Ocean Trip Day 11 – Sightseeing, Boozing, and Napping

Today was quite the tourist adventure. It started early and ended very, very late in the night.

We decided to get some sightseeing early in the morning, but the first thing was to get a scooter. We ended up loving the scooter, and we’re so glad we got it.

First stop was at the southernmost tip of the USA. The line to take a picture was so long. We are way too impatient for that craziness. Dave used his giant selfie arm, and we took a pic across the street.

Dave’s selfie arm capturing the southernmost point, because screw long lines!

After that, we were only a few blocks from Hemingway’s house. We both loved this house! It was beautiful. The tour was very interesting. I learned a lot about Hemingway. I think I am going to read his biography when we get home.

Upstairs wrap-around porch

Hemingway’s bedroom. Notice the 6 toed cat on the bed. There are 57 cats on the property. He obviously didn’t care about the do not sit on the furniture sign.

Hemingway’s office. He wrote every day here for 9 years and wrote most of his famous books here.

Right across the street from Hemingway’s house is the lighthouse. Neither of us had been in a lighthouse before, and we really enjoyed it. The glass in the lenses is so complicated. We were awestruck at the thought of climbing to the top and not breaking it!

Only lighthouse in the US that is within city limits

Site seeing out of the way, it was time for some boozin’! It is hotter than Hades here during the day. Boozin is required to keep your core temperature down!

Bushwhackers at the Blue Macaw, one of our favorite drinks.

Once we had cooled off, it was time to shop on Duval. This has to be my favorite time ever. We quickly discovered that this section of Duval Street is one of the most vibrant LGBTQ+ areas in town, filled with drag entertainment, energetic bars, unique shops, and a lively, welcoming atmosphere. At every store we went into, the boys were all over Dave. I was cracking up. One man told me, “You’d better go rescue him, that boy won’t give him back”. I finally went and rescued him, but I did let him sit through a very long presentation on homemade soap first!

Key West is serious about its pride.

It was now time for lunch and another drink. I did mention hotter than Hades, right? This time we stopped at Amigos and had cold beer and tacos. It was super delicious, but no pictures this time.

After lunch, we decided to go swimming before we melted into puddles on the sidewalk. We went back to the boat to change and then BAM it was 4 hours later. Sometimes naps happen on vacation. The nap was amazing, and it unintentionally set us up for a long night of bar hopping.

Once we pulled ourselves together, we were off to dinner at The Commodore House. It was a little more upscale and delicious!

Snapper with lemon butter sauce, avocados, and tomatoes

Blackened grouper and shrimp

Dinner left us overly stuffed, so we decided to take a stroll that would turn into a string of bars and fun decisions. I only have pictures of 2, Schooner Wharf Bar and Sloppy Joe’s. Both were different and so much fun. We heard Kenny hangs out in SWB. Dave wanted him there so badly. Alas, he was not, but we can see why he would love it there.

We closed down the bars and made our way slowly back to the boat. Once we got here, Dave put on some music, and we danced on the bow of the boat. The best moment of our trip was when Dave looked at me and said, “Thank you for allowing me to live my dreams. This trip has meant everything to me.” In that moment, every dollar we had spent, every stressful moment with the boat, every question in my head about whether we were capable of this trip, was worth it. Everyone deserves a chance at their dreams, and if you can share it with your best friend, does it get any better?

We ended our night a little drunk, a little emotional, and a lot thankful for this beautiful life we have been given.