Exploring the Hemingway District

Today we toured the Hemingway District by taking the shuttle bus to Turtle Kraal and walking up and down most of the streets in this area.  This is another "not on Duval St" tour and we visited all the attractions recommended on our map brochure.  We are getting much better navigating in Key West each time we visit the Island.  By the time we leave we should feel like locals and to help with that we extended our stay here another two weeks.  This will carry us to 1 Feb 2018.  Here are a few views from today's outing.

Not to rub it in (ouch!) but I thought our barometer was broken because it seems to be stuck on FAIR. (ouch!, ouch!)  It isn't broken, just a little out of calibration, (ouch!) but FAIR is what it is here.  70-79 deg day and  night. (ooooouch!:)

Here are a few pictures taken while walking through the Hemingway District in Key West, FL.  We enjoy just strolling down the lanes and avenues looking at the houses, stopping by shops and catching a meal in a tropical, outside setting.

Since we have been here we have read as much as we can about the history of Key West and all the people who have contributed to the island's growth over the years.  With this in mind, as we walk through the area, we feel a closer connection knowing details of times past.  Here are some views along the way:

Super Cool Land Rover

La Creperie Restaurant where we get silky smooth crepe dishes

La Creperie Restaurant

No hurry.  Killing time with Mimosa 

Buckwheat La Crepe

This is the most dangerous dessert we have ever eaten.  After the first bite, you can NEVER get it off your  mind!  Sinfully delicious.  It's called La Divine.  It's a crepe filled with butter caramel beurre sale', fresh bananas and strawberries topped with homemade whipped cream, fruit then dusted with confectioners sugar.  If silk were a food, this is what it would taste like.  This is the only restaurant we have visited more that once!


And it ended too soon :(

See if you can find a giraffe

 

Santiago was the name of the old man in Hemingway's book "Old Man and the Sea".

Local wildlife

This is inside the shoppe called Date & Thyme, a juice bar and markert

Task Day

There is no getting around house work and maintenance, so today we took care of a few things that need to be done, such as: laundry, haircut and replacing the lower shift cable on Viridian.  While George helped the two technicians from the boatyard replace the shift cable, I got ready for my hair appointment I had scheduled at a salon on Flagler Street.  The cable replacement took longer than expected so George took a break and carried me over to the salon on our scooter.  This worked out pretty well since I get the helmet hair look anyway until I can get back and fix my hair the way I want it.  Back at the boat, the laundry was stuffed into the hamper, loaded onto our folding cart, taken to the laundry building where I filled two washing machines.  By now the cable was installed, checked out and worked like new. We still need to take Viridian out on a sea trial to make sure all is as it should be.

Since arriving here at Stock Island, we were told by everyone we met that we just had to try "Hogfish Restaurant".  So today we decided to scoot over to the far side of the marina and eat our meal for the day there. 

All this work and eating made us feel drawn to the hotel tiki bar where poolside reclining lounges were waiting in the semi shaded 75 degree air.  A cool, soft breeze swirled as our heavy eyelids blinked in slow motion and we passed out in a food coma.  

New roof after the hurricane

this is a hogfish

Our favorite part of the meal was lobster bisque

Helmet hair

Can't you wait until I'm ready for my picture to be made????

My salad with grilled hogfish, tropical fruit and key lime salad dressing

George's Killer  Hogfish Sandwich

 Coolest VW Microbus

The last image as task day ended

Exploring the Sea Port District in Key West

Stepping off the shuttle bus at Turtle Kraal, we walked into the Gallery on Greene where the helpful curator gave us two wonderful brochures for Key West.  One was "Key West's Finest Off Duval" guide, which was our favorite.  It divided Key West into neighborhoods and listed all the finer points of interest in those districts.  The districts are: Seaport, Historic Downtown, Hemingway, and Truman.  Duval Street is Key West's most popular attraction.   For example, shopkeepers on Duval stand in the store entrances trying to entice you in by giving you free samples. I fell for it once when we passed what we thought was a shop that sells handmade soap.  We took the free soap samples, and then were enticed to try a facial product that was guaranteed to take away the bags and dark circles under your eyes.  Ok, I must admit, I was tempted.  I sat down and the sales lady removed my eye cream, then applied a serum under my eyes.  As it dried, I felt tightening all the way down to my toes!  I could blink but only with the upper eyelids. While sitting there, wide-eyed to the world, the sales lady said that it was only $1000 for a year's supply and that I could get it today for only $500!  Since I couldn't open my eyes any wider, we politely said we would think about it as we hurried out the door to wipe off the magic lotion.  Therefore, we wanted to avoid the trappings of Duval and visit the local shops on the paths less traveled.

On our next stop, we had lunch at Pepe's, the oldest restaurant in town.  We dined outdoors, enjoying a cool sea breeze where leashed dogs were given a little bowl of water while their owners wait on their order.

  

Pepe's

Pepe's

The next stop was Art @830.    

Commotion is a lady's  boutique.  I'm on a quest for a backpack purse so when I get in the dinghy I won't drop my purse in the water.   

Commotion Boutique

Stopped here but moved on

This was an interesting little antique store.  The wagons out front hold used books for $2.00.  Looked for used Hemingway books but couldn't find one.  

This is "Island Love Story!"  It has beautiful island influenced furnishings, decor and gifts. 

This gallery had a lot of Peter Vey paintings.  His work is brightly colored island landscapes.

Free samples at Key West Rum Distillery

George with the artist Andreas Franke.  They are standing in front of one of Andreas' pieces.  Andreas is a photographer and a scuba diver.  His artwork begins with a photograph of submerged ships combined with studio photos representing people in scenes in everyday life.  The photos are covered with plexiglass then carefully hung back on the actual shipwrecks for scuba divers to enjoy.  They are on exhibit underwater for 3 months and marine life randomly grows on each one.  They are then removed and sold in the art gallery, If you look at the art behind George and Andreas, you can see  the result.

The art store dog and what's left of a shoe.  All he cares about is trying to get the shoe from me.  There are eyes under there somewhere!  Maybe he should try some of that magic lotion.

Give me that shoe!

Pretty streets

One way to travel

Looks better in real life

Moving on down the street

Lovely path to walk

We have to read a Hemingway book while we're here.  Neither of us remember reading any Hemingway books, but as I'm reading Old Man and the Sea, I think I have read this and I'm thinking it doesn't have a happy ending.  We'll see.

Banana Heaven from Blue Heaven restaurant

Houses like this lined both sides of the street in the Truman District on the way to the little white house.

Part of the Harbor Walk in the Seaport District

Sunset picture on what's left of Mallory Pier

I  just had to have this cute bracelet with the longitude and latitude of Key West stamped into it.