Ah, Key West, where the palm trees are laden with actual coconuts, chickens and roosters run wild, and the ad in the airport bathroom stall is for the Hangover Hospital’s 45-minute IV service. I REALLY wanted to visit Key West, but it was just too expensive. Even a bed in a hostel dorm would have cost more than I’ve ever spent on a room.

Then Jeff said that a day trip on an airplane would be cheaper. Wait, what?! So I looked it up, and yes, Allegiant Air had a one-way ticket from the Orlando-Sanford airport to the Key West airport for $37. And the times were right for a day trip (you’re in Key West from 9-ish am to 5-ish pm). After I bought a roundtrip ticket and paid all the taxes and fees, the cost was well within my budget for a hotel night, plus I was saving time and gas money on what would have been a 14-hour roundtrip drive.

I’ve always wanted to try a day trip on an airplane. You can board with just a personal item! You don’t need to arrange cat care! You don’t have to find cheap off-site parking for two weeks! (I had an airplane day trip booked to San Francisco to see a show, but then the pandemic happened and I never got to do it.)
When we landed, the gate agent came aboard to give us day-trippers a warning about drinking too much (because you won’t be allowed back on the plane) then they let us loose! Key West is only about four miles long by two miles wide, which means you can walk to town from the airport. (There are cars on the island, too, and a lot of people get around by scooter or golf cart.) The walk goes along the seawall where you can look over the edge to the shallow water filled with all kinds of cool-looking sea plants.
Along the way there are a couple of nature preserves with boardwalks through the forest to the beach.
The beach end of the nature preserve boardwalk.
You hear roosters crowing constantly because they are everywhere. They’re mildly scared of people, but they aren’t great at hiding (what with the crowing on the open sand and all).
For example, these two are digging a hole in the bare gravel between the sidewalk and the road and were fairly easy to spot. Supposedly the chicken population is descended from a time when people had to keep chickens for food (since access to the mainland was tricky). These days there’s no need to keep your own chickens, and cockfighting is outlawed, so the birds are free to wander Key West.
Key West is also home to the southernmost point in the continental United States! I’d walked past this spot on my way into town and didn’t realize what it was, so I failed to get a crowd-free photo.
By the time I went back, this was the line to get your picture taken with the southernmost point.
Made it to town! Duval Street is the main attraction.
The San Carlos Institute is the Cuban heritage center.
At some point people started writing personal messages on currency and stapling the bills to the walls of Willie T’s Restaurant and Bar (the oldest bill they’ve found is from 1998). Every so often the owners take down the bills and donate the resulting few thousand dollars to charity.
A fence-eating tree on my walk to lunch.
Date & Thyme Organic Cafe & Market operates out of what used to be a gas station and adjacent laundromat. They were definitely set up for the overheated tourist with public bathrooms and a giant jug of water with a spout for refilling your water bottle.
I got the tempeh wrap (marinated Florida tempeh with lettuce, tomato, avocado, chipotle vegan mayo, house vinaigrette, and a whole grain tortilla) which came with a side of slaw. It was so good.
After lunch I headed to the Hemingway Home and Museum (which was my main reason for wanting to visit, covered in the next post), then I spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. The beach comes with shade!
Flying back. It was awesome to see the Keys from the air.
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