After three years in law school, I wanted to go somewhere where the rules were a little more lax. So I headed down to the Conch Republic. Being a writer (too), I always felt there was a certain mystique to Key West since Hemingway had lived there. To me, it was a place you went if you wanted to live out The Old Man and the Sea, being solitary, fishing, and writing. I’d also heard it was such a long drive to get there that it just added to the mystique. However, on a recent trip there, I found it is more of a tourist mecca than a writer's retreat. On the drive down, we made a stop in South Beach. From there, we took U.S. 1 down, which is not a fun ride through Miami and the cities south of it. Lots of traffic though the gas gets cheaper the farther south you drive. It is a good idea to fill up your tank as there’s a long stretch of road with nothing on it but swamps on either side. There’s nowhere to stop and why would you want to with alligators eating people these days?

Once you arrive in Key Largo, there are some visitor welcome centers if you want to get info. It is a long drive down there but it’s fun if you follow the map as you go through Islamorada, Marathon and the Lower Keys. There are places to stop off along the way and take some photos of the smaller uninhabited or inhabited keys in the distance. One small island had two chairs on it, so boaters must stop there to chill. And surprisingly, you’ll see some deer along the way as well. I eagerly awaited the seven mile bridge which didn’t seem like seven miles.

An interesting part of the drive is the old railroad track. For years, millionaire Henry Flagler, who had constructed railroads throughout Florida, planned a route to the Keys. In 1906, he began construction of a railroad. Twenty-five hundred men built the railroad in bad working conditions. The project was completed in 1912 and Flagler died the next year. However, his dream died along with 500 civilians and World War I veterans in the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. The veterans had been employed to build bridges. On September 2, the train stopped in Homestead where there was a 17 foot surge washing 500 people out to sea. There is now a monument in memory of those who died.

Upon arriving in Key West, I was, at first, disappointed to see the same strip malls and chain stores as everywhere else until we drove farther down to the Historic Seaport. Though I’ve never been to New Orleans, the older side of Key West reminded me of what New Orleans must have looked like. The homes are charming. People ride around on scooters to get around more easily. Though there are hotels near the strip malls, we wanted to stay in the area so we stayed at the Banyan on Whitehead Street, which befittingly has a huge banyan tree in the front yard and behind. Now for those of you who have not seen a banyan tree, it is quite a sight. Like my friend described, "It’s like something out of Frankenstein’s castle." There are many kinds of banyan trees, but the one native to Florida is the Strangler Fig. These trees are massive, with long strands of aerial roots that seem to hang from the tree like tentacles.

Once you get over such a sight, you may be surprised again as a rooster or chicken steps out of the bushes lining the sidewalks. He may strut down the street and crow as if it’s nobody’s business. The chickens, as they are called, roam freely, to the delight of tourists but to the annoyance of locals who wake up to a crow at dawn. The chickens have become controversial figures in Key West, as many people want them gone. However, others argue that the chickens are a major part of the local color and character of the city. Key West settlers brought the chickens years ago. There used to be cockfights, which Hemingway apparently bet on, but that is now outlawed. The chickens also serve as natural pest control. I found them to be adorable and probably my favorite part of Key West, so naturally, I hope that they stay as free citizens of the Conch Republic.

There are also many cats here, especially at the Hemingway House, which many people commented on as being adorable. In Hemingway’s gift shop, there are all kinds of cat knickknacks and such. I, however, didn’t like the smell of cat pee, and I found them to be more mangy than cute.

If you head down the southern part of Whitehead Street, you’ll pass the Hemingway House, which I had to stop in. Tickets are $10 for adults. The guy at the booth couldn’t be more friendly, as he didn’t even make eye contact with me. The house itself is two stories. I was surprised at how small the kitchen was, but maybe it wasn’t big because it’s so hot down there. Not sure. I liked the porch that wrapped around Ernest’s bedroom. But the yellow and black tile in the guest bathroom, Ernie what were you thinking? Of course, the house must’ve been something in its day, but it has that grandmother’s attic feel to it. Good to note you can buy stamps at a machine outside the gift shop if you want to mail postcards. Across the street is the lighthouse, which we didn’t go in though we took pics from the outside. If you travel farther south on Whitehead, you’ll come to the southernmost point in the U.S. which is a great photo opp. We were here on a particularly sunny, beautiful day and it couldn’t be more perfect. There is a beach nearby—which there are not many beaches on Key West—but on a gorgeous day, the beach is definitely worth it with its clear water.

