DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have been saving up a fun show-and-tell from my visit to Key West almost two weeks ago. One of the best things about touring for A KILLING OF INNOCENTS has been the opportunity to see three out of my six Jungle Red blog sisters. I got to see Rhys in Phoenix (where we didn't take nearly enough photos) and in Key West I saw Hallie as well as Lucy. How lucky for me that Hallie was there teaching a writing class!
On the Saturday I arrived, Lucy, John, and I had a nice catch up over glasses of wine, then watched the sunset from Mallory Square. This photo is sunrise, but you get the drift. Key West really is a little slice of paradise.
We had a nice visit with Lucy's friend Ron, the tarot reader who's the inspiration for Lorenzo in her Haley Snow books, and the now-retired Catman!
The next morning started with some delicious Cuban coffee, and a few Key West feathered friends.
And then it was time for brunch! Lucy took me to Blue Heaven, a Key West gem, where I had a fabulous avocado omelet and this amazing piece of pie! There was a gin cocktail in there, too, that was was so good I had to go back and get the ingredients, and there was even a little jazz band playing. It was just a perfect day.
Afterwards there was walking and shopping, in the course of which I found my terrific (and much needed) hat, and a plush chicken for Wren.
Naps all around, then dinner with Hallie! Several of us tackled whole deep-fried fish--that was an adventure!
Monday, we began with the much anticipated visit to the Hemingway House, which I enjoyed even more than the first time. Here's one of the Hemingway cats.
They are not the last bit fussed by all the people and cameras. I came away very inspired and even had to order a copy of Hemingway's letters.
Afterwards, we had a jolly lunch at a place called Moon Dog with Hallie and our friend Pat Kennedy. (Lots of food here, you're thinking, but what are vacations for if not eating?) A little more walking and shopping, then it was time for my library event.
Look at this lovely crowd!
Barb Ross interviewed me, and had such insightful questions that I suspect she made me sound a lot smarter than I actually am.
And here we are, your three Reds and Barb, all happy to be together.
For our last group lunch on Tuesday, we picked up Cuban sandwiches from this hole-in-the-wall place. It doesn't look very prepossessing, but I'm still dreaming about those sandwiches.
You can see that our Lucy Burdette really is the very best tour guide and hostess and I can see how people get so hooked on Key West. I hated to leave, but at least I can visit anytime in my imagination. All I need is one of Lucy's Hayley Snow books!
READERS: do your travel plans revolve around food?
Generally, our travel plans revolve around family, but you've made a REALLY good case for revolving around food! And, wow . . that’s an amazing meringue on that pie!
ReplyDeleteThat pie is Blue Heaven's signature.
DeleteI almost made it there in January. I was so close! I really need to make a plan to go visit and not tack it on to another trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your pictures.
I hope you manage a visit there, Mark.
DeleteOh, how I miss Key West! When my daughter and her boyfriend (now husband) lived there for a year in 2006/2007, she taught and he worked on a tour boat. This was their year fling before getting married in Key West before they left and her husband taking up the family business. I visited at least four times, maybe more. I spent Christmas down there with both my kids and the in-law family. Philip was in Afghanistan during that time. I always had the best time there. My favorite places to eat included Caroline's on Duval for fish sandwiches, and Blue Heaven for breakfast, Camille's for any meal (their chicken salad was wonderful). We ate Christmas Eve dinner at Nine One Five, an upscale restaurant since it was Christmas. Christmas Day we had cobia fish, freshly caught by our crew. We also ate some places featuring seafood, like Alonzo's Oyster Bar. When I went back to Key West in 2014, there were some new places to eat, or places I hadn't tried. I've talked to Lucy before about the Key Lime Cake at Firefly's on Petronia St., best dessert I have ever had (and yes, it was cake, not pie). We ate at Bagatelle's and Banana Cafe and Santiago's Bodega, and I finally got to eat at Latitude's on the little island of Sunset Key (you have to have reservations for Latitude's). What I missed were Lucy's recommendations of Louie's Backyard and Cuban Coffee Queen. There were a few bars we visited, such as Irish Kevin's, Hog's Breath Saloon, and Sloppy Joe's. We went in the Green Parrot just to say we'd be there. Oh, the bar visits were with my daughter and future son-in-law and my son.
ReplyDeleteI love The Hemingway House, and I visited it every time I went there. It's great just to walk the streets and stop in places. I prefer Old Town and staying there in a hotel or small housing arrangements. The sunsets at Mallory Square are gorgeous, and I had my fortune told by Lucy's good friend there.
