Rest, Reading, & Refreshment on Key West

At Julian’s suggestion, we set aside this morning for reading, writing, and just chilling. He enjoyed a stroll to the south pier while I caught up on some reading and journaling on the balcony.

When we began our afternoon excursion walking around town, we started at Southernmost Smoothie just up the street from us.

Ever since our introduction to smoothie bowls at Degree 18 Juice Bar in Puerto Rico, we are on the lookout for similar fresh fruit concoctions. Often called Açaí Bowls, the offering is similar – fresh fruit puréed as the base, sometimes with a yogurt or non-dairy alternative to make it extra creamy – topped with sliced fruits and granola and drizzled with honey.

None of our experiences since the afore-mentioned smoothie bowl have been quite the same, but it still makes for a refreshing and delectable treat!

Bookstores are another of my favorite destinations, especially of the quaint local variety that are just waiting to be discovered and mined for hidden treasures!

Our first stop, Key West Island Books, fit the criteria to a “T”! I was thrilled to find a colorful and very clever (and discounted!) book by a local author: The Disappearing Alphabet by Richard Wilbur.

The second bookstore, Books & Books @ The Studios was less charming and less welcoming…

…as evidenced by the box of disposable gloves and a sign requiring agreement to wear them along with a face mask as a condition of being granted entrance. Upon entering, the first thing we noticed was that the staff member working at the checkout area was not wearing the required gloves…

From there we went in search of a restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, the place I had in mind (Mam’s Best Food) was just closing as we arrived, with Mam declaring “I close for Shabbat; come back Sunday!” So we settled on Meet Burger. Normally I would avoid normal Midwestern fare like burgers while vacationing in a seaside town, but the reviews compelled us to give it a try. The burgers with wild boar bacon and side of homemade fries were quite delicious and worthy of the departure from more local seafood fare!

Next we made our way to Sunset Pier just in time to watch the final descent of the sun through a panorama of boats set out to sea for the same purpose – and even a tiki hut specially outfitted to float across the water! To the backdrop of the setting sun, vendors, singers, and entertainers plied their trade along the dock, hoping for the attention and generosity of tourists to support their endeavors.

As we walked back to our B&B, we happened (purely coincidental, of course!) to walk right by our newfound dessert favorite, Mattheesson’s, so we felt like it was only right to patronize them again. Julian said their key lime pie is the best he’s ever had, and the two scoops of ice cream I consumed could also beat out lots of competition!

Our evening routine has quickly become a complete walk all the way up and then back down Duval Street. We enjoy the exercise and seeing some of the familiar faces (as mentioned yesterday), but one other thing worth mentioned is that there is a considerable amount of smoking along the streets and even in some of the outdoor eating areas. Perhaps it’s the fame of the Cuban cigars and all the shops that sell them that has everyone eager to light up. And I will say, the prospect of being given a pass for not wearing a mask because you have a cigar sticking out of your mouth makes the habit alluring for even non-smokers like us! We resisted the urge, though, and just became well-practiced in the art of long breath-holding to avoid breathing in the secondhand smoke. And that was a sufficient solution that enabled us to still enjoy our nightly promenade along Duval Street.