If you are hungry, there are plenty of restaurants. I had read in a book that I picked up that Camille’s, www.camilleskeywest.com, had a unique breakfast. I saw corn pancakes on the menu I had, so I planned a trip there. However, there were no corn pancakes when I got there, so I ordered banana-blueberry pancakes, which were good. And a trip to Key West would not be anything without seafood, so we ate at A & B Lobster House on Front Street. I had a delicious salad with mango, goat cheese and pecans. This was delish, and I plan to recreate it at home. Then I ordered Florida lobster, which I’d never had. However, I found it to be tough and not as enjoyable as Maine lobster. Granted, the time of my trip the lobster was not in season. The lobster was $32.50, a far cry from the old A&B menu hanging on the wall near the elevators, from a year way-back when it was only $3.50. We decided not to have dessert here as we wanted key lime pie and they didn’t have it, but instead had a key lime napoleon. So we walked down the street until we found a key lime pie shop. They were out of pie with whipped crème so we got meringue, but we weren’t crazy about it. Then walking down the street more, we found a shop with whipped crème on the pie but we were already full. Everyone touts having the best key lime pie, so you really don’t know where to get it. And I couldn’t bring myself to try the key lime pie on a stick, a piece of pie in frozen chocolate. No thanks. However, I bought a cookie with key lime icing that was a yummy snack. However, I did save the best for last and you absolutely have to go here if you like ice cream. Many ice cream shops tout that they are homemade but this stuff is the real deal. Try the key lime pie, of course, but don’t snub the vanilla, it is to die for. It’s Key Lime-N-More at 424 Greene Street, near a one-way alleyway. Please, if you do nothing else in Key West, savor this ice cream.

For shopping, try the shops down in the Historic Seaport and especially travel down Duval Street. There are plenty of souvenir shops, art galleries, and more. A fun stop on Duval is Mel Fisher’s Treasures. Mel Fisher was a true Goonie. He found the wreck of two Spanish galleons dating back to 1622 with a booty worth $450 million. After much legal swashbuckling, he was able to keep it and now sell it to you. Everything in the store is pretty expensive, reaching into the tens of thousands. He also has an online store where you can buy coins mounted in gold that will fit better fit your budget.

A shop I enjoyed stopping in was 7 Artists Key West at 604 Duval Street. I met two of the seven artists. Michael Sanders was working on some of his whimsical clay characters as we chatted. Sanders also paints charming wine glasses, martini glasses and salt and pepper shakers with speckles of color and local themes such as fish and roosters. This is truly the place to go if you want a unique bit of Key West to take back home besides the standard key lime juice, rum cakes, and carved coconut monkeys. I bought a rooster and a fish clay magnet.

A lot of the shops are open into the evening, so you can shop as you barhop. Some of the places I stopped at were Sloppy Joe’s at 201 Duval Street, a fun, busy bar. Irish Kevin’s at 211 Duval, was probably my favorite as it was crowded with fun people singing along with the performer, who was playing guitar and singing rock and roll classics, my favorite. However, I heard "Brown-Eyed Girl" across the street at a bar that wasn’t as populated but those who were there were of the older set. Rick’s looked like a fun bar but it wasn’t playing my type of music, so I didn’t go in. Before evening sets in though, you may want to check out Sunset at Mallory Square. This is an interesting bit of carnival-like acts on the waterfront. When I was there, I saw a man get himself out of a chains.

There is so much to do in Key West, really it depends on your interests. There is an aquarium and you can go snorkeling along the coral reef. I wasn’t that adventurous, but I did take the glass bottom boat out to the reef. It costs $30 a person. The trip is two hours total, and you go out six miles to get to the reef. There, the boat stops as you settle around the glass viewing area and the narrator explains about the reef and its life. We did see quite a bit of coral, though the glass is kind of green so the colors of the sea life do not show up like they do in the brochures. We did not see many types of fish though we did see yellowtail snapper and sergeant major damselfish, which are striped. The narration was interesting. I had no idea there were coral that could give you a nasty burn if you touch it that lasts for a long time, fire coral (though not real coral, more like a jellyfish). No worries that I will go near that.

A final highlight of the trip was getting a picture of the end of U.S. 1, Miles 0 sign. The highway begins in my favorite state, Maine, so it was exciting reaching the other end of the road. Which also brought me to the end of my trip. I can’t say that Key West inspired me to write anything but a travelogue but that’s probably because it’s a different place now than it was when Hemingway wrote here.