Travel Review: Key West

Hey friends and fam!

I realize it’s been over a year since I last posted to my blog. Life has been crazy, to say the least. I traveled to Zimbabwe and South Africa back in September 2022 to meet my girlfriend’s family (which was amazing, to say the least) and shortly thereafter was promoted at work. I moved into my own apartment back in March and now live in Cupertino less than a mile away from work :)

In terms of travel, aside from my Zimbabwe trip, I’ve done some small trips here and there, including Palm Springs, skiing in Colorado, and camping at Pinnacles National Park, but my latest and greatest trip was this past week when my family and I traveled to Key West, Florida!

For those of you who may be geographically challenged, Key West sits at the far western end of the Florida Keys, a group of islands just south of mainland Florida. It’s about 160 miles or approximately 4 hours drive from Miami.

Originally occupied by the Calusa Native American tribe, Key West was sold to U.S. businessman John Simonton following the United States acquisition of Florida from Spain in 1821. Since then it has developed into a world-renowned vacation destination for those seeking respite from their busy lives. Key West offers a laid-back environment for vacationers to enjoy the warm gulf water and a plethora of resorts, bars, restaurants, and entertainment.

As for me and my family, our initial plan was to arrive in Key West in the early afternoon on Wednesday, July 26 after taking a red-eye flight from California to Miami and making the 4-hour drive down the keys. Unfortunately, our plans were disrupted by poor weather which caused our flight to be diverted to West Palm Beach until at which time a new aircrew could take us the remaining 70 miles to Miami. This delay ended up costing us 7 hours and we ultimately did not arrive in Key West until shortly after 11 pm.

View from one of the few beaches in Key West. Not exactly the gleaming white sand that is often advertised, but the water temperature felt nice at least!

The next morning (or should I say afternoon since we were so sleep deprived we didn’t wake up until noon), we took a drive around town to explore. My initial impressions of Key West more closely resemble a town in a developing Latin American country like Mexico rather than an American vacation destination. The two-lane streets contain a chaotic combination of cars, golf carts, mopeds, and bicycles (most of whose riders did not wear helmets or any protective gear) navigating their way through a town covered in old run-down buildings, not to mention wild chickens!

One of the many quaint homes in Key West's Old Town neighborhood

After a quick stop to snap a photo at the famous “Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.A.” buoy, we headed over to the closest beach. Having grown up in California, beaches are not new for me, but my beach experiences have consisted of frigid water which isn’t particularly inviting to go into beyond your feet/lower legs. I was therefore excited to experience the warm waters of the Atlantic. We arrived at the beach, only to find that the water was pretty murky and honestly a bit too warm for my taste, considering the air temperature that day was over 90 degrees with a heat index of over 100F factoring in humidity. We would later discover from the locals that the notion of white sand beaches in Key West is completely misleading and that the town is better known for water activities like snorkeling and parasailing, and partying, rather than beach lounging.

Me seeking shade next to the "Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.A." buoy

Speaking of snorkeling and parasailing, that’s just what we did! Over the next couple of days, we took two different water excursions. The first involved boarding a sailboat that took us out into the gulf to a snorkeling filled with fish feeding on the algae below. While it paled in comparison to what I’ve seen snorkeling in Hawaii, being able to swim around and look at some of God’s magnificent sea creatures in the warm gulf waters was still an unforgettable experience.

Shortly after, our guides took us out on kayaks around one of the many mangrove islands off the coast of Key West. For those like myself who are not particularly knowledgeable on botany, Mangroves are tropical trees that grow in salt water and have some crazy-looking roots. Mangroves are also home to a wide swath of tropical birds, many of which we saw as we paddled around the island on our kayaks.

For our final day in Key West, my family and I went out on a speedboat to partake in one of the most fun activities you can do in Key West - parasailing. For those who have never parasailed, you are basically strapped onto a parachute that is attached to a cord affixed to a speedboat and you are flown through the air. It’s as awesome as it sounds and I highly recommend it. The views of the ocean from the sky are breathtaking and this is probably the closest I’ll ever feel to being a bird.

On our way out of town, we passed by the Hemingway House and Museum, where famous author Ernest Hemingway spent part of his life. While we didn’t have the chance to go inside, as someone who enjoys historical homes, and an Ernest Hemmingway reader, this was a great way to close out my time in Key West.

The exterior of the Ernest Hemingway House (Apologies for the mesh, this is the best pic I could get from the outside!)

Overall, I think Key West is a great place to lay back and enjoy a tropical paradise away from the hustle and bustle of most of our busy lives. While the beaches there are not superb, getting to partake in various water activities and experience a town with a uniquely quaint aesthetic made this trip a unique experience.

View down Roosevelt Blvd, the main thoroughfare through KeyWest lined with Palm Trees and running alongside the marina with a variety of docked boats.

Do I plan to return to Key West? Probably not anytime soon. While I enjoyed the vacation to the fullest extent, the distance from California, along with the fact that the town is admittedly overrun with tourists, makes me hesitant to make another trip. But if you haven’t been, I still highly recommend it!

Well, it’s back to the grind of work tomorrow. I’m dreading my inbox, but at least I’ll be content knowing that I made some lifelong memories in a one-of-a-kind destination.