Hartley Family Key West Trip
May 29, 2016 - June 4, 2016
Lee and I left Elberton heading to Griffin, Georgia the morning of Sunday, May 29. We were riding with my sister and her husband the rest of the way. My other sister, dad, and niece left later that afternoon. We were to meet them halfway to Key West in Melbourne, Florida, about 7 hours into the trip. My brother and his wife had left Saturday and were meeting us in Key West Monday. That was a LONG ride. My knees hurt for 3 days after we got there. By the time my knees had finally stopped aching, we had to do it again to get home. I think if I ever go to Key West again, I'll probably fly.
Some highlights of the ride there: gettng to go through Miami (bucketlist!), seeing all the main and smaller islands from Key Largo to Key West, seeing the bluish-green ocean scenery after we got off the mainland. On the way back, we went through Orlando, which was neat - we could see Universal Studios from the interstate. I haven't been to Orlando (DisneyWorld) since I was 3, so that was neat. We also stopped at these "interstate plazas" on the way back - they remind me of mini airports. They have gas stations, dog walking areas, and then inside, there are souvenirs, at least 4 restaurants, wi-fi, and information kiosks for tourist info. We stopped at two - one in West Palm Beach (which was awesome, because that was a bucketlist thing too) and then again in St. Claire, Florida.
The weather was PERFECT. Not hot like we have in Georgia. It was humid, but I guess the ocean breeze offset the heat, so it was enjoyable and tolerable. If it had been like Georgia, I would have been miserable. Thursday was the worst as far as heat and humidity. I think I could have filled up a few buckets of sweat - I'm glad it wasn't like that all week!
We got there Monday afternoon. We stayed in a 3 bedroom townhouse on the smaller island of Key West, called Stock Island. It was far enough away from the busy-ness of Key West, but close enough to get into town to enjoy the main island's sights and sounds. The house was GORGEOUS. It had a tropical feel to it, and the lush tropical landscaping around the gated community and pool was immaculate.
After everyone got somewhat settled into our rooms, we headed out to explore the island and go to one of the beaches. Key West has 4 beaches. None of them are typical "beaches" - Key West isn't known for its beaches. They say the best beaches in the Keys are in Key Largo and Islamorado. After we were done exploring a little, we went to the grocery store to get things for meals and snacks for the week. When we got back to the house, we ate sandwiches and then all of us crashed... we were worn out from the long ride!
One thing that is really unusual about Key West is that there are roosters literally EVERYWHERE. In the street, in yards, on sidewalks, the beaches... just walking around. And they are LOUD too. One restaurant has them walking around on the patio while you eat... we didn't go there, but I bet that would have been interesting.
Tuesday morning, one of my sisters and her husband went to the Botanical Gardens, while my other sister and niece went to Fort Zachary Beach. My brother and his wife stayed around the house, still trying to get settled in. Dad, Lee, and I went shopping. They had a Pet Supermarket there that I'd seen Monday evening and I wanted to stop in and get Meiko a few things. Then, we met my brother and his wife for lunch at a cafe... which was NOT good. The servers were all Cuban, and we all ordered American food... I'm assuming that's what it wasn't good. If we'd ordered some of the Caribbean and Mediterranean dishes, we might have been more impressed. After we finished eating, we all went back to the house and later that afternoon, my niece and I went swimming. It was nice, but I could only stay out there about 15 minutes. Even with SPF 70 on, I could still feel the sun burning me. My dad, both sisters, Lee and my niece went bike riding while I stayed in and rested a bit. That night, we went to Duval Street to watch the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. That's a MUST-DO in Key West... there were local artisians selling their arts and crafts in stands on the square and some performers doing magic tricks, fire-breathing acts, etc. And then, the sunset... it was beautiful! After the sun went down, we went to eat at Sloppy Joe's. That is another MUST-DO in Key West. Sloppy Joe's is famous for being one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite hangouts in the 1940's. It's a bar and pub and has live music. Lee and I tried conch fritters - which is the meat of the animal that lives in the big conch shells. We weren't impressed. It was kind of rubbery. But I had a "Sloppy Rita" margarita that was pretty good, and the hamburger was really good! After we ate, we dropped dad back off at the house - he was done for the night, and my two sisters, brother-in-law. niece, Lee, and I went to several other bars to experience the famous "night life" in Key West. We stopped in to several bars, but Fat Tuesday was Lee's favorite. We had an awesome time. It was the first time I've ever had "grown-up" fun with my sisters. And, it's true what they say... what happens in Key West, stays in Key West. That's all I'll say LOL.
