More Info on Boot Key

Hm, sounds like a dump, literally -- circa 2006, so maybe something has changed, hopefully for the better. We'll just have to head down 20th Street Ocean to find out for ourselves. As it turns out, the bridge to Boot Key is now stuck permanently in the up position so we may not find out much.

Another Sunday Evening Alternative?

Dockside Bar and Grill Sunday Jam 6-10 pm at the Sombrero Marina. Though, the notice on the Dockside website says it's temporarilly closed. So, maybe check out the situation on Saturday when we go over to see the Christmas boat parade.

Date Driven Activties and Other Places to Go... and Eat, and Snorkel, and rent Bikes and Kayaks

Oops. Wiped out my whole entry and couldn't figure out how to undo. Anyway, just don't want to miss Boot Key Harbor Boat Parade on Saturday, December 11th, aka the day we arrive.

I've also downloaded the Floriday Keys iPhone App though many entries are still without info -- not sure where they pull the info from -- so I'll probable stick with old fashioned web-browsing most of the time.

Looks like we'll also want to head down the OH to The Island -- it's about 6 miles, so we might want to look at renting bikes that day. Come to think of it, maybe we should rent bikes for the week. And Kayaks! Overseas Outfitters is a quick walk from our place, so we should check it out day 1. Wait! Is it open Sunday? Nope, better stop in on our way from Miami, if we can get there before it closes at 3 pm. Geez, I'm already stressed. They don't seem to rent kayaks -- just bikes -- but they'll likely know somewhere that will.

Hey, I just saw that Sombrero Reef Marine Sanctuary and Lighthouse is the #1 rated snorkeling spot in the Keys. And Starfish Snorkel Trips offers 3 trips a day, and they're right next to the 7 Mile Grill in Sea Dog Charters Marina, which is right at our street! We can check them out after breakfast on the first morning... if they're open Sunday! Hm, not sure if they're affiliated with Sea Dog Charters. Hope not, given these reviews.

Speaking of reviews, we'll definitely have to try Porky's Bayside Restaurant and at some point during the week, we should head over to the Marathon Yacht Club -- assuming we've got reciprocal privileges with BYC. Their Tuesday evening Blue Plate Special sounds like a good bet with Happy Hour half price drinks and a bunch of dinner choices for $14.96. And, it's an easy walk from our place.

The Sunset Grille and Raw Bar, across the OH, has a pool party, bbq and DJ dance party combo every Sunday night. Sounds like something you've just got to try once!

Then I want to go to....

Sombrero Beach, which you get to by just following Sombrero Beach Road to the end, natch. It's a nice 3.5 mile walk from our place. The Keys seem small and cozy in memory and legend, but in reality, you can get a pretty good walk getting from point a to point b right in your neighbourhood. I also want to figure out what's going on at Booth Key which is a much shorter walk . The Marathon City Marina is in Boot Key Harbor, but what's actually going on on Boot Key, and can you actually walk there now -- I think I read that the bridge was gone. It's tough to get info on Boot Key because Google matches are mostly for the harbor. Even the Wikipedia entry (aha, that's where I read about the ooc bridge) is a stub, though I can get a look around by following 20th Saint (sic) Ocean on Google Streetview.

If we headed from our place to Sombrero Beach we could also choose to check out the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center on the Gulf side of the road. Of course, there's a 1.5 mile nature trail that you need to tack onto your total distance. Overall, reviews are mixed, but we'll check it out.

Gotta go back to sleet and snow right now, though.

Unlocking the Keys

Well, we went, we saw, we concurred on a sweet semi on the Gulf. It's all ours now, has been for months, and we enjoy knowing that strangers are enjoying it on a fairly regular basis. Did you know that Summer is the second busiest season in the Keys? During the lobster season, locals move out of their homes and into whatever passes for a reasonable roof over their heads in order to capitalize on the influx of crustacean-crazy northern Floridians that flock south to their equivalent of cottage country.

We're actually going to get a chance to stay at our own place in December. It's already booked over Christmas, so we asked Kitty, our property manager, if she thought we'd be safe going the week before (safe = it wouldn't have rented anyway). Turns out the week before Christmas is the second most popular Christmas week and tends to book up once there's nothing left at Christmas. So, we're going two weeks before Christmas.

I am totally looking forward to: opening my eyes in the morning with my head still on the pillow and looking out at the Gulf, going down to the kitchen and making tea while I look out at the Gulf and going back up to the bedroom and out to the porch to drink tea while looking out at the Gulf, then walking up the road to the 7 Mile Grill for breakfast, walking over the old bridge to Pigeon Key then back for a dip in the pool/Gulf, showering, packing a picnic and heading over to Bahia Honda State Park (wherein resides one of the top 10 nicest beaches in the US, according to the Travel Channel) for some swimming and snorkeling, and perhaps a short nap. After that, we can head home, drop our stuff, rinse off the salt and walk across the highway to the Marathon Marina to sit at the Tiki Bar and drink in the local ambiance. For dinner, we might stay there or head back home for a barbecue.

Oh, I forgot, we have to be back home in time to watch the sun set over the Gulf from our deck!! Oh my God, what a day... and we get 7 of them!!