Key West trip thoughts?

[Azrael]

He's been begging to go Jackson Hole (there is conference there but it is way, out of our price range).

www.townsquareinns.com/cowboy-village

Or stay across the pass in Driggs.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Key West is no place for kids or respectable adults.

Oh, please. You didn't have to go into the drag shows.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

A long time ago, when my grown daughter was a preteen, we used to rent a house at Chatham on Cape Cod. And one summer day we drove to Provincetown, which has a freak quotient as higher or higher than Key West. And she LOVED it. For her, seeing people who didn't care what other people thought about what they were like was this sort of epiphany. So don't be too sure Key West isn't for kids. Kids have a lot going on in those heads.

 

[OTD]

Get yourself one of the hotels at the far end of Duval Street, down by the southernmost point. Take the walk up Duval Street when you're ready to start your day, or after lounging at the pool for a little while.

If you're directing him down thataway, I've got to recommend the Southernmost Hotel. Best rates on the island (which still means you're paying $200 a night on a good night), plus free parking. It is a ways from Old Town, though, so if you've gotten a decent rate at the hotel the conference is at you might be better off there.

http://www.southernmostresorts.com/southernmost-hotel/

The Southernmost Hotel is on the quiet end of Duval Street, a block from the Southernmost marker. Roll out of bed and you're on your way. You will have to hike to get to the good stuff at the other end of Duval (it's a mile or two from one end to the other), but most of the fun is people watching anyway.
If you want to chill out for a bit, there's a pool with a tiki bar.

Exactly what we did, and I believe it's the best way to experience Key West.

I will third the recommendation of the Southernmost. I've stayed there a few times. The rooms are clean and the tiki bar is great.

And the drive down U.S. 1 is well worth your time. If you still decide to fly into KW, DON'T get a rental car. It'll just sit in your hotel parking lot all week. Almost everything worth getting to is in walking distance and parking's a pain.

 

[jr/shotglass]

If you still decide to fly into KW, DON'T get a rental car. It'll just sit in your hotel parking lot all week. Almost everything worth getting to is in walking distance and parking's a pain.

This. Resist the urge to get a rental just because that's what you always do, and you think you'll need it at SOME point during your stay. You won't.

 

[YGBFKM]

A long time ago, when my grown daughter was a preteen, we used to rent a house at Chatham on Cape Cod. And one summer day we drove to Provincetown, which has a freak quotient as higher or higher than Key West. And she LOVED it. For her, seeing people who didn't care what other people thought about what they were like was this sort of epiphany. So don't be too sure Key West isn't for kids. Kids have a lot going on in those heads.

Not what I meant.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Green Parrot is cool. Loved Captain Tony's. Great amber ale on tap. And a great dive bar.

Dinner at the Conch Republic restaurant will not disappoint. If you have a car, there's a restaurant the next island up, Stock Island, called the Hogfish that is really really good, but it's not on Route 1 and so you have to know what you're looking for.

If you drive from the mainland, a good stop for lunch is Craig's Restaurant on Islamorada. It's about halfway between Miami and Key West, and has the best damn grouper sandwich you'll find. Plus, the key lime pie is ****ing amazing. So is Key Lime Pie dipped in chocolate on a stick in Key West.

 

[Versatile]

Well, when I'm driving somewhere, I just want to get there. I'm not an "enjoy the drive" guy. Also, the last time I left Key West was a terrible experience. To make a bad story relatively short, I didn't get any sleep the night before because things that involved my brother falling through a glass table happened, I wasn't allowed to sleep on the chairs at the airport while waiting for my rental car, when I got the car I slept for an hour in it and woke up drenched in sweat because it was about 120 in the car (I forgot to roll down a window), when I finally got to Fort Myers where I had left my car to boat over,
I realized it was on the other side of the city and the cab ride cost me $50, then I had to drive two hours to the office and work an entire shift.

If CB is amenable to being the trip-planning partner, you really need to avail yourself of that option.

A blind, menstruating, drug-addicted beaver suffering from amnesia, multiple personality disorder and irritable bowel syndrome could plan a trip better than YG.

Isn't that exactly what waterytart said?

 

[BDC99]

If you go, you MUST go to Blue Heaven. It's expensive, but worth every penny. And sit outside in the courtyard and watch the roosters climbing around the trees and shuffling around your feet as you eat.
http://blueheavenkw.homestead.com/Blue_Heaven_Restaurant_Key_West.html

And one of the best things I've ever eaten was the seafood enchiladas at Turtle Kraals.
http://www.turtlekraals.com/page9/page4/page4.html

There's a very cool place called Courtney's that we've stayed at a couple of times. Not too expensive if I recall, but we split it betweena few of us. There is one near the marina, and the one we stay at is about 6 blocks off Duval. Just make sure you remember your landmarks if you are planning to get really drunk!

 

[Inky_Wretch]

We stayed here ... http://www.duvalinn.com/ ... for our 10-year anniversary. It's in the perfect location, and the rooms are awesome. Plus a nightly free happy hour.

Go to the La Concha rooftop bar for a sunset cocktail. It's the tallest building on the island. You can see for miles and miles. The Westin Mallory Square has a great elevated bar for sunsets too. And it overlooks part of the square, so you can watch part of the craziness from there. The dude who does the trained cats usually sets up right below it.

For food, go to La Creperie and Santiago's Bodega.

 

[imjustagirl]

Bridges freak me out. Just sayin'.

I am so glad we're friends, and now I understand a little more why.

 

[jr/shotglass]

If bridges freak you out, the Miami-Key West drive is not the way to go. At all.

Figure you to lose cookies somewhere on the Seven-Mile Bridge.

 

[Batman]

If bridges freak you out, the Miami-Key West drive is not the way to go. At all.

Figure you to lose cookies somewhere on the Seven-Mile Bridge.

And as if the bridge itself wasn't bad enough, you have to pray like hell you're not driving in on a day when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold are calling in airstrikes on it.

 

[imjustagirl]

I'm too old for any Vegas bars.