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 5 and 6

Celebrity Cruise's "Edge" in Key West.

I am a little late in posting about the balance of our 2019 trip to Key West, one of my most favorite places.  For readers who follow our travels, I do apologize.

Day five was calmer than the first four days and we were much less scheduled since a number of our friends had headed back either to Hampton or to the Fort Lauderdale area where they have the principal residences.  We had  lunch at BO's Fishwagon at 801 Caroline Street, Key West, where we had numerous Conch fritters and I had a a Presidente beer.

Afterward, we walked to the waterfront and saw the Celebrity Cruise's massive "Edge" (pictured above) which was hosting an all gay Atlantis cruise.  Duval Street and the gay bars were well populated by passengers from the ship.  Personally, I prefer cruise ships that are not so large - perhaps in part because I am a fan of the ocean liners of yesteryear - e.g., the United States or the incredible Normandie - that were much more streamlined, built for speed and taking rough seas in stride and less a high rise hotel slapped on a hull (I do wonder about the seaworthiness of the huge modern ships should they get caught in a hurricane or be hit by a rogue wave). 

Dinner on day five was at El Siboney on Catherine Street, a great family style Cuban restaurant.  We dined with a very nice couple from Sweden who were also staying at The Equator Resort. The place has wonderful Cuban food in a no frills atmosphere.  The sangria is terrific.

El Siboney on Catherine Street.

Day six, the day of our departure was the only day that we had rain which curtailed our activities.  Nonetheless, we walked around Old Town Key West before heading to the airport. Before leaving The Equator, we made our reservations for next year in more or less the same time slot - something many regular guest do.  This was our sixth year at The Equator which I cannot recommend highly enough for gay men traveling to Key West.  The place has beautiful amenities (which are continually upgraded) and encourages its guest from across America and the globe to socialize and create friendships.

The smaller pool at The Equator on the day of our departure.

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 2019 - Day 2

Despite early rain, day two of our 2019 Key West pilgrimage was terrific.  The homes tour was over the top.  While typically focusing on old homes, this year a number of newer or significantly enlarged homes filled with amazing art work were the focus. Those thinking of visiting can check things out here as to when tours take place.  Later in the afternoon, the husband and I went by Local Luxe, a great and reasonably priced jewelry store at 515 Fleming Street, a few blocks down the street from The Equator Resort (the owner, Barbara, is very nice).  

Our evening consisted of dinner at Hot Tin Roof - where the photo above was taken - and seeing Young Frankenstein at the Waterfront Playhouse (the acting was superb as was the singing and dance routines.

Today, 12 of us will do lunch at Lattitudes on Sunset Key - an annual ritual - and this evening we are having a dual birthday dinner for two friends on the trip with us.  The afternoon will consist of lazing by the pool at The Equator.

Key West 2019 - Day 1

We arrived safely in Key West yesterday at 11:15 am.  In keeping a promise to the husband, I stayed off the computer and office email all day, although I went through over 100 office emails this morning.  We lazed around the pool at the Equator and reconnected with guys we see here each year this same weekend.  As always, we enjoyed the cocktail hour at the Equator before heading to Duval Street for dinner at Mangoes (see image at left) and then another cocktail at Bourbon Street Pub where we saw one of our favorite female impersonators, Porche (see image below) who doesn't do costume changes but instead changes her demeanor and voice to mimic numerous singers.  Her Carol Channing, Judy Garland and Janis Joplin imitations are wonderful - and she is hysterically funny.

Today, more friends - including our European travel companions - arrive and after some time by the pool, we will be doing the historic homes tour this afternoon and biking around the island. Later, the daily cocktail party and then dinner and a play down at the Red Barn Theater. 

