The Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands stretching 120-miles from the southern tip of Florida ending in Key West. Home to the southernmost point of the continental US, Key West is only 93-miles from the island of Cuba. Highway A1A runs down the archipelago, separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean and its beautiful aqua water, home to the USA’s only living coral reef system.
I’ve been going to the Keys and Key West since the early 80’s and have calculated I’ve been there over a hundred times since my first visit. With clients up and down the Keys and a few in Key West, it was always an excuse for a fun trip out of the overcrowded and crazy southeast Florida into a place that defies accurate description; one must go there to really understand how something so close can be so different.
Susan and I have been to Key West many times, but not since we relocated to the West Coast in 2008. We took the opportunity this past February to drive down and enjoy our favorite sea food bars, soak up the scenery and relive memories of open-air travel through this beautiful part of the country. We spent a few days in Key West visiting friends who winter there, sampling old and new restaurants, walking the familiar streets, checking out the funky and fun shops, enjoying the heat, humidity and sun on our faces.
So, here’s a paean to top-down driving, stone crab claws, yellowtail snapper, beer boiled shrimp, cold beer and perfect martinis. A great trip all around, and I would encourage anyone to visit once, it’s maybe the best Florida has to offer. Enjoy!
All images were taken with Fuji X-T50 with Fuji XF 27mm f2.7 lens or Fuji XC 15-45mm f3.5-5.6 OIS lens in RAW format, processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 14.0.1
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