Monday, December 14, 2015

Key West - Day 2

I didn't wake up quite as early as I wanted to on Monday, but it didn't deter me. I wanted the photo ops and, goddammit, I was gonna' find them.

My first stop, so far as I can tell, was near Smather's Beach. It is quintessential "Key West". I imagine it would be difficult to take a bad picture here:


Smather's Beach...


Key West, which is also known as "The Conch Republic" is home to what is referred to as the southern-most point in the continental United States. A mere 90 miles to the south lies Cuba. This spot is marked with a large painted buoy (well, a buoy-like marker; it was never a buoy). 

The southernmost part of Key West Island accessible to civilians is actually the beach area of Fort Zachary Taylor, which is about 500 feet further south. The actual southern-most spot is on the Truman Annex, a Navy base not accessible to civilians.

Anyway, people line up to have their picture taken standing next to this thing. I wasn't all to interested in doing that, although it was a true exercise in patience to try to photograph it without people standing around.

And, quite frankly, I don't have that kind of patience:


It's not truly the southernmost spot, but it's close enough and there was room for the marker...

From here, I decided to head up to the Ernest Hemingway home on Whitehead Street. Parking can be a bit of a premium in Key West, so I found a spot a little ways from the house and started walking. As I neared the house, I saw the Key West Lighthouse which sits right across the street. I couldn't imagine not going to check it out, so I opted to stop at the lighthouse first.

The original Key West Lighthouse was a 65 foot tower completed in 1825. Because of tree growth and construction, the light was becoming obscured so, in 1873, the entire tower was raised by 20 feet. The Coast Guard decommissioned the Key West Light in 1969, and it was turned over to Monroe County. The County currently leases the lighthouse to Key West Arts and Historical Society. The society operates the lighthouse and its associated buildings as the Key West Light House and Keeper's Quarters Museum.

The entrance sign to the lighthouse...

The recently renovated Key West Lighthouse...

No longer an active lighthouse, it remains a huge tourist attraction in Key West...

The view from the top...

The Gulf of Mexico can be seen in the background...

Looking down on Whitehead Street...
A panoramic view from the top of the lighthouse...


Halfway up the tower...

Safety is paramount...

After leaving the lighthouse, it was just a quick walk over to the Hemingway House. This is, arguably, the most popular attraction in Key West. What cannot really be argued, though is that Hemingway was one of the most, if not the most, colorful residents Key West has ever known.

Hemingway lived in Key West from 1928, but rented an apartment, and then a house, before purchasing this house at auction for the princely sum of the $8,000.00 in back taxes owed to the city of Key West by the owner.

Ernest Hemingway's home from 1931 until 1940...

A scale model of Hemingway's boat, Pilar, is on display at the museum...

One of Hemingway's typewriters, in which is a typed description of how he viewed Pilar...
 
Hemingway's bedroom. The black blob on the bed is one of the 54 cats which live on the property...

One of the many polydactyl (six toed) cats on the property. Many are descendants of Hemingway's beloved Snow White...

Hemingway's studio...

The modest kitchen in the house...

High ceilings are found throughout the house...

The front entrance of the house, which faces Whitehead Street...

After visiting the Hemingway House, I decided it was time to start finding my way back to Marathon. On the way back, though, I knew of yet one more photo op that I wanted to explore.

The Overseas Railroad was the brainchild of Henry Flagler, who wanted to link Key West to the mainland of Florida. Flagler's railway was named the Florida East Coast Railway and, by 1904 had extended as far south as Homestead, Florida. The bridge into the Keys took seven years and $50 million to build.

The Overseas Railroad Bridge...

Looking north towards Bahia Honda...

The railroad operated from the completion of the bridge in 1912 until much of it was destroyed by the Labor Day Hurricane on September 2, 1935. The Florida East Coast Railway was in bankruptcy, so it couldn't afford to repair or replaced the damaged bridges. It was all subsequently sold to the State of Florida.

The bridge can't be accessed at all from the southern end (seen in the top photo above), but a small portion of the long abandoned bridge accessed on the northern end in Bahia Honda State Park. A scenic beach just to the south of the bridge offered up some unexpected photo ops. I think it worked perfectly for some black & white photography:

Attempting to connect with my inner Clyde Butcher...
I made my way back to my hotel to get cleaned up and changed. My buddy Ron and I were going to meet up for dinner, and he recommended a Cuban restaurant that he frequents. El Siboney is an authentic Cuban restaurant just a few blocks off Duval Street, and they offer up some amazing food.

Amazing food and, yeah, beer...


While on this trip I tried to adopt a "when in Rome" philosophy, and have become pretty infatuated with mahi. I'm now a mahi fan; I love mahi. Don't know what to order? Order the mahi. Why? Because it's mahi, and mahi rocks.

Mahi, rice and plantains. The black beans were in a bowl out of the frame...

It was great catching up with Ron over such a great dinner. I probably never would've found El Siboney on my own, so I'm glad I had the help of a "local". It's one of those places that doesn't have to rely on tourists to stay in business. It definitely sits off the "beaten path" as far as restaurants go in Key West. The authentic nature of the place is obviously a great draw for the locals, and they turn out in droves.

I wasn't going to see Ron again on this trip, so we bid each other farewell and I found my way back to Marathon, happy that I got to meet up with an old friend after a full day of photography. For me, any "mental health" trip pretty much has to include a camera, and I was pretty happy with the way this day turned out...

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