Key West - Mar 15-17, 2010

Mar 15-17, 2010

(See next posting of Mar 15 & 18 of Keys: Miami-Key West drive and return to Punta Gorda airport.)
As projected, we arrived at The Key West Bed & Breakfast - the Popular House (415 William St, Key West) (http://www.keywestbandb.com) - at 5:00 pm, having driven from South Miami Beach.





After Richard (Liz and owner, Jody, manned the fort on successive days) gave us an orientation and some suggestions, we headed out after 6:00 to catch what remained of Happy Hour. With the remaining time, it was limited this day to Alonzo’s Oyster Bar (700 Front St, Key West) (http://www.alonzosoysterbar.com), which is the undisputed champion of ½ priced Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. Although I knew it also owned A&B Lobster House, only now did I learn that it also owns Half Shell Raw Bar and Turtle Kraals, all adjacent.


We each had a bowl of chowder. Lynda had buffalo shrimp and onion rings (?), while I had calamari and the oyster sampler, swilled down with a couple of margaritas and a mojito.

We then set out, walking along the Key West Bight Historic Seaport wooden walk, making our way to Mallory Square (1 Whitehead St, Key West) (http://www.mallorysquare.com) and its celebrated performers and congregated throngs for sunset.







After sunset, we walked down (in)famous Duval St to Southard St. Along the way, we watched a very talented guitar-playing vocalist at Willie T’s (525 Duval St) (http://www.williets.comKey_West), playing rock and blues tunes. We returned to the top of Duval, beside Mallory Square, for what turned out to be probably the best key lime pie and tea at Rooftop Café (308 Front St) (http://www.rooftopcafekeywest.com). It’s a very enchanting place with professional service throughout, and reasonably priced.


Tuesday, Mar 16

We awakened late, delayed by the 2 bathrooms being occupied for a while, and made it to breakfast by maybe 10:00, where we met Liz. Richard had baked 2 blueberry pies, which had been gobbled up before our arrival, but there was a wonderful blueberry bread, along with the customary bagels, toast, homemade marmalade and jam, a basket of oranges and an orange press, coffee & tea.





During our stay, during breakfast and while in the living room, there were several “mature” couples with whom we struck up conversations - all very interesting people, accomplished and well travelled. The cousin of a lady from Alabama was the author of “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

Although it sounds neither interesting nor entertaining, the Key West Cemetery tour is a popular event and one to which we dedicated a couple of hours that morning.

The one grave that we were unable to locate because of the map imprecision was the grave of Sloppy Joe Russell, Key West's best known barkeep and fishing guide to Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s. Joe was a charter boat captain, rumrunner, Hemingway's boat pilot, and the author's fishing companion for twelve years. In his company, Hemingway once caught an astonishing 54 marlin in 115 days. Hemingway called him "Josie Grunts" and used him as the model for Freddy, the owner of Freddy's Bar and captain of the Queen Conch in To Have and Have Not.


Founded in 1847 on the highest point of ground (flooding lifted graves), following a hurricane that destroyed the previous cemetery on Higgs Beach, there are 75,000 interments. Among the more notable individuals we saw were:

General" Abe Sawyer (1862-1939) - Key West's famous 40-inch tall midget who requested burial in the grave of a full-size man.


William Curry (1824-1896) - Arriving in 1847 from Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas, he made his fortune through a variety of mercantile activities, becoming Florida's first millionaire.


Harvey family plot - C.B. Harvey (1908-1988) served as mayor of Key West. Wilhelmina Harvey (1912-2005) served as the first woman juror in Key West and was elected to the School Board and the County Commission. Note her facetious title, "Admiral, Conch Republic Navy."


Lowe family plot - Caroline Lowe (1813-1886) flew the Confederate flag from her house on Duval Street, especially when Union troops were marching below. Alfred Lowe (1840-1921), now commemorated with the Stars and Bars, snuck out of Union-occupied Key West to join the Confederate army. He survived to be one of the community's longest-living Confederate veterans.


Joseph Beverly Browne (1814-1888) - Born in Virginia, he attended the College of William and Mary and came to Key west at the age of 16. Served as marshal, postmaster, mayor, and state legislator. Hosted former Confederate President Jefferson Davis after the Civil War.


A large, unmarked vault is the last resting place of Jefferson Beale Browne (1857-1937), son of Joseph Beverly Browne (see #23). Read law as a lighthouse keeper at Fowey Rocks light. Following law school in Iowa, he had a distinguished legal career, eventually becoming Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. As an historian, he wrote Key West: The Old and the New in 1912.


B.P. "Pearl" Roberts (1929-1979) - Local hypochondriac who had the last word with her marker: "I Told you I was Sick." Not the grave marker above for Gloria M. Russell (1926-2000): "I'm just resting my eyes."


