Island Vacation - Key West II

Labor Day weekend is coming to a close and it was wonderful having three days to be as productive or as lazy as I wanted to be! As we say goodbye to summer, I wanted to relish those summer memories of Key West with this part 2 post!

One day we took the shuttle to town and took a walk through homes, modest and elaborate, including the Patterson-Baldwin House -- also known as "The Oldest Schoolhouse."

We also passed many chickens and roosters - originally brought 200 years ago by the pioneers as a source of meat and eggs, chickens are now protected in Key West and allowed to wander wherever they wish. (This has caused a lot of debate by the locals, both for health and noise reasons).

 Soon we came to a gated area and arrived at our destination:
 Truman's Little White House!

(Click on the link -- you'll want to learn more about it!)

 

The Little White House was interesting. It is a museum, as well as a retreat and place for government business to be conducted. Presidents who have visited include Presidents Taft, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton.

One of the things that surprised me was how modest the furnishings were -- sort of a time warp from the 1950's, the type of furniture your parents might have had in a lake house. Somehow that made it feel cozier, more down to earth and relaxed. You could envision the First Lady getting ready for her day in the bedroom, then moseying into the adjoining sun room porch for a breakfast tray. The guide had an impressive array of stories to share! We were not allowed to take photos inside, but they had a lovely gift shop and education room:

Another day we went to Mallory Square so we could shop and take pictures....

 

Then we boarded a glass bottom boat for a trip out to the reef -- the only living coral reef in the continental United States, the third largest in the world. Beautiful fish, but if I had to do over, I would have spent more time out on the deck as others told us fish jumped out of the water and you could actually see them better than through the blurry, greenish glass on the bottom of the boat.

 

 Key West and Hard Rock Cafe!

 So ended the colors, vibrancy, and sandals-only days of Key West!

Happy End of the Summer!

Key West and Hemingway's House!

Balmy breezes, crystal clear water, and Caribbean architecture beckoned us to Key West for our vacation this summer! July is hot, hot, hot there, but we planned it out so we hit the road early and hibernated in the air conditioning in the late afternoons. This was my annual "sister trip" where my two sisters -- and this time my cousin who we "adopted" as a fourth sister -- meet up to laugh and talk ourselves through a week of exploring some place different.

Check out the view from our balcony at dusk! We stayed in the Presidential Suite which was a three bedroom apartment with full kitchen, living room, dining room, and each bedroom had its own bathroom. The hotel provided a shuttle bus that took us to town and back every day!

Three of us met at the Atlanta Airport -- flying in from three different states. Then we took a plane to the Key West Airport -- so quaint! Look at the life size figures on top!

 The island's lighthouse...

 

  

One day we toured Ernest Hemingway's House -- across the street from the lighthouse. Inside were replicas and relics from his boat "Pilar."

He had many, many six-toed cats -- and their descendants still live there! Like 40-50 of them! We were allowed to pet them, talk baby talk to them, photograph them -- but not pick them up. They live the life of Riley! See the one on the pillow? I feel an affinity to six-toed cats because I had one when I was growing up. She was part Siamese and her name was Puma. She would have loved these friends!

There was a special pet cemetery on the grounds and some of the cats were named for famous people like Kim Novak, Sofia Loren, and Zane Grey.

 The fan-cooled verandas are common in the architecture there, and so welcoming on a hot day.

 

There was much to see there -- Hemingway's studio, gardens, and the various rooms. We really enjoyed it. I'll be back soon with more about our Key West vacation!