Key West and a Quiet New Year

Against our natural inclination to sit and vegetate the family loaded into our three little cars and sped off to Key West the morning after Christmas. I always imagine that Florida is easily accessible but it is further than you would think to drive there even from within the Keys. Our house in Islamorada Key is at MM 90 and Key West is… you guess it… MM0. So it took about 2 hours to get there at the posted speed of about 50 mph.

Finding parking was tricky for 3 cars traveling together

Key West was the first time we ate out as a group. It is no small trick getting a table for 9 in a hopping town like Key West in Christmas Week. Lots of traffic in Key West as folks stream in for New Years. Evidently New Years is just about the busiest time of the year. Who would have guessed? All week the traffic going south got worse and worse until finally at the end of the week it was impossible to go around the corner to the Winn-Dixie because you had to travel about a mile south to get home. That little mile could take as much as 30 minutes. So we weighed carefully whether we really needed to go to the grocery store.

Lunch at Mad Rooster in Key West was really good. It is funny how selecting a restaurant has changed. Like many of the loopers, restaurant selection involves Yelp and other electronic reviews. In this case, Mad Rooster was the first restaurant we saw that could fit our large group but for the rest of the day several of the group weighed in with reviews and discussions of stars in reviews before we settled on just the right restaurant or bar. I kind of like the star method rather than the “who can fit us” method. The food is even better checking reviews!

L: Brett, Steve, Sara, Julia, Marissa, Julie, Dan, Katherine

Mad Rooster provided lots of burgers all around, although I had grouper sandwich. Kermit says we won’t be seeing fresh grouper on menus until June because from January through June fishermen are not allowed to catch it. You have to replenish the supply after all. So I took advantage.

We walked to the furthest south point only to find crowds lined up for no reason. We bypassed the line and walked around to the front.

 We took pictures of the Chabad menorah and Mile Marker Zero from the street instead of being right next to it. Seems silly to stand in line.

I think those folks had been in line for quite a while because they were not thrilled with us. Chabad signs are everywhere, reflecting the large contingent of orthodox Jews all over Key West. We saw the signs but not the people. I am told they are there is you look hard.

We had to stop at Sloppy Joes. 

It was chilly in the morning and warmed up a lot in the afternoon to be kind of sweaty. We had drinks on the way. The Truman White House and Hemingway’s House were really crowded with lines so we passed. There are big chain link fences around Hemingway’s place, probably to keep the cats inside.

Chickens everywhere in the Key West tradition.

It is hard to wander around a place like Key West with 9 people. We needed 3 cars so finding a parking lot is complicated right from the start (thanks to the online reviews for providing just the right inexpensive all day parking 2 blocks from Mallory Square).Then seating for 9 is hard. So we broke up into groups for a while. Sarah and Steve took a jet ski ride around the island, which they loved. They came back refreshed.


The rest of us wandered to the water and found great seats facing west at that hotel alongside Mallory Square.

Sara and Steve

Brett and Julie

Julia and Dan

Katherine and Kermit

There were about 3 to 4 foot seas which  made the cruise ships kind of bumpy. Our favorite was the Duck boat. This one was a little bigger than the average one. It rolled from side to side in a dangerous fashion in the big waves.

 This big ship was flying a Saudi flag. Interesting...

Brett, Julie, Dan, and Julia

Sara, Dan, and Marissa

Sara and Marissa in the sunset glow

Steve, Sara, Marissa, Brett

Marissa, Katherine, Brett

Taking photos of the great sunset

Steve, Sara, Marissa, Brett

Then each couple took some time to wander around Mallory Square, do a little private sightseeing while we held down the good seats and drank. Cold beer sure tastes good when it is hot and you are with family. It was great.

The sunset was beautiful. The crowds started closing in around 5:30 then there was a collective AHHHHH when the sun sent down behind the clouds. 

Dan, Brett, Julie, and Julia

We stopped for dinner at a great Mexican place in an alley behind a cowboy bar. I think it was called Salsa Loco. Boy was the food good. I had Tacos al Pastor but it wasn’t like anything I ever had before. It was crunchy charred from grilling and had a great sweet tangy sauce. I munched those tacos down like I hadn’t eaten in weeks.

The ride home was quiet and safe. The kids hung out and talked into the night. Thursday we tried to get interest in going out but no one had the energy. We sat around, read, slept, and chatted quietly. The beach chairs got moved to the front in the sun and Marissa, Steve, and Sara lay out in the sun for hours reading, napping and talking.

In the afternoon the kids decided to try out the Roulette drinking game. It was hilarious to watch. I think Brett drank more than his share because he had to rest afterwards!