P. [Piedad] L.F. de Ayala (1859-1891) - Her grandfather wrote the Cuban national anthem. The maker of the monument, George Clark of Jacksonville, signed the base.


Edwina Lariz (1923-1986) - Her gravestone reads "Devoted Fan of Singer Julio Iglesias."


For lunch take-out, 5 Brothers (930 Southard St) (http://5brothersgrocery.tripod.com) was as advertised - a great place to get the best Cuban sandwich and other good eats at reasonable prices. I got their famous Cuban, café con leche and Yellowtail Chardonnay for poolside ingestion, while Lynda got a burger, chips and coke.


On our walk back, we happened upon a painting gallery (830) (Fleming St Gallery) (http://www.flemingstreetgallery.com). Its very friendly owner, Sheila Mullins, offered a number of tips, which, because many matched previously formed preferences, encouraged us to consider them and her new ones. In particular, we decided to visit freebie Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center (floridakeys.noaa.gov). Another new tip was restaurant, Mangia Mangia Pasta Café (900 Southard St) (http://www.mangia-mangia.com) for its home made pasta, but time didn’t permit. The top of Crowne Plaza La Concha and sunset at Mallory Squares were those to which we were already committed.

By the time we returned to a poolside table in the orchid-resplendent garden area at our B&B, our lunch was less warm, but delish nonetheless, accompanied by the chardonnay.



After lunch, Tippy, whom I thought to be a guest, became director and photographer of a photo shoot of me in and outside the B&B. I then returned the favour, only then learning she was a newbie staff member. Later, I took shots of Lynda and Richard in the kitchen and living room. We later sent them their photos.

After our late lunch, we headed for the Crowne Plaza La Concha (430 Duval St) (http://www.laconchakeywest.com) for a promised panoramic view from its rooftop. It’s not the best visibly signed place, but we finally found the entrance. The same was true of the elevators. After waiting several minutes with another group, it also having the same purpose, the elevator opened, only to be told by a staff member that this was a service elevator. After wending our way around to what appeared to be outside the hotel in a corridor, we finally found the elevator banks. Up we went to all but the top floor, which button wasn’t enabled. Fortunately, at the floor that opened, there was a maid who used her key without hesitation, and up we went about 20 minutes before the 3:00 open-to-public time. It’s a great view and something to recommend to any visitor.







After making supper reservations for our final day in Key West the next day, we tested one of the Blond Giraffe outlets (http://www.blondgiraffe.com) on its claim to have the best key lime pie. I don’t know if it or the Rooftop Café win, but they’re awful close.



For Happy Hour, we headed for Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery (301 Whitehead St) (http://www.kellyskeywest.com). Located across from the Truman Annex gate, this is the original building of Pan-American Air. Kelly’s is owned by actress, Kelly McGillis, of Top Gun fame. One would be hard pressed to beat its Happy Hour huge margaritas @ $3.00 (X5) or a pound of sweet chilli chicken wings @ $4.00 - drumsticks maybe ½ the size of my fist. It’s really worth working regularly into your plans.

We then proceeded across the street and down the boulevard to see Truman’s Little White House (http://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.com):


To complete our supper, we navigated back to the Historic Port area for the Happy Hour 1/2 lb peel & eat shrimp special at the Half Shell Raw Bar (221 Margaret St) (http://www.halfshellrawbar.com), quenched with a Yuengling and margarita. It’s HH ½ pound price can’t compete with the $6 find in Myrtle Beach, but the shrimp were chilled, as we prefer, and large enough to deserve saddles.




After freshening up at the B&B, we returned to the dock area surrounding Mallory Square (1 Whitehead St, Key West) (http://www.mallorysquare.com), arriving shortly after a sunset that was obscured by cloud on the horizon. We didn’t check it out, but nearby Sunset Pier is reportedly a cool place to hang out at sunset, especially when running a $6 Peel & Eat shrimp special.



I have to be somewhat and uncharacteristically circumspect with the following with regard to our return to Willie T’s (525 Duval St) (http://www.williets.comKey_West), which we’d seen from the street and been impressed the prior evening. Suffice it to say that we were there for probably 3 hours, had only a couple of drinks each, but I have nearly 70 photos such as those that follow. Beside us were several couples - maybe 30 somethings - who were obviously Ohio State grads. In response to any declaring “O-H”, all would reply “I-O”, sometimes then repeating each letter, accompanied by extending their arms to spell out each character. On occasion, the school song would follow. After a while, I began initiating the “O-H” signal, and they’d all chime in. Ultimately, the gals in the party dragged Lynda off to join their carousing and conga line and, soon enough, their guys joined in.






At an adjacent table, a conservatively dressed and acting “mature” fellow with a southern belle took me totally aback when he got up to boogy and dirty dance. Adjacent to their table was a brother and sister and their respective spouses, one a Texan who also took Lynda out for a twirl. What a hoot that night was!



