Geographer, Will Travel: Key West

After Savannah, our next stop on vacation was Key West, Florida.

Sometimes life is all about timing and I do not think we timed our trip to Key West well. First of all, we decided to go in the hottest month possible (August) and therefore sweat off at least five pounds each. I was expecting warm temperatures, but with high humidity and no breeze, it was ridiculous. On top of that, the home we rented did not have air conditioning on the main living floor which was really disappointing. We were hoping to cook and relax in the house, but it was impossible with such warm temperatures. The pool was our only relief, oh and a few cold showers, since the beaches are nothing to write about.

Second, Key West reminded me a lot of New Orleans - no open container laws, lots of drink specials, and dirty, smelly streets. Maybe Key West is just like New Orleans in that I need to go more than once to really appreciate it for all that it is? Since I am six months pregnant, I could not drink in all that Key West had to offer and was just annoyed with all the drunk people. I also think that if we had gone in a cooler month, the smell might have been a bit better as well.

Lastly, I was expecting a lot of cute, garden, island homes and was surprised to see more rundown homes than anything else. Maybe we were just in the wrong area, but it was very hit or miss.

There were good things in Key West. Kyle had the best mojito ever. I had two pieces of key lime pie and a surprisingly refreshing (nonalcoholic) key lime slush. There were some cute shops and it was really fun to ride our bikes around everywhere. (Bike riding was also a good way to create your own breeze.) Lastly, we had great spa treatments.

I hate to say such negative things about a place and I do think my experience was based largely on bad timing, but maybe Key West is just not for me.