I was so happy when you started your Key West series, Lucy. Every book takes me back to walking the streets of Old Town or eating great food. I really need to get back to Key West, and preferably at a time you're there, Lucy. I'm so glad the three Reds could spend some time together there. Oh, and I think I answered the question above when I started out talking about where I ate there.
We had a wonderful visit Kathy! That photo of the whole fish is from 915:) I will be eating at Firefly this week, though it's always hard to be hungry by the time the dessert menu arrives!
DeleteLucy, sometimes you have to eat dessert first … or at least plan your meal around dessert! Elisabeth
DeleteKathy, you have done the town!
DeleteLucy, that fish dish does look 915ish. I know what you mean about not having room for dessert, but I like Elisabeth's advice to eat dessert first or plan you meal around it. Debs, I was in my young fifties when I zipped around town so much. And, then when a friend and I met other friends docking from a cruise ship there around eight years later, I was still in favor of walking from one end of Duval to the other. When we walked from Bagatelle to the Hemingway House, I kept telling the girls we were almost there, and by the time we got to our destination, they declared they would never believe me again about how far away something was. Afterwards, I walked down to Petronia to go to Santiago's Bodega and they got a ride there. I'm not sure how much walking I'm up to now, but I'd like to think I could still do it. Oh, when my daughter lived there for a year, they lived in a place with a Duval St. address. The entrance gate was on Duval, but the apartment/house set back away from most of the noise. It was right across from LaTeDa's, the hotel and restaurant and cabaret shows (drag shows) place. I wish I'd gone to a show. I ate breakfast there a couple of times, which was delicious. The rooms there look fabulous on the web site, but I've not stayed there. You do have to be at least 21 to stay.
DeleteA perfect trip, Debs! I am way overdue for a visit to Key West, especially when I have writer pals to visit there. How did you get around the island? I'm picturing you and Lucy on a moped like Haley drives. Or do they have bike cabs? My son (the newlywed) pedaled one when he was in college in Boston.
ReplyDeleteI don't exactly plan vacations around food, but we both love to eat good food, so it's always included.
We mostly walked--why the hat was a necessity--or Lucy or John drove us a few places.
DeleteWhat a great trip. I don't plan trips around food, but food is always involved, especially trying the local fare.
ReplyDeleteI always go for local, too, Dru.
DeleteWe rented a Harley in Miami and drove down to Key West. What a marvellous journey! And we had that same piece of pie!
ReplyDeleteYou are adventurous, to rent a Hayley!
DeleteLove your typo, Lucy. Everyone should rent a Hayley. She's a great tour guide!
DeleteHa! Good one.
DeleteFabulous vacation/author event! Thank you for sharing on another cold, gray morning in northern Ohio. I can smell that Cuban coffee! As to your question, travel + food = heaven!! So, yeah, searching out good food is always an adventure when I travel. Bonus that you got to meet up with Hallie too!!
ReplyDeleteMy parents always planned their trips around food, too. My daughter is carrying on the tradition!
DeleteWow, the merengue on that pie was enormous!
ReplyDeleteIt was good, too! Not too sweet.
DeleteI have only been to Key West once. Irwin and I visited with a couple we are close to who had moved from Connecticut to Florida. The four of us drove down to Key West and spent several nights there together. It was lovely. We ate very well although I did not take notes. I would return in winter, for sure. I know I would see it differently after having read Lucy's series.
ReplyDeleteWe do think about food when we travel although we do not choose destinations based upon food. Wherever we are, we look for places to eat that are unique to the area. The cruises we have taken are with a cruise line known for its cuisine.
We are keenly aware of my unusual allergy to honey and the increasing use of it in all kinds of foods so we have to be sure that the kitchen staff understands that wherever we go.
So difficult for you, Judy. That must take some of the pleasure from eating out.
DeleteWe ask the hotel desk or tourist office for recommendations, and they're usually spot on. When we made the long drive from Cincinnati to northern New Jersey for a wedding, we stayed in nowhere off route 80 in western Pennsylvania. Our dinner options were fast food or a fifteen-minute drive down a rural road to a historic inn, which gave us a fabulous meal. You never know until you find it.
