South, East, North and West

This summer we will hit the Easternmost point in the U.S.,  possibly next summer the Northernmost and, even though it will be out of the way, I think we should go for the Westernmost point, don't you?

Thursday we took another 2 1/2 hour drive to Key West.  There is a lot to see there and a lot of history.  We'll have things to go back for, but next time it will be during their "winter."  It was miserably hot today!

In 1886 a fire destroyed a large portion of Key West. 

Old Town Trolley Tours allowed you to get off and on at different spots and they shared information, as well as some stories about different sites. 

The U. S. Coastguard Headquarters is a historic building that now houses small businesses, art galleries, and the closest bathroom to the parking garage.😄 

Ernest Hemingway lived in this house from 1931-1939. He wrote some of his best works while he lived here. 

Hemingway eas a very ptivate person.  He had this wall built to keep out tourists.

Lots of cats roam inside and out.  When he came to Key West, Hemingway was given a cat with 6 toes.  Many of the cats here are descendants of this cat and have 6 and even 7 toes.

This lighthouse was built in 1846 and decommissioned on 1969.  This view was from the balcony of Hemingway's house. Notice the beautiful Royal Poinciana tree, also called a Fire Tree.  

This bar was frequented by Hemingway.  When it moved here after being evicted from its original spot, Hemmingway told the building owner that after all he spent there he should get a souvenir.  The owner agreed, so Hemmingway went into the bathroom and pulled the urinal right out of the wall and deposited in his own backyard.

The fanciest Hard Rock Cafe you'll ever see.

Bishop Albert Kee, preacher, businessman,  and Key West's official ambassador of goodwill.

The Southern Most Point Guest House was built in 1894 and is located on the world famous Duval Street.  Duval is a commercial street that runs 1.25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.

Also on Duval Street is The Key West Butterfly and Nature center.

Above, built in 1917 as a club for Cuban cigar makers is the Casa Cubana Club, 

One block from the Hemmingway House is the adult-only Orchid Key Inn.  In case you're interested The Bull and Whistle Bar, also on Duval, has a rooftop bar, The Garden of Eden, where clothing is optional!😊

Walgreens occupies the old Strand Theater built in 1921.  They have kept many original elements including the facade above.  

San Carlos Institute is a Cuban heritage center and museum founded in 1871.

Crown Plaza Key West-La Concha, an IHG Hotel, was built in 1926 and is considered a 'skyscraper' in Key West.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church was completed in 1939 and destroyed by a hurricane in 1946.  The second church was built with wood in 1948 and burned in the great fire of 1886. The third church was built with wood in 1909 and the church was struck by yet another hurricane. The church standing today, built in 1919, was made of concrete.   They had a major reconstruction in 1993.

Hemingway Rum Co. Distillery.

Key Lime Pie is associated with the Florida Keys.  

It was very good!  They had anything you could imagine made from Key limes.

Are you a parrothead?  If so, you could get your picture taken with a parrot.

There are chickens and roosters everywhere!  Supposedly when they weren't needed for food anymore and cock fights became illegal, many were just released.  The Keys are a bird sanctuary, so there are fines if you hurt them! 

In 1997 the Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden in Mallory Square was completed by  James Mastin to honor those who were important in Key West history.  Above is a statue honoring the "wreckers," who salvaged treasures from ship wrecks. Below are 37 busts of of individuals.

Wednesday we did a little shopping and took it easy.  Dinner at a food truck a short walk away.

Tuesday we went to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, just a couple of miles away from our RV Park.  Like most parks around here the largest part of it is water. The coral formations and marine life draws people who snorkel and dive.  We agreed on a way to conquer Pat's dislike of snorkeling.  He offered to go along while I snorkled and even to try snorkeling again, but since he equated it to waterboarding, we scheduled  a glass bottom boat tour on Friday.  Coral Reef here we come. 

A small aquarium.  This collage was made from bottle caps. 

Where are the Piepers now? Key Largo