Saturday, May 21, 2016

We got up at 5:15 so we could be at the ferry dock at 7 a.m.  We took the Key West Express ferry from Fort Myers to Key West.  It's a four hour trip but was a very smooth ride.  The ferry was maybe 2/3 full.

We decided to do the Conch Tour Train hour ride around the town.  We were glad we did because it gave us a good overview of Key West, and the driver did a narration pointing out all the historical places and talking about how the town has grown and developed over time.  We got off the train after about 45 minutes to walk down Duval Street and get lunch.  We really wanted to have our picture taken at the "southernmost point of the U.S." Marker but the line was more than a block long, and since it was 91 degrees and about that much in humidity, we didn't wait.  There was also a line at the Hemingway House, but we saw it from the outside.  It's a large 2 story house, and still has some six-toed cats living there.

We ate at the original Margaritaville cafe.  It was busy and the cheeseburgers were great.  I could tell it was an old building after I had to walk down a hallway, up the narrow, steep stairs and down another hallway to find the restroom.  Creaky floors.

After that we walked down Duval Street, which is the main drag, and shopped some.  We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe store so I could get some more pins.  After seeing the displays of pins at the shops on this trip, I know what I want to do with mine now.  The New Orleans store had a wonderful display in the shape of a guitar but I think any shape could be done.

We stopped and had fondue for dessert before we strolled back to the ferry for the ride back.  All in all, we walked more than 3 miles around Key West.  All the bars, and there are many, we're gearing up for Saturday night because more than a few already had live music and it was mid-afternoon.  As we walked along the walkway past marinas, restaurants and bars, we came to two city cops.  They were listening to a barefoot guy in his 40's telling them that he wasn't drunk, he was sure he staggered from having a stroke.  They weren't buying it.

The ferry left at 5:30, and got back to Fort Myers at 9:30 so it was a long day, but worth doing.  It was another smooth ride home.