ReplyDeleteI think I stayed there, too, Margaret! I was traveling solo (MA to southern IN) and got a chicken sandwich from McD's. But I took myself for a walk down a rural road among the cornfields and found a local distillery. The owner was closing up but she gave me all kinds of tastings and I bought a bottle of peach moonshine. Fabulous.
DeleteWe once asked the man working our hotel desk for his recommendation for a good pizza place. He said, “Pizza Hut”.
DeleteYou hit a lot of Key West’s highlights, Debs! Because our rental for February was sold out from under us (and new owners wanted to occupy in our slot) we didn’t get to Key West this year and much to my displeasure I couldn’t attend your visit to the KW Library Speaker Series. But we have found a place for 2024 so fingers crossed I’ll be in place to see you next year!—Emily Dame
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed Emily! I know Sherry Harris and hub were planning to come for a month this year but their rental was sold as well...it's dog eat dog down here I'm afraid...
DeleteI'm so sorry to have missed you, Emily. But I can certainly see why everyone wants to go to Key West!
DeleteI feel your pain! Like Roberta said, we were supposed to be there for January and then the house sold! Plus two other places canceled on us! Sigh. Maybe next year.
DeleteLooks like you had a great time! I had no idea the cat man retired. He and his clowder were so much fun to watch. Always food! Local, please. That's where the fun and adventure lie.
ReplyDeleteYes, the catman retired, but Lucy says he hangs out at Mallory Square most evenings.
DeleteI loved hearing about you Key West adventure and seeing those pictures! Of course the food is an extremely important part of any traveling. My husband always wanted to go to Disney World even though I wasn't as enthralled as he was, but the food we had in their different "worlds" was out of this world, some of the best I have ever had. When we went to Key West I don't remember the food at all, but since he wasn't feeling well we just picked up something quick and went back to the hotel. Someday I hope to go back and realy see and experience Key West.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you could get good food at Disney World! Maybe we'll make it there one of these days.
DeleteThe international-themed food at Epcot was also amazing, 38 years ago, and I assume would still be.
DeleteIt’s been 6 1/2 years since I lived in Florida but yes, you could get some great food at WDW. You can get hot dogs and chicken tenders too ( those were actually decent quality at Disney too) but “eating around the world” at Epcot is a fun and tasty experience.
DeleteWhat a lovely time you had! That key lime pie is UNbelievable; wow, look at the height of that meringue...Food, for sure, always, and always local, please. No point eating in chains, which I can likely do at home.
ReplyDeleteOh local all the way. Although I do make an exception for some UK chains when I'm London. Some of them have good food for reasonable (for London anyway) prices.
DeleteOh, fantastic! This looks absolutely blissful… And what spectacular company!
ReplyDeleteWe only missed you, Hank, and Julia, and Jenn!
DeleteReally looks like paradise to me considering we received 4” of new heavy, wet snow on Thursday and another 1-3” are expected today.
ReplyDeleteWe often google Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives for eating establishments to visit on our travels.
What a great idea, Brenda.
DeleteThank you for sharing your adventures with us, Debs! Looks like an amazing trip. Key West is on my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I've been to lots of other places in Florida, but I think there really is something magical about Key West. You must go!
DeleteDeb, next time you’re here, I’ll take you on my food tour to include One Love (Jamaican food truck on Stock Island) and Geiger Key Fishing Camp for hogfish tacos. This will necessitate some off-island travel (4-5 longgggg miles away) but worth it. It was great to see you again. Pat
ReplyDeletePat, you are on!! Would love to do both of those! And great to see you, too!
DeleteI don't travel much so I like to read menus online to get an idea of what is available and prices. If I'm just taking that eight hours drive to my sister's, I tend to stick to restaurant chains I recognize because it's just easier.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have travel recommendations from friends you trust. I had a brief chuckle when you said you found a chicken for Wren. I was imagining your trying to get a live chicken on the plane. (I missed the word "plush") :-)
Ha, my fellow passengers might have objected. Made me think of years ago, riding buses in Mexico with the passengers bringing their chickens.
DeleteWonderful post, Deborah! Never occurred to me to include food in travel plans.
ReplyDeleteYes, now I remember. When my relative came back from England, she mentioned the wonderful Indian restaurants. After that conversation,I travelled to England and Scotland. I noticed Indian restaurants and I decided to try a tandoori. It was yummy.
Usually my travel plans is more like a journey of discovery. Every time I travel to Britain and Europe, I discover wonderful food like the potato and leek soup in Austria, the Kir Royals drink in Paris, France, and baked potatoes from the British equivalent of a food truck in England.
