonderful conversations with Joyce about her life, studying ballet, raising children, and her passion for dance and now Pilates. We enjoyed those over several delicious meals and cocktails. She leads a rich life. Also staying with Joyce in an apartment in the main house was a highly acclaimed burlesque star Tatah Dujour. It would be a challenge to find a more storied place to stay.

One last story, we arrived home around 11 pm one evening from a movie to find Joyce and a visiting ballet dancer/teacher in the driveway getting ready to ride bicycles to the Green Parrot, a locals’ bar. Joyce is in her early 70’s (you would never know it), she had on a pair of pink satin hot pants, fish net stockings, mid-height boots, and a brightly layered top. I know of no other woman who could have pulled that off and looked so hot. Not to mention the time of night, and the fact she was riding a bicycle about a mile to the bar.

I don’t know what attracts so many interesting people to Key West but we were lucky to have our experience. Our time included a busy work schedule, but in our free time we walked, rode bicycles and explored much of the city. A car is almost useless in the historical district, where we stayed. Bicycles, golf cart-like vehicles, and walking are the easiest ways to get around. One of the prettiest beaches in the country is at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, an easy 10-minute bike ride. We spent many evenings walking to Mallory Square with its eclectic mix of artists, craftpeople, and street performers, along with huge crowds of people to watch the sunset.

For a relatively small community it is chock-full of cultural activities including the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens, The Studios of Key West, The Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Tennessee Williams Theatre, Key West Literary Seminar and much more.

It is a fact, even after our recent stay in New Orleans, this city parties second to none.  The number of bars in this relatively small city is said to be well over a hundred. Live music streams from bars and clubs nightly, Duval Street is packed with people, and strolling with open containers is the norm. Perhaps this is why we saw this on a local T-shirt, “This is a drinking town with a fishing problem.”

If you go, one suggestion is to take the Key West Express about a 3.5 hour boat ride from Ft. Myers that takes you within walking distance of downtown. Once in Key West a car is more hassle than it is worth. Walking, biking, cycling, and if necesaary a cab, will take you most places. And the three-hour drive from Miami is no picnic.

Interesting facts…

Conch is the term for longtime residents of Key West. Some use “Saltwater Conch” to refer to a person born in Key West, while  “Freshwater Conch” refers to a resident who has lived in Key West for more than seven years.

Wrecking, salvaging from ships that  crashed into the third largest reef in the world, made Key West the largest and richest city in Florida in the mid-19th century and the wealthiest town per capita in the U.S.

Jimmy Buffet still maintains a recording studio here. It is on the waterfront in an oddly plain building with no identification.

During the Civil War, Florida seceded but Key West remained in U.S. Union hands because of the naval base.

Harry Truman visited for 175 days over 11 visits during his presidency.

In 1982 the city of Key West briefly declared its “independence” as the Conch Republic in a protest over a United States Border Patrol blockade which wreaked havoc on Key travel.  The blockade was in response to the Mariel Boatlift.

Highway 1 ends at Key West and travels 2,377 miles to Fort Kent, Maine.

Photos from around the island…