Florida - Sunshine State
I’m usually pretty good with planning, in fact I love that part of traveling, but I forgot one thing when I chose March as the best time to take a trip to Florida – Spring Break! I wanted to go before it got too hot, so March instead of May when we usually go seemed like a good idea. There were lots of Spring Break college students having a wonderful noisy time, especially in Key West and Miami, but in a way that only added to the Florida vibe.
We started in the Tampa – St. Pete area where we spent time with dear friends. They took us to the Columbia Restaurant in the Ybor Historic district of Tampa. It was nearly 100 years old at the time and considered the “queen” of the city’s traditional Spanish and Cuban eateries. It’s a huge place but the food and the sangria were excellent, and it was lively, with live music and dancing. The restaurant anchors a 10-block nightlife district in Ybor City, a formerly Latin residential neighborhood where graceful old brick buildings and fancy wrought-iron railings have been carefully preserved. It was great fun to walk around in this area with a party atmosphere among people of all ages.
I have never been a fan of Salvador Dali, but we had read about his museum in St. Petersburg, so we found our way there. Many of his paintings were bizarre and even disturbing, but two that we especially liked were Discovery of America and Basket of Bread. I learned that it’s important to be open-minded and to leave preconceived notions behind. I now know that I actually like some of Dali’s work, and that his talent was huge even when his surrealistic paintings of melting clocks and desert dreamscapes leave me scratching my head.
Key West is an amazing place. When we checked into our hotel, that was when we realized it was Spring Break. Loud music, pounding on the walls, it was quite a scene. So, we decided to just have a good time and sleep late in the morning like we assumed all the kids would do. And that worked. We went into Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville on Duval Street downtown after dinner. It was crowded downstairs, so we went upstairs and ordered, what else, margaritas. There was a balcony, so we stepped outside to watch all the people walk by. There was a trashcan on the sidewalk below and, having finished my margarita, I told Andy that I thought I could toss it right into that can. We laughed and I gave it a toss. I can’t remember whether it went in or not, but I do remember that someone was walking by, and the ice flew out of the plastic cup and landed on his head. We ducked back inside quickly!
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum was a highlight of the trip. I kept thinking about all the Hemingway books I had read as we toured the house and grounds, especially his writing studio.
That night we took a sunset sail aboard the Stars and Stripes. I think it was the two of us and about 35 college students, enjoying the sunset and cool breeze. I spent most of my time on the boat chatting with a group of young women from Miami University of Ohio (how ironic is that?). Andy teased me afterwards that I spent my life counseling high school and college students and when on vacation – well, I just had to chat with these young women and find out how their Spring Break was going!
We spent time searching for the best Key Lime Pie or Ice Cream Bar and decided that they were all excellent. I have to say, in fact, that the combination between key lime, vanilla ice cream and chocolate is perhaps the best dessert ever created.
The drive from Key West to Miami along the Florida Keys was fascinating. The Keys are an outpost of sorts, a 120-mile stretch of sparsely populated island settlements closer to Cuba and the Caribbean than to mainland Florida in sensibility, if not actual distance. We stopped for lunch in Islamorada at Manny & Isa’s Kitchen (now closed) for a Cuban sandwich (delicious!) and, for dessert, Key Lime Pie, of course. Ted Williams’ picture was on the wall, and he was reportedly a regular patron.
In Miami, we stayed right on the beach. Lots of Spring Breakers there, too. The weather was perfect and walking along the sand was just as we imagined Florida would be. Our favorite activity was an Art Deco tour in South Beach Miami. We learned all about the origins and elements or Art Deco, from Europe to the US and South Beach. The anecdotes about the influence of “the mob” and Hollywood made it even more intriguing. It was a good way to end our Floridian visit.