Another point of interest is the Southernmost Point buoy. People line up for blocks to get a picture taken with the monument. It's the southernmost point of the Continental US and only 90 miles (not sea miles) to Cuba. Then, there is the Mile 0 marker that's the very last mile marker in the continental US that people love to take pictures of/with too. We got some pictures of us at both places, but I really just wanted pictures of the markers themselves... not necessarily WITH them. And by that night, after having a few drinks and walking blocks in downtown with sweat pouring through my skin, I looked a hot mess to be taking any pictures with anybody or anything LOL.
Wednesday morning, I woke up sick as a dog - just from 2 drinks! I stayed in bed that morning while everyone except my brother and his wife went shopping. They got back around lunch. Everyone else (except me and Lee and my brother/his wife wanted to go to one of the other beaches, but I'm not big on beaches... I like to look at them, but not go on them or in the water... and these weren't typical soft sand beaches. I figured they would take good pictures of the scenery to share with us later. I still felt pretty rough and Lee was hurting from riding the bike the previous day, so we stayed in and rested until everyone got back. That evening, we went to Fort Zachary Beach to watch the sunset from a different perspective. It was better than the one at Mallory Square that everyone's so crazy about. Everyone except me sat at the ocean-line, but I found a perfect spot in between two palm trees on the other side and got some absolutely GORGEOUS pictures - amazing enough to put on postcards! After the sun went down, we went out to eat at Duffy's Seafood and Steakhouse. It was DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it! Lee and I had lobster tails, shrimp, and dolphin fish with baked potatoes. The dolphin fish reminded me of tuna in consistency. It's probably good to fix on crackers and sandwiches. And then, we shared a slice of Key Lime pie. So good!
Thursday was our last full day there, and we were all trying to decide what we really wanted to do. I wanted to go to the Butterfly Conservatory and then ride on the glass-bottom boat tour. We had 3 cars between the 9 of us, so we all just went and did what we wanted to do. My brother toured the Hemingway Museum (I kind of wanted to do that, but with EVERYTHING costing so much, we had to pick and choose - my main "costly" thing I wanted to do was the glass-bottom boat tour). Dad, one sister, and her husband went to the Eco-Discovery Museum, while my other sister and niece stayed in at the pool. Lee and I went to the Butterfly Conservatory. I'd had quite a bit of a panic attack that morning - I knew it was coming. It usually does when I'm on vacation about mid-week. So, I wanted to go somewhere serene and calm. It was really nice, but the one they had at Myrtle Beach a few years ago (it's closed now) was much bigger and better. This one had a pair of flamingos - male and female - in mating season. It was fun to watch the male flap his wings and bow to the female, trying to impress her. Their names were Rhett and Scarlett - caribbean flamingos. One of the workers told us that they were fixing the sanctuary for the flamingos when they got there, and the male was content to just walk around with the tourists... but they had to enclose both of them in. They had 24 species of butterflies there, along with turtles, some sort of parrot-looking bird (not a parrot though, I don't think), and baby pigeons all over the place. After we finished there, my sister, dad, and brother-in-law met up with us for lunch at Two Friends Cafe. It was nice - we all went "light" because we were going on the boat ride later, so we all had club sandwiches, which were HUGE. But so good! Then, we met up with everyone else to go on the glass-bottom boat tour. It was actually a 2-story catamaran (called "The Pride of Key West") and the vessel was angled at the bottom (to make a "V" shape) with windows for looking at the coral reef and undersea marine life. My brother, his wife, and my dad all stayed on the AIR-CONDITIONED bottom deck while the boat was heading out to the reef area (about 30 minutes into the trip - 6 miles off of the island). I knew with my fair skin and the reflection of