2019 Key West Pilgrimage

Early tomorrow, the husband and I head to Key West for our annual visit.  As in past years, we will be staying at the Equator Resort (pictured above), and are looking forward to seeing former neighbors who live in Key West now, other neighbors who will also be visiting, two of the husbands clients who winter in the keys, and our friends who took us to Europe last September. On the home front, one of the husband's salon employees will be living at our home while we are away (he's here now) to house sit and dog sit our Chihuahua.  Posting frequency will be likely reduced, although I will give updates on our adventures. 

Key West 2018 - Day 1 (Cont.) and 2

So far our annual trip to Key West has been great fun even though I spent a good part of Thursday afternoon and Friday morning working on loan documents for a large securitized loan transaction. At least I got to sit and review documents in a tropical paradise at a quiet table away from the activities around the pools at The Equator.   Thursday evening, a group of us from the guesthouse went to Seven Fish for a wonderful dinner (see the image above).  As is always the case, the guests at the Equator are from all over the USA and a number of foreign countries.  Among our group at dinner was a guy from St. Petersburg, Russia and his American husband and a Canadian (included in the price of the stay at The Equator is a daily evening happy hour aimed at encouraging guests to meet each other.)  Several other couples are visiting from Virginia and I may have picked up a new real estate client.  Yesterday, we did the historic homes tour and then had dinner at 951 Prime.  Today we are headed to Latitudes on Sunset Key for lunch with a group of clients/friends.  

For those who have never visited Key West, I encourage you to visit.  This is my 10th trip!  For the husband, it is probably his 30th visit.  Making it even better, the weather has been absolutely perfect.

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 6

Sunset as we fly to Miami

Yesterday was our sixth and last day in Key West for 2017 - short of winning a lottery.  As with every week day of the trip, I spent a part of the morning on office work.  The balance of the day until our evening flight to Miami and then on to Norfolk was one of bittersweet relaxing, knowing that our time in paradise was drawing to a close.  Our friends from Washington, DC, came by and spent part of the afternoon with us at The Equator and we had a nice conversation with four guys visiting from Darmstadt, Germany who were at the guesthouse.  Before one last happy hour cocktail, we did one positive thing: we made reservations for our 2018 visit to Key West.

Pool side at The Equator

Key West 2017 - Day 5

View of The Equator's bar

Our fifth day in Key West proved relaxing even though I again spent 3.5 to 4 hours on office related work and e-mails.  Better to keep up than face a complete nightmare on my return to the office.    We have been so lucky weather wise with each day being simply gorgeous.  Last night we wandered Duval Street and local shops before dining at Mangoes (pictured below) with our friends visiting from Washington, Dc, who will likely hang out with us at The Equator before we head to the airport>  I would be lying if I said I was glad to be headed back to Virginia!!

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.

Key West 2017 - Day 3

Yesterday was a wonderful day here in the paradise known as Key West.  As is our usual practice, we did the historic homes tour (see the image above) in the morning.  That was followed up with lunch at Louie's Backyard overlooking the ocean with one of the husband's clients who winters in Marathon Key - she is a combination of Auntie Mame and the unsinkable Molly Brown - where we enjoyed wonder food and adult beverages before biking back to the Equator Resort. 

Yours truly and the husband

The afternoon was spent by the pool and then dinner at the elegant Marquesa down the street (see image below).  Today, we will relax some more and then rendezvous with friends and a former neighbor for Tea Dance at La Te Da on Duval Street. 

click image to enlarge

Key West 2017 - Day 1

Our flights yesterday were both on time and we actually landed in Key West 15 minutes ahead of schedule.  The weather was great and we enjoyed the afternoon poolside at The Equator.  As usual, the other guests are from all over the USA, plus there is a couple from just outside of Paris, France. Our room is great and the guest house now has a full service bar in addition to its 5:00 pm happy hour.  

The downside, as is the case with all of our vacations, is that I NEVER escape work.  I had to field a dozen client calls and reviewed all office e-mails and dealt with documents until almost 3:00 pm, with half the afternoon shot.  That said, a couple of passion fruit daiquiris made things better. 

