January 19, 2026 – We had the opportunity to spend a few days in Key West in January, so we jumped at the chance for a new experience and some warmer weather. Here is some of what we saw:
This chick greeted us at the airportLots of chicken imagery – there are roosters and chickens roaming free on the streets and lots of tourists stop to take photos of them.Excellent art galleries…including one with original sketches by……Dr Seuss! A Turkish store that reminded us of Istanbul Lots of cigar stores – we are just 90 miles from CubaWe enjoyed conch fritters, frozen margaritas, and Cubano sandwiches. Also some shrimp and fish tacos that were so heavenly, we inhaled them before we could snap a pic!We visited the Ernest Hemingway house / museum – a popular attraction with a line of folks waiting to get inSome of the typewriters he used to tell his famous talesThe writer’s studioOutdoor cat hotelCat under the covers Extensive feline cemetery out back – Hemingway named many of the cats after his friendsSome of the cats, including descendants of the six-toed Snowball, that inhabit the premises. Yes, the whole place smelled like cat pee.Right next door was the Tennessee Williams house – no one waiting to get in. Sorry Tennessee!Key West bills itself as the Conch Republic – it seceded from the US for a day back in 1982 to protest government anti-drug and immigration policies that were causing traffic backups on the only highway The pretty beach where tourists queue up to watch the sunset The line of folks waiting to have their pictures taken in front of……the end of the continental USARight on the beach was Fort Zachery Taylor……with lots of old cannons, ammo, and a moat!
Two versions of Sponge Bob – which do you prefer?We visited a Butterfly Conservatory with flamingos……beautiful birds…Blue morphoArchduke OwlHuge Atlas mothLongwing…and hundreds of butterflies fluttering around us.
How often do you get to see a manatee mailbox?Although it really wasn’t beach weather, our motel had a heated pool so we sunned and swam every day. A great short trip – stay tuned for our next adventure!
Taking Our Time 