Key West

Not sure what to expect, we very much enjoyed our trip to Key West.  The Keys seems to be a place where people go to have fun.  No hassles, be casual, lay in the sun, eat good food, sightsee and take a nap.  The place we stayed was right in the old part of town and an easy walk to most of the sights.

Most interesting was Mallory Square, which is part of the old waterfront where people gather to watch the sunset.  While waiting for the sun to slip behind Sunset Island, local entertainers and vendors vie for tourist dollars.  People watching was the best entertainment of all — some of the vacation outfits were beyond description and pictures would be outside the decency standards of this site.

We had some great meals and drank our share at the local beer bars.  One evening, we were still full from lunch and our dinner consisted of key lime pie and beer.  Another evening, we had an excellent Cuban dinner before watching the sunset from Mallory Square.

We did as many tourist things as two days would allow.  One very interesting site was a visit to Fort Zachary Taylor, which was a brick fort built in the same style as Fort Sumter.  The construction was interesting, the site had a commanding view of the entire end of the island and the collection of civil war era cannon is the largest in the country.  Click here to see a panorama picture of Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Florida.  Click here to see panoramic picture of Fort Zachary Taylor.

After a quick breakfast at the local Denny’s, we said our farewells to Key West and headed back to the mainland.