We dined at a great restaurant with a gorgeous waiter from Serbia and then window shopped on Duval Street.  The weather this morning is great and at 10:00 am I am finally done with work matters for now. Photos of our escapades will be posted as the trip progresses.

Key West Bound - 2017 Annual Pilgimage

Click image to enlarge

Posting may be reduced today as the husband and I head down to Key West for our annual pilgrimage so to speak.  We will once again be staying at The Equator on Fleming Street in Old Town - just a few blocks from The Island House.  This will be my ninth trip with the husband to one of our favorite get away destinations.  Added is fun comes from the fact that (i) two friends from Hampton will be traveling down to stay at The Equator, (ii) friends from Washington, DC, will be down for part of the time that we are there., (iii) former neighbors live in Key West, and (iv) one of the husband's clients who winters in the Keys will join us on Saturday for our annual lunch at Lattitudes on Sunset Key (pictured above).  

On the home front, a friend from the Hampton Yacht Club will be staying at the house to house sit and care for the two Chihuahuas while we are away.  As always, I will post about our visit to this island paradise. 

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.

2016 - Key West - Day 2

View of Sunset Key

Our trip to Key West continues to be amazing, with the weather fully cooperating so far.  Today looks like it will be a gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 80's.  We spent the first part of the day walking around the Old Town area of Key West and view the sights - physical of the place and nice looking guys - and doing some shopping.  The afternoon was spent around the pool, followed by b cocktails at 5:00 pm before heading to the Bourbon Street Pub to meet friends for a drink before four of us headed to the Key West Yacht Club for dinner.  The club was nice and the food was great.  As is the case of our home club, flags of associated clubs were hanging around the rafters and we were able to locate the Hampton Yacht Club flag (see below).

Hampton pennant - second from left

Today we are headed to "Lattitudes" on Sunset Key with two of the husband's clients who are driving down from Marathon.  It's a ritual we do every time were are in town.  This evening, we will be doing a "Sunset Tea Dance" cruise that should be a lot of fun.

The husband near the waterfront

Key West - 2016 - Day 1

Yesterday was exhausting.  I got home Wednesday evening at 9:45PM and then had to be up at 2:45AM to head for the airport in Norfolk.  Our flights went off without delay and we landed in Key West at 11:25 AM.  The weather was clear and sunny with a temperature of 83 degrees!  Our first day at the Equator was pleasant and given our exhausted state, we hung by the pool all afternoon after settling in.  The view from our top floor balcony is above.   One nice aspect of The Equator is the 5:00PM cocktail hour that is included in the room rate (breakfast is as well), and we took full advantage of it!

After multiple cocktails, we walked to Martin's - a Germany style restaurant on Duval Street towards the opposite end from where the craziest St. Patrick's Day partying was going on.  Dinner, as is always the case at Martin's was fabulous.  Not that we needed more alcohol, we had a great bottle Riesling.  On the back to The Equator we made a quick pass through the 801.  Once back at our room, we basically passed out. :)

This morning I have dealt with about 220 office e-mails and reviewed a few documents for clients.  Today we will wander around and revisit some local sites.  This evening we are meeting friends  at the Bourbon Street Pub before going to dinner at the Key West Yacht Club which has reciprocal privileges with the Hampton Yacht Club.  

Key West Bound - Decreased Posting

The husband and I leave for Key West on a crack of dawn flight in the morning.  I will no doubt be working late at the office as I try to get out of town, so posting will be reduced this evening and tomorrow morning.  The good news is that we will be in Key West before noon tomorrow.  The husband's adopted brother will be house sitting and baby sitting the dogs on the home front.  We will be staying once again at The Equator on Fleming Street (pictured above) where we stayed during our last visit to Key West in 2014.  I am excited, but dread getting up to make the 5:25 AM flight out of Norfolk International.  Drop me a message if you will be in Key West over the weekend.

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.