Key West Trip - October 7, We head for Key West

The second in the series -- Heading for Key West.

 

We left Ft. Lauderdale and headed south on I-95.  And just south of Miami, we reached the southern end.Our next goal was to get to the southern end of US-1.

 Seven-Mile Bridge.  Over open (but not very deep) water.  The original railroad bridge (1912) is seen on the right.  When a hurricane destroyed the railroad in 1937, it was rebuilt as a highway, but has now been replaced by the one we're on here.

Key West city limits!  We made it!

 Here's where US-1 goes west then south; Fl-A1A (which runs along the ocean through much of Florida, heads east and south.

 Duval Street -- where all the night life is in Key West -- crossing US-1.

 Mile marker "0", the southern end of US-1.  I've always wanted to drive US-1 from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West, FL.  Well at least, I HAVE driven it to Key West.

 The pool area at our hotel.  It was like being in a lush tropical garden -- probably because it WAS a lush tropical garden.

 One of our first stops, Margaritaville.  This was the first place where I tried mahi-mahi, which is also known as Florida dolphin, a VERY ugly fish; of course no one would EAT a dolphin (love ya, Flipper), so calling it mahi-mahi assuages the guilt, apparently.

 The original Sloppy Joe's Bar.  Ernest Hemingway practically lived here from about 1929 to 1939.  Story goes that when the rent was raised about 1937, Joe ripped out all the urinals and threw them into the street.  Hemingway told Joe he had spent enough on beer there to have bought one of the urinals, so he took one and brought it home.  We'll see where it is now in one of the future posts.

 The "new" Sloppy Joe's Bar.  After the urinal incident, Joe moved here, to the next block.  So did Hemingway.

 Mallory Square.  We'll watch the sunset here along with a huge crowd of merry-makers, in a carnival atmosphere.  It's a daily occurrence and has been for 19 years.  Watching the sunset, of course, not actually the sunset -- that's been going on for longer than 19 years.

 Luxury yacht, tied up at Mallory Square.  This is so big, it has another boat INSIDE the stern that most people would die to own!

 Stopped in here for a beer.  What a laid-back atmosphere, an such a cool name.

 Schooner near sunset, Key West.

 Almost down, split by a bank of clouds.

 Gone, but the afterglow is still there.  Like a good piece of Key Lime Pie.

From here it was off to dinner, and looking forward to really doing the tourist thing tomorrow.