The sole entertainer never took a break the entire time. (Billy) Sharky Thomas reminded me of Huey Lewis and Jon Fogarty. He’s a fabulous entertainer - wonderful technical proficiency on the guitar, good vocalist across a range of rock and blues styles, and great personality.
http://www.milemarker24.comband.php
Instruments: Lead Guitar, Vocals
(BILLY) SHARKY THOMAS started his musical career in Indianapolis in the 80's playing and recording with midwest favorites "Empire" and "The Light Band". After moving south to Tampa, Billy has played with quite an eclectic bunch including The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Bowser and the Stingrays, Fabian, Bo Didley, Martha and The Vandellas, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Buffett and over thirty other national recording groups. Last year as part of the Hard Rock Casino's specialty house band "Southern Crossroads", Billy performed with Steven Tyler from Aerosmith as over a million dollars was raised for Toys for Tots in south Florida. Billy also helped raise over a million dollars with Nascar superstar Kyle Petty for Kyle's children home. Billy is now living and playing in Key West and has just released his first instructional book "Solo Performing for Fun and Extra Bucks"



On our return, we made the obligatory stop at the rooftop Garden of Eden, above the Bull & Whistle (224 Duval St) (http://www.bullkeywest.com). Sure enough, there was one fellow who was totally naked (which Lynda saw immediately as we entered, but which I only saw as we left...).


Wednesday, Mar 17

Our day started in rain that lasted until nearly noon. Undeterred, we girded our and headed out for an early Historic Port walk around the wharf.


I don’t know what it is about the street layout in Key West. On a map, all streets appear to be at right angles; however, I regularly found ourselves walking in totally the opposite direction. This morning was no exception as we somehow managed to cross Duval, heading one direction, only to find ourselves crossing it in the opposite direction a few minutes later…

When we returned to the B&B, it was the turn of the B&B’s owner, Jody, to pull the breakfast duty, so we had a chance to meet and chat. She had prepared the usual fabulous oven treat - this time a cheese Danish type of think in a baking dish - yummy.

While there, we had an extended chat with a couple from Fort Wayne, IN, Jim & Barbie. He’d been some 35 years in residential, commercial and industrial construction. They had a place in Bonita Springs, to which they were able to get several times over the winter, and they’d decided to slip down to Key West for a visit.

We had decided to see the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center (floridakeys.noaa.gov) that morning, near Fort Zachary, beside the west shore. In addition to being free, it has some interesting exhibits, including a short film that promotes a healthy eco-system - well worth the visit, and a good recommendation by Sheila. While on our way there, at the intersection where the Green Parrot Bar (601 Whitehead St) (http://www.greenparrot.com) is located, there was a rooster in the street.


Because of our extended yakking at the B&B, we’d gotten off later than planned, so that, by the time we made our appointed arrival at the Blue Heaven restaurant (729 Thomas St, Key West) (http://blueheavenkw.homestead.comBlue_Heaven_Restaurant_Key_West.html), it was 11:30. It’d stopped seating for breakfast, and didn’t seat for lunch until 12:30. We waited outside, the rain having effectively stopped, watching the odd chicken run around and crow. I’d wanted to try its highly regarded lobster & seafood Benedict, but it wasn’t on the menu. Instead, we each had its shrimp melt special. A lot of screwing around for something that didn’t warrant the wait.



After lunch, we walked down Duval to the Southernmost Point (South St/Whitehead St, Key West) (http://southernmostpointusa.com) for the obligatory photo by its buoy, assisted by an obliging person, and the Southernmost House at the bottom of Duval. (Neither is actually the southernmost point.) The area in general is quite pleasant, and I wish we’d had more time during our stay to visit the area, including the White St pier and the highly regarded Louie’s Backyard and its Upper Deck and key lime pie (700 Waddell Ave, Key West) (http://www.louiesbackyard.compages/bar.cfm).






In our unrelenting quest to determine the best key lime pie, we went to Pepe’s Café (806 Caroline St) (http://www.pepescafe.net) for a slice with coffee and tea. Sorry, only Rooftop Café and Blond Giraffe remain standing.

Before launching our evening activities, we decided to avail ourselves of the B&B’s garden Jacuzzi over the balance of our chardonnay. Before Lynda could even get a swig, she took a header into the Jacuzzi after misjudging a step, wrenching her knee in the process. I really don’t know why I continue to associate myself with old, infirm people, especially those aspiring to be grandmothers…

It being St. Patrick’s Day, as Happy hour approached, we found ourselves irresistibly drawn to the Historic Port and the Half Shell Raw Bar’s (221 Margaret St) (http://www.halfshellrawbar.com) Happy Hour ½ lb peel & eat shrimp, followed by sangria at El Meson de Pepe (410 Wall St) (http://www.elmesondepepe.com) and its outdoor band and dancing beside Mallory Square.