the water, the sun would tear me up if I'd gone up to the top deck... and besides, I don't do good with stairs that are still, let alone ones on a moving boat LOL. When the boat reached the reef, the tour guide gave us about a 20-minute tour of the reef and marine life. The reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US. It was really neat to see the coral and plants, as well as all the fish. He was really knowledgeable about it - I think he does the snorkeling dives for that company too. But, he was telling us about how some reef plants will sting you and how you can still have problems up to 5 years afterwards. We saw yellow-tail snappers, lionfish, and parrotfish. The third grade class I subbed in recently was studying coral reefs, and I am doing a unit on it for daily enrichment in August, so I wanted to explore everything about it. The tour guide said we would possibly see dolphins jumping in and out of the water... and sure enough, Lee said they saw them on the top deck. That disappointed me, because I would have liked to have seen one. He was doing the camcorder up there, and said he missed it, but I can't wait to watch his viewpoint from the top deck. And wouldn't you know, about mid-way through the reef tour, I had to go to the bathroom. I've never been on a boat bigger than a speed boat or day-cruise boat, so it was quite a balancing act while the boat was moving lol. Seeing the reef was the highlight of the trip for me. I've always wanted to go snorkeling, but I just don't think I could handle it and this was the next best thing. My brother got the military discount... so instead of everyone paying the general admission price of $46 per ticket, we were able to get them for $27 each. That was a nice savings! My reef pictures didn't turn out all that well from the bottom of the boat, but just seeing it was really neat. That night, we ate at Hogfish Bar & Grill. I didn't know that there was such a fish called a hogfish... but Lee and I got the hogfish and chips basket, and it was one of the best kinds of fish I have ever eaten! When we walked through the dining room to our table on the deck, a guy commented to Heather (my niece) that she looked like Adele. Her students sometimes call her Miss Adele. Well, as we were eating and he was leaving, he came to our table and said he was a real-life pirate and was flirting pretty heavily with Heather. He was quite a character. We think he did the pirate as a theatre-type thing, because he had a painting company shirt on and had paint on him. But he showed us some pictures of him dressed as a pirate and he literally pulled it off amazingly. I absolutely LOOOOVED his accent! I wish we would have gotten a picture of him. He looked like a pirate with his hair and in the face just as he was. That was interesting! After we finished eating, we went back to the house so everyone could start packing for the trip home Friday. My sisters, Lee, and dad wanted to go to Sloppy Joe's one last time to do some people-watching, so we went back out for about an hour.
Friday morning was bittersweet. My sister-in-law had kept Meiko all week for me, and I missed him from the moment we dropped him off last Sunday. I cried every night, missing him. I didn't really want to leave - there was still so much to see and do (I actually recommend doing a 2-week trip), but I wanted to get home to my precious little boy.
Between the three cars, we all left at different times and ACCIDENTALLY all ended up meeting at McDonald's for breakfast about an hour into the ride, in one of the upper keys. That was funny. So, we had one last hurrah in Florida as a whole family before heading back on the road. There is only one way in and one way out to the Keys, on the Overseas Highway. Once we all got off the highway, we went separate directions. My brother and his wife were going back home to Mississippi. My dad, sister, and niece were heading towards Savannah to stay the night, while Lee, my other sister, her husband, and I went I-75 all the way into Griffin, where they live. We left at 8 that morning and got into Griffin at around 11:30 that night. Such a LONG RIDE! At least on the way to Key West, we stopped halfway. Lee and I stayed with my sister that night and headed out for the last 2.5-hour drive to Elberton bright and early the next morning.
