Never again will I try to drive in Key West. Seriously, it was insane. I arrived on a Friday evening, and I could not believe how much traffic there was. Once I got to Pelican Landing (my hotel), I then had to figure out what to do with my car. The first staff member I spoke to, an extremely lovely man whose name I can’t remember, told me that luckily there were 3 parking spaces left. I found that the rest of the staff at the hotel were just as courteous as they showed me to my Penthouse Suite. First of all, I can’t find the words to describe how nice this hotel was. They are not paying me to say this, but I plan on staying in this exact room every time I come down to Key West. It had everything I needed, was full of the comfiest furniture, and the view from the window was one of a kind.
Leave the car behind!
First of all, since I live in a city that demands four-wheel transportation, it was difficult for me to imagine a week on an island without an automobile. A lovely gentlemen I spoke to at breakfast told me that I was “missing out” if I did not see Key West by foot. After careful consideration, I decided to use a combination of walking and bus-travel as my way of exploration. Funny enough, I would come to find that the buses in Key West were actually quite nice and could take me to almost anywhere I wanted to go. Too bad though, that Enterprise rental cost me an arm and a leg.
Kitschy and Touching Sites
My friends made fun of me when I showed them the places I wanted to see on my vacation. Top of the list was the Key West Lighthouse Tower. Honestly, I love lighthouses. I always have. There is just something intriguing about a tall structure near the water. Eighty-eight steps to the top, and I felt vindicated from my friends’ teasing. The pictures I took don’t come close to seeing that beautiful water in real life. Afterwards, since I was planning an afternoon on the beach, I decided to stop by the AIDS Memorial. I knew that there are many from this island who have died from this epidemic, and seeing the memorial was extremely touching. One thing I took from this vacation was that there was a sense of community and acceptance among the people here. Honestly, I had several thoughts about relocating permanently.
Cliché
I’m in Key West. Of course I was going to go scuba diving. Everyone posts pictures and tweets about how wonderful the experience is. I decided to go to the Key West Dive Center. They were very informative, and all I can say is that I can see why people want to share their experiences! For under two hundred dollars (and after some guided practice sessions) I was able to come face to face with some breath-taking coral reefs. The dive itself was a bit uncomfortable; but I forgot about those physical irritations when I was swimming with those colorful fishes! Sure, there are so many places I could have gone on my week-long vacation; but after a week in paradise, I have zero regrets about deciding on Key West.