Key West 2020 -Days Two and Three

The last two days in Key West have been wonderful both in terms of the weather and having great times with good friends.  Friday we spent much of the day around the pool at The Equator (shown above) before heading out to dinner. The Waterfront Play House production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert was great fun and once again was amazing in the level of professionalism a small community theater can provide.  Both the actin (and singing) and costumes were first rate. The historic homes tour was once again fun and provided a slew of decorating and rehab ideas that we can perhaps use as we update our 101 year old home. The highlight yesterday was our annual lunch at Latitudes on Sunset Key (the view is shown in the photo below). 

Today some of our group will visit the Truman Little White House - a very interesting place - while the rest of us chill by the pool before going to Tea Dance at La Te Da at 4;00 pm.  

If you have never been to Key West, I recommend it highly (this is my 12th trip) if you want a place filled with natural beauty and a fun everyone is welcome mindset. 

Key West 2020 - Day One

Blog posting will be reduced through next Tuesday as the husband and I enjoy our annual trip to Key West.  We traveled down yesterday - we began with a 5:20 am flight after American Airlines cancelled our 7:00 am flight and stuck us on the crack of dawn flight.  As usual, we are staying at The Equator resort along with a contingent of friends from Virginia.  We lounged by the pool and then had dinner at Blue Heaven before going to La Te Da for more cocktails. Our friend Jenny is house sitting/dog sitting for us.  Today we are doing the historic homes tour and will see the Waterfront Playhouse presentation of Priscilla Queen of the Desert this evening. We LOVE Key West!!

PS True to form, I have already had to work on multiple client matters.  I truly never get fully away.

Key West 2019 - Day 4

A mini Chesapeake Avenue reunion at La Te Da - click image to enlarge.

Things got lively yesterday at Tea Dance at La Te Da, especially with it being St. Patrick's Day which gave folks in Key West even more motivation to enjoy their cocktails.  The music  by DJ Rude Girl was great and LOTS of folks danced, including just about everyone in our group.  As in past years, we saw a number of locals who we see annually at Tea Dance.

Dinner yesterday evening at Martins was wonderful as we dined under the stars.  Overall, it was a great day.  Today we have not set plan or schedule for the first time this trip. Some of our friends have headed back to Fort Lauderdale and Hampton. Other than checking office emails later in the day, it will hopefully be a lazy day of reading and relaxing by the pool. 

A Key West realtor we see each year.

Dancing with one of our Hampton neighbors.

Key West 2019 - Day 3

Yesterday was a largely non-stop day, especially for the husband who did hair for three of of friends (who are long time clients).  One of the highlights of the day was lunch at Lattitudes on Sunset Key where the image above was taken on the island's pier.  As is the tradition, our "Auntie Mame" friend treated.  The food was wonderful as were the beverages.  Two Key Lime Martinis caused me to need a nap when we returned to the Equator.  We dined at a restaurant called Michael's just a block or two from the Equator with our friends from Light House Point, Florida, our former neighbors who now call Key West home, and current neighbors to celebrate our neighbor's birthday.

Today will be more laid back with no set activities until Tea Dance at La Te Da this afternoon (an annual tradition), followed by dinner at Martin's an amazing German restaurant.

Key West 2018 - Day 1

Sunset Key and Latitudes with Key West in the background.

The husband and I will be up well before day light and headed to Norfolk International Airport to begin our annual trek to Key West.  If all goes well, we will be in Key West by 11:26 am.  We will be staying at The Equator on Fleming Street.  Two friends from Hampton will be traveling down and we will also meet mutual clients of the husband and me who are driving down from Fort Lauderale (they are taking us to Paris and London in September, but more on that later).  We will also see former neighbors who now live in Key West full time as well as two of the husband's clients who winter in the Keys and who will join us for lunch at Latitudes on Sunset Key on Saturday.  Sunday we will do the annual pilgrimage to La Te Da for tea dance.

We have a friend staying at our home and babysitting our dog - we lost our little one on March 9, 2018 - and otherwise holding down the fort.  The only downside of the trip is that I will be working on a large hotel refinance part of the time, but at least I will be doing so in gorgeous surroundings.

Posting will be on vacation mode and I will post thoughts and commentaries as time and activities allow. 

Key West 2017 - Day 4

The husband and I continue to enjoy a much needed break in Key West.  Much of day four was a lazy day by the pool reading and interacting with other guests from across the country.  Unlike today, I did not do any legal work, nor did I review and respond to office e-mails.  One of my loves is reading and I got to indulge that love.

La Te Da - outside bar

In the afternoon, we made our annual pilgrimage to tea dance at La Te Da.  We were joined by our former neighbor in Hampton.  As always, we had a great time and I had a chance to indulge in one of my other loves: dancing.  For those visiting Key West who are here on a Sunday, I highly recommend La Te Da's tea dance.

We concluded the day with dinner at 7 Fish and were joined by both our former neighbor and friends from Washington, DC, who used to live in Norfolk.  The food and new location were wonderful.

