We spent six weeks in Winston-Salem after Miami while the transaxle was being repaired, but as we didn’t do much I don’t see a reason to write a post about it. Once the transaxle was installed and ready, we rented a car and took 2 days to drive the 800 miles back to Miami, where we picked up the car, found it out of gas as we hobbled to the closest gas station, and begged the attendant to let us fill up (it was like a Costco and we weren’t members). With all that settled, we were ready to head off to Key West!
The Drive
Driving to Key West is almost as impressive as being there. We were extremely excited for the 7-mile bridge and all the little keys on the way, but sadly we didn’t have enough time to stop and see them, and every campsite had been reserved months ago. The drive, however, was gorgeous, with crystal blues and bright sun. Wonderful.
Key West
We didn’t really have plans of any sort for the city. Our plan was to do what we generally do: walk around randomly and see things. I love walking new cities and just seeing how houses are laid out while wandering aimlessly and finding little places that I didn’t think to see. Key West is a good city for this, as the houses are small, close together, and filled with character.
We did make our way to the Hemingway House and much as we would have liked to pet six-toed cats, it was too rich for our poor blood, so we just walked by the front and I jumped to peek over the wall.
Southermost Point
Okay, I kind of lied up above. We did have a couple places in mind that we wanted to see, one of which was the Southernmost point of the continental US. It’s one of those places that you go to say that you’ve been, then line up to take the photo that proves you were there. It’s a photo that you never show anyone but always take.
Mallory Square
My mom insisted that we go see the cat guy perform and since we all love cats, we decided to make a night of it and walk down tot Mallory Square. The place is famous for street performers and the cat guy performs 30 minutes before sunset every day, so we walked around town, grabbed a bite to eat, then got to the square very early to see other performers.
The atmosphere there is carnival-esque and intoxicating. Many cities have a focal point for tourists, some executed well, some poorly. Mallory Square is done well. It’s a fun place to just be. You can stare off at the ocean, get bites to eat, or take in any number of street performers. We wandered from one to the other, seeing some great performances, having a blast at each one.
Of course, though, there’s one thing that will make any kid happier than all the street performers int he world combined.
The cat man’s time approached, so we made our way and sat down. It’s a good show, all things told. The cat stunts are neat enough, but the real reason people rave about it is the human, Dominique. His act is superb and he really goes all-out making the weirdest, most bizarre character he can.
I can’t explain it and there’s no filming. All I can say is that it’s worth it. Completely worth it.
Key Lime Pie
Of course we did.