Dinner Thursday was special. We only had one more day so we were trying to eat everything in the fridge. We decided Mexican was the ticket again.  Brett marinated and grilled chicken, Sarah made the best quacamole ever, and I pulled the frozen red shrimp from Pensacola and the jack from Tarpon Springs out of the freezer. We marinated the shrimp in a pomegranate habanero sauce that someone got for Christmas. Just the right amount of tart, sweet, and spicy. We breaded and sautéed the little fishies with a little spice. Then we assembled the best fajitas in the world!! Everyone was happy.I don't have any pictures but trust me. Everyone was happy!

Marissa, Katherine, and Edie

We debated and researched all week to figure out a how to get out onto the water. We talked about snorkeling and even made a reservation but Thursday when we could get a boat big enough the weather was not warm. It was in the low 70s, not good weather for even Northerners like us to go snorkeling so we bailed. We found an interesting eco-kayaking tour for Friday. Then we coordinated with Edie and Joe Rubin from SeaQuell to join us!! We had our own guide, Stephanie.

The morning was warm and sunny, perfect for kayaking. We made the right choice. We headed from our place at MM90 to MM74.5 to Robbies’ Marina. This is a fascinating little place where you can feed tarpons. Perhaps you have been there? Kermit, Brett and Danny visited on a prior trip to Key West but the rest of us had never been there.

Shacks sell handmade gifts and trinkets with a little restaurant. We got lucky and got a table for the 11 of us. Lunch was good. Most of us had fried fish of some sort and the rest had chicken or hamburgers. Nothing special except it was on the water and not in the snow covering Cleveland at that very moment.

We loaded up the kayaks for a 2 hour tour ending at sunset. Lots of mangroves. We paddled through them, and under them, and around them. They made a great canapy. It was quiet, especially since we had to be single file. So you buddied up to someone and stayed with those folks unless the order changed somehow.

Dan and Julia showing off their coordination
check out the mangroves

Marissa leading the way

Katherine and Marissa 

Sara and Steve

Joe and Edie Rubin

Three couples got doubles. Joe and Edie kayak at home so they handled their kayak really well.

Dan and Julia looked like a synchronized rowing team. They were always in sync and never argued. Odd.

Because then we come to Brett and Julie. They were out of sync almost all the time and bickering like Kermit and I  do. We told Julie later that the secret is single kayaks. Next time they will learn!!

Dan and Julia, nicely coordinated

Julie and Brett showing off their coordination
Kermit in the green kayak behind them

Sun is setting

Marissa in the last kayak

Lots and lots of critters. We saw lots of birds – egrets, pelicans, sea gulls, and some I couldn’t identify. We saw a little figh but no sharks as we hoped. We probably made too much noise. A few people saw turtles.

We all saw the crocodile sitting on a patio. He was not a pet. But he evidently is in that spot a lot. He looked scary but quiet. We all kept our kayaks under control to avoid going into the water. That would have been bad! We left quickly.

This is not a statue - this is the real thing

We try to cross a channel

We had to cross a few channels which is always fun. It was a demonstration of listening and cooperation. Joe and Edie confidently crossed. Brett and Julie were in the back crossing awkwardly. It wasn’t pretty. A few of us crossed at a regular speed and a few almost got clipped by passing boats. Now I know what those kayakers feel like when we roar past in our boat. I will be more considerate in the future.

Joe and Edie stayed for pizza, salad, and Panettone that Edie brought then we said goodbye to the Rubins for now. We will see SeaQuell in January in Florida somewhere. It was great to share our family with them.

Saturday morning we said goodbye to everyone. It was sad. But we had a fabulous time. Everyone got along. It was relaxing and refreshing. We got to spend time with our children as adults, a rare insight into their lives that we seldom see. I liked it. I wonder where we can spend next Christmas.

We dropped Marissa off at Orlando airport and returned to our boat for a quiet evening then early to bed.

We intended to leave on Sunday to join One September in Longboat Key but the weather did not cooperate. It was cold (in the low 60s) and very windy. There were white caps in the bay - never a good sign.  So we stayed put and enjoyed the Clearwater Yacht Club hospitality for another day. We took advantage of having the rental car to go to the movies. We saw Skyfall – great flick. We intended to see Lincoln but missed the starting time. We were tempted to see it after Skyfall but pooped out and went back home to the boat.

Leaving this morning for Longboat Key. Judy and Mike have reservations for us for a New Year’s party.

What are you doing for New Years? I hope you have fun. We will miss being with the Lipkas, Vellucci, Bates, and Lumps this year. It will be the first time in ages we haven’t celebrated New Years with them. We will have to call tonight to make sure they are having fun.

Happy New Year’s everyone!!