I don't know if I would actually go back again... Key West is more about nightlife and partying than laid-back life and beaches. Lee and I probably would have enjoyed the nightlife more had we gone in our twenties. The shopping and dining are good though, and there is something for everyone, as far as food. I enjoyed spending time with my family. Since my brother and sisters are so much older than me, this was the first time I'd gone on vacation with all three of them, so that was special in itself. I'll post pictures on Facebook in a Key West album for everyone to see, once I get everything uploaded. :)
May 29, 2016 - June 4, 2016
Lee and I left Elberton heading to Griffin, Georgia the morning of Sunday, May 29. We were riding with my sister and her husband the rest of the way. My other sister, dad, and niece left later that afternoon. We were to meet them halfway to Key West in Melbourne, Florida, about 7 hours into the trip. My brother and his wife had left Saturday and were meeting us in Key West Monday. That was a LONG ride. My knees hurt for 3 days after we got there. By the time my knees had finally stopped aching, we had to do it again to get home. I think if I ever go to Key West again, I'll probably fly.
Some highlights of the ride there: gettng to go through Miami (bucketlist!), seeing all the main and smaller islands from Key Largo to Key West, seeing the bluish-green ocean scenery after we got off the mainland. On the way back, we went through Orlando, which was neat - we could see Universal Studios from the interstate. I haven't been to Orlando (DisneyWorld) since I was 3, so that was neat. We also stopped at these "interstate plazas" on the way back - they remind me of mini airports. They have gas stations, dog walking areas, and then inside, there are souvenirs, at least 4 restaurants, wi-fi, and information kiosks for tourist info. We stopped at two - one in West Palm Beach (which was awesome, because that was a bucketlist thing too) and then again in St. Claire, Florida.
The weather was PERFECT. Not hot like we have in Georgia. It was humid, but I guess the ocean breeze offset the heat, so it was enjoyable and tolerable. If it had been like Georgia, I would have been miserable. Thursday was the worst as far as heat and humidity. I think I could have filled up a few buckets of sweat - I'm glad it wasn't like that all week!
We got there Monday afternoon. We stayed in a 3 bedroom townhouse on the smaller island of Key West, called Stock Island. It was far enough away from the busy-ness of Key West, but close enough to get into town to enjoy the main island's sights and sounds. The house was GORGEOUS. It had a tropical feel to it, and the lush tropical landscaping around the gated community and pool was immaculate.
After everyone got somewhat settled into our rooms, we headed out to explore the island and go to one of the beaches. Key West has 4 beaches. None of them are typical "beaches" - Key West isn't known for its beaches. They say the best beaches in the Keys are in Key Largo and Islamorado. After we were done exploring a little, we went to the grocery store to get things for meals and snacks for the week. When we got back to the house, we ate sandwiches and then all of us crashed... we were worn out from the long ride!
One thing that is really unusual about Key West is that there are roosters literally EVERYWHERE. In the street, in yards, on sidewalks, the beaches... just walking around. And they are LOUD too. One restaurant has them walking around on the patio while you eat... we didn't go there, but I bet that would have been interesting.
Tuesday morning, one of my sisters and her husband went to the Botanical Gardens, while my other sister and niece went to Fort Zachary Beach. My brother and his wife stayed around the house, still trying to get settled in. Dad, Lee, and I went shopping. They had a Pet Supermarket there that I'd seen Monday evening and I wanted to stop in and get Meiko a few things. Then, we met my brother and his wife for lunch at a cafe... which was NOT good. The servers were all Cuban, and we all ordered American food... I'm assuming that's what it wasn't good. If we'd ordered some of the Caribbean and Mediterranean dishes, we might have been more impressed. After we finished eating, we all went back to the house and later that afternoon, my niece and I went swimming. It was nice, but I could only stay out there about 15 minutes. Even with SPF 70 on, I could still feel the sun burning me. My dad, both sisters, Lee and my niece went bike riding while I stayed in and rested a bit. That night, we went to Duval Street to watch the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. That's a MUST-DO in Key West... there were local artisians selling their arts and crafts in stands on the square and some performers doing magic tricks, fire-breathing acts, etc. And then, the sunset... it was beautiful! After the sun went down, we went to eat at Sloppy Joe's. That is another MUST-DO in Key West. Sloppy Joe's is famous for being one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite hangouts in the 1940's. It's a bar and pub and has live music. Lee and I tried conch fritters - which is the meat of the animal that lives in the big conch shells. We weren't impressed. It was kind of rubbery. But I had a "Sloppy Rita" margarita that was pretty good, and the hamburger was really good! After we ate, we dropped dad back off at the house - he was done for the night, and my two sisters, brother-in-law. niece, Lee, and I went to several other bars to experience the famous "night life" in Key West. We stopped in to several bars, but Fat Tuesday was Lee's favorite. We had an awesome time. It was the first time I've ever had "grown-up" fun with my sisters. And, it's true what they say... what happens in Key West, stays in Key West. That's all I'll say LOL.