Then, on to Mallory Square’s (1 Whitehead St, Key West) (http://www.mallorysquare.com) sunset and performers.




We had an 8:00 reservation at the Rooftop Café (308 Front St) (http://www.rooftopcafekeywest.com), which we had come to quite like as a result of the key lime and tea we had on its balcony late on the evening we arrived. Because of the rain during the day, the seating wasn’t on the balcony, but the inside area is quite beautiful. The meal wasn’t inexpensive, but it was very good - huge, numerous divers scallops, cooked to perfection, accompanied by wine and latte (having become a convert after 5 Brothers’ café con leche). A nice ending to our brief visit to Key West. Lynda passed on the key lime pie, but I didn’t want to disappoint the restaurant.







In light of Lynda’s torqued knee, while recognizing her usual 9:00 bedtime, I felt just a touch guilty about taking advantage of her unfamiliarity with the geography to march her down to The Keys (1114 Duval St) (http://www.akeywestpianobar.com), a piano bar. As it turned out, notwithstanding her Ohioan debauchery, it would prove to be the highlight for each of us. It is clearly a popular spot with the locals, entertainers and guests recognizing and greeting each other as they appeared.

The Keys has a roster of performers that appear beginning at 5:00 daily. Bobby Peaco is a virtuoso on the piano, accompanying his solo vocals and also Jennifer Kruskamp and their duets. Simply fabulous. Their bios follow.


BOBBY PEACO has garnered numerous MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) and Backstage magazine Bistro awards for his work in the Manhattan cabaret scene as a pianist, music director, composer and actor. He has music directed Jackie Hoffman and co-written many of her songs for her sold out solo shows at Joe's Pub in NYC, the latest of which, "Scraping The Bottom: The Worst of Jackie Hoffman" will soon be available on CD. He worked closely with Jerry Herman and appeared in Mr. Herman's "Showtune" off-Broadway, at the Pasadena Playhouse, and the Caldwell theater in Boca Raton. He can be seen, albeit briefly, in the film "Trick", in the PBS documentary about Jerry Herman, and in the HBO documentary about Rosie O'Donnell's R Family Cruise. 2008 marks Bobby's 25th year working in piano bars from New York to Mykonos, and some of the people who have elected to belt out a song or 3 with him over the years include Liza Minnelli, Queen Latifah, Petula Clark, and quite possibly, you.
JENIFER KRUSKAMP was born in Los Angeles, California. She started her career early at the age of 10 doing community theater. By 16, she already had several Regional Theater credits under her belt: "Where's Charley", "42nd Street", "Oklahoma", " Fiddler on the Roof", "Godspell", and her favorite role as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" at age 20. She also did 4 melodramas at the world famous Gaslighter Theater. Jenifer is quoted as saying, "Those were the best shows! I had the most fun doing Melodramas. I really got a chance to experiment and try new things with all the different characters I was able to play and I especially loved the audience participation aspect of it where the Villains would get "booed", and the audience threw popcorn at us. I always got cast as the Villainess, and I loved it".
She later discovered that she REALLY enjoyed just singing for people and performed with several bands in the San Jose, CA area. She sang the national anthem for the Giants and the Dodgers at Candlestick Park in 1988. In 1989, she landed the role of Fantine/ensemble in the 2nd National Broadway Tour of Les Miserables. The show remained at the Curran Theater in San Francisco for 2 years. Then she was cast as Svetlana in "Chess" at San Jose Civic Light Opera.
Shortly thereafter she moved to NYC and performed in various venues; but all it took was one time on the stage at the famous Don't Tell Mama, and she was hooked. During her 15 years working piano bar at Don't Tell Mama, she garnered the coveted MAC, Bistro and Nightlife awards. She appeared as a singing guest on the Rosie O'Donnell show. She also appeared in 3 episodes of "Dawson's Creek", which were specifically written 'as a vehicle' for her by creator Kevin Williamson, because he felt that a talent such as hers should be shared on a broader scale. After moving to Western New York in 2008, Jenifer is THRILLED to be invited to sing for you all, here at "The Keys".

We were there from about 10:00 until 1:00. Around 11:30, we were joined at the table beside us by a very gregarious fellow in his mid-40s, Ronny, and his male partner, a physician. They had been married, Ronny adopting the Beck surname of his partner. They were from Cincinnati, were Ronny was an Account Manager of a graphic arts company, customers including P&G. I hadn’t been aware that Cincinnati had a high proportion of German origins and the largest Oktoberfest outside Germany. He and his partner each had German origins, came from large catholic families (6 & 8) and had adopted boys, aged 1 & 2. Ronny’s mother had been an opera singer. He performed a single song and clearly had inherited a beautiful voice. Later, what I believe to be an off duty vocalist rendered another great performance.