Going Conch: Part Two

Waking up in Key West is something else. A rooster will likely be heard, crowing away, letting the world around him know that he is awake and he is king. The six-toed cats are on the prowl, hungry and lounging around awaiting for their minders. You step outside — there’s always a view or a pool or a balcony or a porch. Key West is about the outside and the outside spills inside. The sound of scooters are everywhere.

It’s quiet. Quieter than you’d think. A few people walking dogs, some people heading to work if they have an early job. Most people head to work a little later — the previous night’s festivities keep everyone passed out still or businesses closed until it gets closer to noon. Key West is a town that stays up late and keeps the good vibes going.

The sun is hot. It’s coming up quickly and the skin starts to get damp. Unless of course you wake up to rain. There are mornings when it rains, storms. Like most of low-season (when we go and when it’s hottest), it rains periodically. Once or twice a day but passes and dries so quickly you forget it rained just twenty minutes prior. Here, weather is not a force to be afraid of. Weather just is. You acclimatize and accomodate. Sweat is welcome, the rain is drenching but nothing you can’t dry off or switch clothes out of — your accomodations are all within walking distance. You embrace it, wholeheartedly.

This is the best time to work on that tan. Wear sunscreen, unless you’re used to it. You will brown quickly.

The open water is welcoming and warm. A swim cleans, nourishes and purifies you at the same time. The east side of the island is quieter, beach-wise. Less tourists, who flock to the resorts and the harbour on the west side. The east side is for the locals and those who know.

We ride bikes there, despite it being within a relatively quick jaunt by foot by any sort of city standards. We ride rented bikes because they’re cruisers. Big cushy comfortable fat tired bikes that get you places but at no rush.

In Key West, there is no rush. This is island time. Get used to it. You have nowhere to be, because you are where you are.

B.O’s Fishwagon, now really a shack, is a Key West staple. Built from corrugated iron, wooden benches, wood and a colourful assortment of paraphernalia, the place has survived a few hurricanes. The beauty of B.O.‘s? That when a hurricane has come through and ripped the place apart, they just rebuild the place from what’s left. Sustainable indeed.

But that’s not the point. The point is that they serve amazing fresh catch-of-the-day seafood. My first time, I had a soft shell crab sandwich. I could still taste the brine. The conch sandwich here is divine. This isn’t fancy eating but the food is out of this world. Simple preparations, high quality ingredients presented in a way where they shine. The lines get long here, go early. They close up early. It’s a literal shack and that’s the way I like my food best. No pretension here.

There are thing to do in Key West during the afternoon. Sleep, hit the beach with a book or get involved with one of the many watersports available. Kayaking is low-stress and fun. Jetski’s and SeaDoo’s, parasailing, diving, scooter or bike-ridin’, plenty. Or nothing at all. Watching the world go by from the street.

In the evening, as the sun comes to a close for the day, everyone heads to Mallory Square. It’s where the action goes into Phase Two and people have dinner before or after or during the event, depending on where you are. It marks a change — the night comes alive. While it’s starting to cool, the fire is alive and well, literally. Glass blowers, street artists, flaming drinks — there’s fire and warmth to be had elsewhere. The sun sets and it’s magical. Everyone shines.

Last year, we discovered something new courtesy of our friends M&S, who invited us to Fort Zachary Taylor, a fort from the mid-1800’s that protected the southeast front from attack. It’s now a state park and an overlooked one. It’s serene here. And provides unadulterated views of the sunset. No gregarious imbibing crowds and additional extraneous hoopla, just straight up simple. It involves some interesting navigating to get to, surprising for such a small island but I’ll leave it at that. It’s worth the effort.

Night can bring a few different experiences. You can party it up, catch a cabaret, catch a drag show, get dinner, walk the streets and shop, eat, drink and be merry. Or you can do the same from the comfort of your patio, deck, street level view. It can be what you make of it.

You can’t really go too wrong with food in Key West and dinner is a time to shine. It’s relatively known which are the best places to eat in Key West. Most involve not heading into the heart of Duval street, the west end, where the food caters to a TGI Friday’s kinda crowd but the streets parallel north and south, just one or two streets over. Tucked away on a less crowded corner are where the real gems are. People are cooking some mighty fine food in Key West and you can dress up to match or come as you are. Alice’s is one of our favourites. There are plenty of others.

As night falls and the distinction between night and early morning blurs, Key West gets back to it’s former quietness. There’s drunken revelry but matured drunken revelry on the street to be seen. It’s not something I partake in personally, but people watching is always fun.

Key West can be anything you make of it, in the end.

Doing nothing is as equally valued as doing everything.