Another point of interest is the Southernmost Point buoy. People line up for blocks to get a picture taken with the monument. It's the southernmost point of the Continental US and only 90 miles (not sea miles) to Cuba. Then, there is the Mile 0 marker that's the very last mile marker in the continental US that people love to take pictures of/with too. We got some pictures of us at both places, but I really just wanted pictures of the markers themselves... not necessarily WITH them. And by that night, after having a few drinks and walking blocks in downtown with sweat pouring through my skin, I looked a hot mess to be taking any pictures with anybody or anything LOL.
Wednesday morning, I woke up sick as a dog - just from 2 drinks! I stayed in bed that morning while everyone except my brother and his wife went shopping. They got back around lunch. Everyone else (except me and Lee and my brother/his wife wanted to go to one of the other beaches, but I'm not big on beaches... I like to look at them, but not go on them or in the water... and these weren't typical soft sand beaches. I figured they would take good pictures of the scenery to share with us later. I still felt pretty rough and Lee was hurting from riding the bike the previous day, so we stayed in and rested until everyone got back. That evening, we went to Fort Zachary Beach to watch the sunset from a different perspective. It was better than the one at Mallory Square that everyone's so crazy about. Everyone except me sat at the ocean-line, but I found a perfect spot in between two palm trees on the other side and got some absolutely GORGEOUS pictures - amazing enough to put on postcards! After the sun went down, we went out to eat at Duffy's Seafood and Steakhouse. It was DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it! Lee and I had lobster tails, shrimp, and dolphin fish with baked potatoes. The dolphin fish reminded me of tuna in consistency. It's probably good to fix on crackers and sandwiches. And then, we shared a slice of Key Lime pie. So good!
Thursday was our last full day there, and we were all trying to decide what we really wanted to do. I wanted to go to the Butterfly Conservatory and then ride on the glass-bottom boat tour. We had 3 cars between the 9 of us, so we all just went and did what we wanted to do. My brother toured the Hemingway Museum (I kind of wanted to do that, but with EVERYTHING costing so much, we had to pick and choose - my main "costly" thing I wanted to do was the glass-bottom boat tour). Dad, one sister, and her husband went to the Eco-Discovery Museum, while my other sister and niece stayed in at the pool. Lee and I went to the Butterfly Conservatory. I'd had quite a bit of a panic attack that morning - I knew it was coming. It usually does when I'm on vacation about mid-week. So, I wanted to go somewhere serene and calm. It was really nice, but the one they had at Myrtle Beach a few years ago (it's closed now) was much bigger and better. This one had a pair of flamingos - male and female - in mating season. It was fun to watch the male flap his wings and bow to the female, trying to impress her. Their names were Rhett and Scarlett - caribbean flamingos. One of the workers told us that they were fixing the sanctuary for the flamingos when they got there, and the male was content to just walk around with the tourists... but they had to enclose both of them in. They had 24 species of butterflies there, along with turtles, some sort of parrot-looking bird (not a parrot though, I don't think), and baby pigeons all over the place. After we finished there, my sister, dad, and brother-in-law met up with us for lunch at Two Friends Cafe. It was nice - we all went "light" because we were going on the boat ride later, so we all had club sandwiches, which were HUGE. But so good! Then, we met up with everyone else to go on the glass-bottom boat tour. It was actually a 2-story catamaran (called "The Pride of Key West") and the vessel was angled at the bottom (to make a "V" shape) with windows for looking at the coral reef and undersea marine life. My brother, his wife, and my dad all stayed on the AIR-CONDITIONED bottom deck while the boat was heading out to the reef area (about 30 minutes into the trip - 6 miles off of the island). I knew with my fair skin and the reflection of the water, the sun would tear me up if I'd gone up to the top deck... and besides, I don't do good with stairs that are still, let alone ones on a moving boat LOL. When the boat reached the reef, the tour guide gave us about a 20-minute tour of the reef and marine life. The reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US. It