Andrew Delaplaine - Key West & the Florida Keys: The Delaplaine 2016 Long Weekend Guide

KEY WEST & THE FLORIDA KEYS The Delaplaine 2016 Long Weekend Guide Andrew Delaplaine Copyright by Gramercy Park Press. All rightsreserved. Corrections, additions or comments to Published on Smashwords Formattedby * * * All rights reserved. Without limiting therights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without theprior written permission of both the copyright owner and the abovepublisher of this book. Smashwords Edition LicenseNotes This eBook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away toother people.

If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. Thank you for respecting the author'swork. * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * Most peoples idea of a vacation involvessun, sand and sea. The Florida Keys have it all and more. If youare traveling to Key West, you must drive down at least once. Afterthat one drive, you can fly down, but you have to experience thisdrive at least once in your life.

Its not one of the most famousdrives in the world for nothing. The incomparable views of both the AtlanticOcean and the Gulf of Mexico will accompany you throughout yourdrive. Sometimes, admiring these clear warm waters is not enough.Soon after you pass Key Largo in the Upper Keys, the urge to stopand jump into the water will strike you. No worries, there areplenty of areas along the way where you can pull over and do justthat. At times, the water is so shallow you will be walking far outand the warm waters will barely reach knee level. Back in the dayswhen I was an avid scuba diver, wed stop two or three times alongthe drive to Key West, fill our tanks at one of the roadside scubashops, and go diving that very minute.

Also along the way you will find attractionsand activities for just about everyone. From shipwreck museums, toshopping, to haunted houses, to water sports. Restaurants offer an abundance of seafoodcooked up in a variety of ways. I try to make it a rule to avoidall meats when I go to the Keys. The seafood is so good, so fresh,and so well prepared (even in the simplest crab shack) that youreally shouldnt be eating burgers and steaks. Nightlife in the Keys pretty much meansbars, bars and more bars.

People here DO like to drink. And youllstill see rummies here and there. These are people who have givenup on life and migrated to the Keys where the pace of life slows toa crawl, to a rum-induced haze. Speaking of that pace, its something youllnotice right away. Things do move at a much slower pace than mostpeople are used to. Here, you will be forced to relax.

Whether youwant to or not. I remember once I was in a hurry to get to a partyat the Pier house in Key West. I was flying down from my office inMiami. It was a hot, muggy summer night. I dashed out of theairport and hopped into a cab and told the driver to Hurry! I needto get to the Pier House right away! The bearded, aging,burned-out hippy driver looked at me in the rearview mirror andsaid, Okay, then, Ill go the long way. Theres no rush in KeyWest, he pontificated.

And he poked along at 20 mph. I wanted tokill him, but I got the message. This was many years ago, beforethere were any hotel chain properties in Key West. Before thingswent corporate. Back when it was real. The Mile Marker Address System Along US 1 (also called the OverseasHighway), youll see these small green signs along the way thatstart when you leave Florida City at the top of the Keys, with MileMarker 126.

The last Mile Marker is MM 0, which is in Key West.Many businesses give their address as MM 56, for instance, whichmean Mile Marker 56. Basic Tip My rule for transport about the Keys issimple: if youre in Key West, you dont need a car. If youreexploring the Upper and Middle Keys, why then of course you cantdo without one. So if youre flying into Key West, do not rent acar once you get there. You simply will not need one. Cabs areplentiful.

And nothing is more than a 5-minute cab ride away. Similarly, if I drive down to Key West, theminute I get there I park the car and leave it, using cabsthroughout my stay. When its busy, parking is a nightmare (justlike it is on South Beach, where I live), so Im never hassledtrying to park if I use cabs. However, if you are staying on some of thelarger keys or in Key West, there will be a variety of scooterrental places available. These scooter rental places also offer avariety of golf cart rentals that can accommodate different sizeparties from 2 people up to 6. Beware Speed Traps A lot of municipalities along the OverseasHighway set up speed traps which are designed primarily to raiserevenue from unsuspecting tourists.

So youve been warned. Theyusually dont give a damn if youre 3 miles or 15 over the limit.They just want your money. One place where you really ought to slowdown, however, is Big Pine Key where the National Key Deer Refugeis located. This is the habitat of a small population of Keydeer, a small (and very cute) animal thats in serious danger (150were killed by cars last year). The best you cando here is just ask one of the friendly locals for events and localpoints of interest. Some of the larger keys have local publicationsthat will offer information about events taking place during thetime you are there.

Also, these sites have lists of currentactivities: http://www.keywest.com/calendar/kwpevents.cfm http://www.hometownkeywest.com/current-events.html The following chambers of commerce willprovide specific information about local businesses and servicesalong with discount coupons and promotions in the general area. Youcan also get maps and information on the local cultural scene, suchas it is. FLORIDA KEYS VISITOR CENTER 106000 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo:305-451-1414 www.floridakeys.org/ GREATER MARATHON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 12222 Overseas Hwy, Marathon:305-743-5417 www.floridakeysmarathon.com/ ISLAMORADA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 87100 Overseas Hwy, Mile Marker 87, Bayside,305-664-4503 www.islamoradachamber.com/ KEY LARGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 106000 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo:305-451-4747 www.keylargochamber.org/ MONROE COUNTY TOURISM SITE www.fla-keys.com/keylargo/ KEY WEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 510 Greene St., 1st Floor, Key West:305-294-2587 www.keywestchamber.org/ LOWER KEYS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE U.S. 1 at MM 31, Big Pine Key:305-872-2411 www.lowerkeyschamber.com/ * * * (includesCamping) PRICEY AMARA CAY RESORT 80001 Overseas Highway, Islamorada,305-664-0073 www.amaracayresort.com Elegant oceanfront resort (100 rooms andsuites) known for comfort. Youre right on the water, so its gotsandy beaches, that exquisite blue-green water you came to the Keysto splash around in. Perfect for diving, fishing, water sports.