Key West Tour 2012

 


On December 30, 2012, at 62 years old, I visited Key West with Siomi (58), "El Choro" (64), Maria Antonella (22), Santi (7) and Miranda (2). We left from Coral Gables.


Isla Morada

We arrived on time to lunch at the Whale Harbor Seafood Buffet (83413 Overseas Highway, Isla Morada) where Maria Antonella had a fit of laughter and we were able to take a few photos and videos.



We never found out what Maria Antonella was laughing at or what made her laugh so uncontrollably.  When I told her she looked like
Barbra Streisand, she didn't know who I was talking about: typical of millennials.

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Isla Morada is an incorporated village in Monroe CountyFlorida. It is located directly between Miami and Key West on five islandsTea Table KeyLower Matecumbe KeyUpper Matecumbe KeyWindley Key and Plantation Key—in the Florida Keys

Whale Harbor Seafood Restaurant
Whale Harbor Seafood Restaurant

Key West

From Isla Morada we made the jump to Key West, an 80-mile journey that took us about two hours to cover. We crossed the "Seven Mile Bridge", the longest bridge in Florida, located between Knight's Key and Little Duck Key.


Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers KeyFleming KeySunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it constitutes the City of Key West.

The island of Key West is about 4 miles (6 kilometers) long and 1 mile (2 km) wide, with a total land area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2). Within Florida, it is 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Miami by air, about 165 miles (266 km) by road. Key West is approximately 95 miles (153 km) north of Cuba at their closest points, and 106 miles (171 km) north-northeast of Havana.

The trip got too hot for us, so we headed straight to "Mesón de Pepe" (410 Wall Street, Key West) to enjoy some great "mojitos".

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El Mesón de Pepe's history begins in the small town of Yaguajay, Cuba, where Pepe Diaz was born. As a young man, Pepe began cooking to avoid working in the fields. It was in those early teenage years that he found his passion for food.  He set out to begin his career in Spain, working in popular “meson” restaurants and refining his skills. He started formulating a vision for his future, moving to America and opening his own meson restaurant. That’s when Pepe moved from Spain to Miami in the year 1973. Upon his arrival, he started working at La Esquina De Tejas, a popular local restaurant, where he had the pleasure of preparing a delicious meal for Ronald Reagan - Wikipedia. Pepe’s personal life also began to flourish with his wife Cachi and moved to Key West with sons Jose Augusto, Jose Manuel, and daughter Thania.

In 1979, Pepe began working at the “Cuban Club” in Key West, and simultaneously opened their local family-run grocery store, Tony’s Grocery. The Diaz Family firmly planted their roots within the Conch community and instantly gained notoriety for their delicious deli sandwiches and Cuban Coffee.

 

A pasos del Mesón de Pepe se encuentra "Mallory Square".  It is located on the waterfront in Key West's historic Old Town, adjacent to the cruise ship port. It is located just west of the northern end of Duval Street, facing the Gulf of Mexico. It runs the entire length of Wall Street. Adjacent to the square are the Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum and the Old Post Office and Customshouse.  Right there I recorded the following video of my grandchildren:

Justo frente al Mesón de Pepe se encuentra una pequeña plaza que pensábamos que era un cementerio, pero no lo es.  No sabemos su nombre, aunque tal vez forme parte de Mallry Square.

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Then we went to Duval Street, the main street of Key West, where Soppy Joe's is located since 1937, at the corner of Greene Street.  Sloppy Joe's was purchased September 8, 1978 by Sid Snelgrove and Jim Mayer and has been owned by the two families since that time.

The main Bar structure was built in 1917; and the second building, which houses the Kitchen and Joe's Tap Room, was built in 1892.

On November 1, 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  Duval Street is the tourist hub of Key West, both day and night.

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The Lazy Gecko was one of our favorite places to listen to music from the 60s. Unfortunately, the establishment has closed permanently. On that trip to the keys, Siomi had the opportunity to dance with Miranda.

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El recorrido por el sector turístico de Key West



In such a short time we missed visiting Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West, located at 907 Whitehead Street. We visited it on previous visits, but not on this occasion.


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