was really neat to see the coral and plants, as well as all the fish. He was really knowledgeable about it - I think he does the snorkeling dives for that company too. But, he was telling us about how some reef plants will sting you and how you can still have problems up to 5 years afterwards. We saw yellow-tail snappers, lionfish, and parrotfish. The third grade class I subbed in recently was studying coral reefs, and I am doing a unit on it for daily enrichment in August, so I wanted to explore everything about it. The tour guide said we would possibly see dolphins jumping in and out of the water... and sure enough, Lee said they saw them on the top deck. That disappointed me, because I would have liked to have seen one. He was doing the camcorder up there, and said he missed it, but I can't wait to watch his viewpoint from the top deck. And wouldn't you know, about mid-way through the reef tour, I had to go to the bathroom. I've never been on a boat bigger than a speed boat or day-cruise boat, so it was quite a balancing act while the boat was moving lol. Seeing the reef was the highlight of the trip for me. I've always wanted to go snorkeling, but I just don't think I could handle it and this was the next best thing. My brother got the military discount... so instead of everyone paying the general admission price of $46 per ticket, we were able to get them for $27 each. That was a nice savings! My reef pictures didn't turn out all that well from the bottom of the boat, but just seeing it was really neat. That night, we ate at Hogfish Bar & Grill. I didn't know that there was such a fish called a hogfish... but Lee and I got the hogfish and chips basket, and it was one of the best kinds of fish I have ever eaten! When we walked through the dining room to our table on the deck, a guy commented to Heather (my niece) that she looked like Adele. Her students sometimes call her Miss Adele. Well, as we were eating and he was leaving, he came to our table and said he was a real-life pirate and was flirting pretty heavily with Heather. He was quite a character. We think he did the pirate as a theatre-type thing, because he had a painting company shirt on and had paint on him. But he showed us some pictures of him dressed as a pirate and he literally pulled it off amazingly. I absolutely LOOOOVED his accent! I wish we would have gotten a picture of him. He looked like a pirate with his hair and in the face just as he was. That was interesting! After we finished eating, we went back to the house so everyone could start packing for the trip home Friday. My sisters, Lee, and dad wanted to go to Sloppy Joe's one last time to do some people-watching, so we went back out for about an hour.
Friday morning was bittersweet. My sister-in-law had kept Meiko all week for me, and I missed him from the moment we dropped him off last Sunday. I cried every night, missing him. I didn't really want to leave - there was still so much to see and do (I actually recommend doing a 2-week trip), but I wanted to get home to my precious little boy.
Between the three cars, we all left at different times and ACCIDENTALLY all ended up meeting at McDonald's for breakfast about an hour into the ride, in one of the upper keys. That was funny. So, we had one last hurrah in Florida as a whole family before heading back on the road. There is only one way in and one way out to the Keys, on the Overseas Highway. Once we all got off the highway, we went separate directions. My brother and his wife were going back home to Mississippi. My dad, sister, and niece were heading towards Savannah to stay the night, while Lee, my other sister, her husband, and I went I-75 all the way into Griffin, where they live. We left at 8 that morning and got into Griffin at around 11:30 that night. Such a LONG RIDE! At least on the way to Key West, we stopped halfway. Lee and I stayed with my sister that night and headed out for the last 2.5-hour drive to Elberton bright and early the next morning.
I don't know if I would actually go back again... Key West is more about nightlife and partying than laid-back life and beaches. Lee and I probably would have enjoyed the nightlife more had we gone in our twenties. The shopping and dining are good though, and there is something for everyone, as far as food. I enjoyed spending time with my family. Since my brother and sisters are so much older than me, this was the first time I'd gone on vacation with all three of them, so that was special in itself. I'll post pictures on Facebook in a Key West album for everyone to see, once I get everything uploaded. :)
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