2016 - Key West - Day 4

The Equator Guesthouse

Our trip to Key West ends today and I am sure I will be in a major funk when I return to Virginia. That said, we had another great day yesterday relaxing by the pool, attending the pre-Tea Dance event at The Island House, hitting Tea Dance at La Te Da, and finishing off the day with dinner with former neighbors who now live in Key West.  Today, we will pick up some gifts for the grandchildren before heading to the airport and back to reality.

Key West Vacation - Day 4

We continue to have lucked out weather wise and today Sunday was gorgeous and sunny.  Much like New Orleans, eating and drinking are among the main pastimes in Key West.  After lazing by the pool we went to brunch with our former neighbors at Cafe Sole where there were some unique twists on standard brunch fare and great drinks.   After brunch, it was back to the Equator Resort to relax before heading to tea dance at La Te Da at 4:00PM (our main form of exercise is walking between restaurants and bars).  Once again, La Te Da did not disappoint and there was a lively crowd of gays, lesbians and an array of open minded straight folk.  The DJ - DJ Rude Girl, a/k/a Dominatrix of Disco - was terrific as well and the dance floor was packed!

As is always our experience here in Key West, we met a number of great people including a woman from Charlottesville, Virginia who joined us for dinner at Square One - New American Table.   We have had a similar wonderful experience at The Equator where we have met many nice guys.

 

This morning I have spent 3 hours on office work and then at 11:00AM we will head down to the Westin to catch the launch to Latitudes on Sunset Key for lunch with one of the boyfriend's clients who has been wintering on Marathon Key.

Key West Vacation - Day 3

Street View of The Equator Resort

Yesterday was another gorgeous sunny day here in Key West.  Again, we spent much of the day luxuriating by the pools at the Equator resort, although the boyfriend and I did venture out to do some shopping and to have lunch at Mangoes at 700 Duval Street where they have the best wedge salad of anywhere we've been.  Even though St. Patrick's Day is not until tomorrow, the festivities had already begun by noon time and as we walked down a few blocks of Duval Street after dinner at Hot Tin Roof in the Ocean Key Resort, it was becoming a wild street party scene.  One can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.  At dinner, once the cruise ship pictured below sailed (the Disney Magic was also in port for the day adding to the throng of people on Duval), we had a gorgeous view of the sun setting over Sunset Key.

View from our table at Hot Tin Roof

Before we headed to dinner we stopped by the home of former neighbors in Hampton who moved to Key West last November for a cocktail party.  Their home is gorgeous and like so many of the homes here has a beautiful, private backyard and pool that is an extension of the living area of the house.  We are meeting them for brunch this morning and then will relax until we hit Tea Dance at La Te Da at 4:00pm this afternoon.

One of the beautiful homes on Fleming Street near the Equator Resort

Key West Vacation - Day 2

Day two of our Key West get away was most enjoyable even though I spent several hours in the morning dealing with law office e-mails and document review for clients.  After a few hours by the pool at the Equator we went on a historic homes tour run by the Old Island Restoration Foundation.  Every time we are in Key West we take the homes tour if it is taking place during our visit.  One of the backyard pools on the tour is below.  The homes on the tour were the following:

1. 320 Peacon Lane. Among the City’s early families were the Peacons. They first settled in a Bahamian cottage constructed shortly after the 1846 hurricane and stayed through 4 generations.  Their tiny home is still at the core of this delightful spread of additions and gardens.  Two “Ceramic Stars” speak to the care put into its preservation.

2. 712 Eaton Street. By 1897, Richard Peacon, Jr., born and raised on Peacon Lane, had become a prosperous merchant and built his house up the hill.  Known by its distinctive “octagon” front, the house was renovated in the 1975 for interior designer, Angelo Donghia, and later owned by Calvin Klein.

Download a printable version of the tour map and house descriptions

3. 1112 Elgin Lane. On the east end of town around the turn of the 20^th Century, a family of spongers built cottages near the water’s edge.  Descendants kept the old family home until 1993.  Extensive renovations completed by the second (and current) owners gave respectful nods to those nautical predecessors and earned a Ceramic Star in 1996.

4. 1212 Georgia Street As the City expanded, a grocer set up shop next to his “country” home near bustling cigar factories and other businesses.  A prominent lawyer added his home-office some seven decades later.  Paint has just dried on a total renovation; the latest in a series of transformations since 1905.

5. 703 Elizabeth Street. Real estate investing is nothing new.  This conch cottage near the top of Solares Hill is one of many houses constructed for tenant occupancy.  White finishes and uncluttered contemporary decor refresh spaces where a family of cigar makers lived and worked a century ago.

After the homes tour, it was back to the pool and then cocktail hour at The Equator where we met more interesting guys, a couple of whom were likewise from Virginia.  Then we did a quick wardrobe  change and headed down to the roof top of the La Concha hotel (the tallest building in Key West) for yet another cocktail.  The sunset is below:

We finished the evening with dinner at La Te Da (we will be back on Sunday for Tea Dance) and then a visit to Bourbon Street where a plethora of dancers were entertaining the crowd, both gay and straight.