A Simple Sunday in Key West

Surprisingly, Key West is home to 65 churches (which is still only about 1/4 the number of bars on the island) but nevertheless a decent number. We attempted to attend the historic Cornish Memorial AME Zion Church, but there was a mixup in the service start time, so we ended up live-streaming our home church service instead.

I wasn’t feeling great, so I spent the afternoon resting while Julian found the quietest spot he could on the front porch to do some of his own studying.

By evening I was up for a stroll, so we headed back to Mam’s Best Food to see if she was open for dinner.

The Jerusalem platter came with an order of freshly baked pita bread and hummus, Israeli salad, and a plate of pickles – all before the main course of chicken shawarma and roasted potatoes! The pita and hummus were especially delicious.

Mam is a one-woman-operation, and was entertaining in addition to being a good cook. She repeatedly told people not to come because she didn’t want to cook anymore and acted put out at requests for superfluous items as cups of water. We got quite a kick out of her antics and struck up a lovely conversation with a table of Jewish girls from New York and New Jersey as a result. (Mam’s is a popular choice for anyone looking to keep a kosher diet while traveling in Key West.)

After missing a day of dessert at our favorite spot on Duval Street, we felt justified in splurging this evening. I ordered one of their half pound chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and Julian feasted on another slice of creamy key lime pie. Yum!

Our simple day concluded with a few moments relaxing and talking on a bench beside the pier under a brilliant moonlit sky.