By Lena Katz
It’s sunset in Key West, and as usual, at least three people in Mallory Square are playing with fire. One’s juggling it, one’s dancing with it, and the third seems to be ready to eat it. A few yards away, a man in a straitjacket and chains hangs upside down above an excited crowd.
Mallory Square, Sunset Celebration. Photo by Gary Sibley
Oblivious to the street theater, German tourists push forward to the seawall, straining to snap photos of the sunset over the ocean. A cruise ship looms large on the horizon, with a few sailboats floating serenely in the mist. Even though autumn’s officially started, this town is eternally on a beach holiday—as are all of the Florida Keys. It’s one of several island clusters that offer Midwest and East Coast residents an easy golf getaway, fishing trip, spa weekend…not quite a full vacation, but enough to tide you over till the holidays.
The Florida Keys are just a half-hour jaunt from Miami, but many of its return guests are from Indianapolis and Ohio, Chicago and Boston…chilly cities that excel at business, but have forgotten how to relax. With mile after mile of peaceful, barely trafficked islands connected by narrow bridges and populated mostly by birds, the Keys literally offers a journey into to serenity.
The uppermost island, Key Largo, is the busiest except for Key West. Dozens of fishing expeditions and dive boats go in and out daily, the fishing boats in search of tarpon and bonefish (catch-and-release only), and the dive boats cruising to the offshore coral reef. It’s hard to choose between the many boat operators, but locals recommend Florida Keys Outfitters for fishing. Atlantis Dive Center is a hugely popular snorkel/dive boat operator—founder Spencer Slate’s shtick involves feeding moray eels chunks of fish from his mouth (he used to do barracuda till one of the fish chomped his mask off). (more…)
If you’re traveling this Thanksgiving, don’t plan on moving anywhere too quickly — at least while you’re on the ground. Travel during Thanksgiving weekend can be slow no matter where you’re traveling, but some places are busier than others.
By Kate Schwartz