Your photos of the food in key west made me drool. That lemon meringue pie looked wonderful!
Diana
All great suggestions, Diana!
DeleteI don’t plan travel around food. However, my family has a favorite vacation destination we’ve been going to for over thirty years, and we have favorite places to eat there. We know where to get good ice cream, good doughnuts, good seafood, etc.
ReplyDeleteDebRo
After my first European trip, to Paris and Tuscany, I had my eyes opened about eating fresh and local food in season. When I came home I raved about it a lot, apparently, because when the middle daughter subsequently visited Italy with her Latin teacher she was bitterly disappointed about being served "Americanized" dishes. Only one day was she able to spend exploring local food.
ReplyDeleteOf course since then she has more than made up for that experience. She's been on every continent but Australia and Antarctica in the last 22 years.
Karen in Ohio, I was in Tuscany when I had limoncello for the first time! Diana
DeleteSo was I, Diana! In Florence. Like sweet sunshine.
DeleteLong time since I’ve been to Key West And the Blue Heaven. Besides breakfast and 🐓, they had the best sweatshirts!
ReplyDeleteAlso recall conch fritters at Mangia Mangia!
The Hemingway House is an indescribable experience. Our Eliot has 6 toes on each foot, so I think you met some of her cousins there
And Debs, it was great fun being with you virtually yesterday at your master class. Great job!
Thanks, Ann! Hope you'll be there for the GOH interview in just a bit!
DeleteHow delightful, Debs! I haven't been to Key West in years and now I'm desperate to go back!
ReplyDeleteI feel so lucky to have been there with Lucy and Debs and getting to hear Lucy interview Debs at a full house library event. I do love key west for the food and sunsets and most especially for the writers and artists who hang out there
ReplyDeleteHallie, it was great to see you!!
DeleteI'm so freaking jealous and so happy you had such a wonderful time. I have a kind of funny story about your piece of pie. I showed the picture to my daughter. The next day I was pointing out an unusual looking cloud and my daughter said, "It looks like that piece of pie." She was right!
ReplyDeleteLove this, Sherry!!!
DeleteBlue Heaven is one of my favorites, partly because my parents liked it so much. My husband and I used to meet my parents in Key West for Thanksgiving and my dad particularly loved Blue Heaven because they had a jazz combo when we went there. Definitely tried the key lime pie, as Mom decided to find the best pie in town!
ReplyDeleteI loved the jazz combo. I made a little video to remember it by.
DeleteYesterday I went on about how much I've traveled in Europe, but I've never been to Key West (actually, I've never been anywhere in Florida except Orlando when our son was ten, for obvious reasons!) Key West looks so beautiful, and your pictures are very happy, Debs. Thanks for sharing. As for food and traveling, I can always grab coffee and a pastry for breakfast when we're in France, Italy or Germany, and a sandwich or bread-cheese-and-fruit for lunch, but dinner is CRUCIAL. That's how we spend the evening when we're abroad, eating well. Sometimes we're lucky, sometimes we're not. But finding a good restaurant is an important evening project!
ReplyDeleteWe would make good travel pals, Kim!
Deletei'm almost ready to say I plan my life around food! Your trip sounds wonderful, full of friendship and laughs beautiful scenery and food. I'd like to get there someday too. I haven't been there since I was a child. I read a great novel by a Latin American author that is set in Hemmingway's house. It's a mystery and quite unusual. If I can think of the name, I'll send it to you in an email.
ReplyDeleteYes, please, Susan, and share it here if you remember today.
DeleteSomeday . . . but meanwhile, I'll enjoy vicariously through your marvelous report and Lucy's wonderful books. A bit of paradise indeed. <3
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed my stay in Key West several years ago. Frank and I did eat lunch at Blue Heaven but skipped the pie as there was more meringue than lime filling! I don't plan my trips around food but I sure as heck look for great local food wherever we are.
ReplyDeleteLucy and I shared and still didn't make a dent!
DeleteReen Carter
DeleteDeborah Crombie! Wait a minute... this is too complicated for me! I have an account here, but I can't get through, so I'll just plunk this out. My mother always made me a lemon meringue pie for special occasions. I am sure yours is quite delicious!
DeleteDebs, This note was from me, Reine Carter
DeleteWe've been to Cuban Coffee. Key West is a unique place, loved touring Hemingway's home, and Truman's Little White House.
ReplyDelete