As you know, we’ve been in Florida for a while, spending the Winter here, bouncing around the state. Our latest travels took us South, to the Gold Coast – Miami and The Keys. OMG! I must say, I like this area of Florida. Couldn’t live here, too expensive, too many people, but for a vacation – what fun! We’d definitely come back here!
Miami is vibrant and alive. So many neighborhoods with their own unique vibes. We fell in love with Little Havana and its food, its music and its chickens. Chickens are everywhere, I assume set free by some hurricane a long time ago. The sounds, the colors, the smell of Cubin food, the taste of the café con leche and the live music coming from the open-air restaurants made us feel like, just maybe, we were in Havana.
And South Beach is a must-see. If you like to people watch, South Beach is a fun afternoon. Reminded me of Venice Beach, California. I could sit & stare for hours!
I’d recommend three or four days in Miami, just pick a different neighborhood each day and immerse yourself.
We were fortunate enough to get a spot in The Keys for two weeks. Two whole weeks!!! It was lovely. The Keys are lovely. The water is lovely. Key West is lovely. Key Largo is lovely. Yellowtail Snapper and Hogfish make lovely dinners. We ate Conch (pronounced Conk), shrimp and Stone Crab claws. Pete found several conch shells. Our campground took up a whole island. We kayaked around it! I got on my paddleboard (which Pete reminds me we have lugged across the country for two years. But lugging it around was worth it just for these two weeks!) We beached. We swam. We biked. We touristed. We saw Hemmingway’s 6-toed cats. I don’t know any place in the continental US that has such crystal-clear water in calming shades of blue and green. Be prepared for lots of water pictures with this blog.
We gave ourselves a challenge while here, vacation can’t be all fun & games…. We committed to finding the best Key Lime Pie. Chasing a windmill, maybe, but having goals and dreams is important. It sounds simple, but you have no idea how different each recipe can be and how many recipes there are. It takes resolve and patience (and an extra inch or two in your waistband). We tried slices where the sign said “Best Key Lime Pie in the Keys”. Nope. We tried slices that were highly recommended by family. Nope. We tried slices where the sign said “The birthplace of Key Lime Pie”. Nope. Many slices later, it started to get stressful – would we actually find the best? The answer is no. We didn’t. We ran out of time. We need to return and continue our research. We’re not quitters! I know the slice I’m beelining to next time …. Frozen Key Lime Pie on a stick, dipped in Belgium chocolate. Passed a woman eating this on the street as we headed out of Key West and I thought, darn it, a missed opportunity, probably should have started with this one!
Heading North today. Off to Tampa and Orlando again. No more vacationing for us, just living for the next few weeks.
You’re having some amazing adventures!
We really are having some amazing adventures. As much work as this is, I am really glad we are doing it. We’ll be back in Orlando next week. I’ll check in with you and let’s find a sunny day for pickleball!
Great post, great pictures. On our way down to the Keys, we were at a restaurant and a boy asked the waiter if they Choc covered key lime pie on a stick. Our ears perked up and we’re so glad we found it neat Mallory Square. It really was quite good.
I want to go back to Pensacola Florida, there is a place there that has triple layered Key Lime Pie.
Thanks for sharing
If there is a way to improve upon Key Lime Pie, I think that little shop near Mallory Square figured it out! I was so sad we missed our opportunity. We already had our Key Lime Pie in hand when I saw that. I should have just bought the chocolate covered slice on a stick anyway, to heck with calories! 🙂
Love the photos and the stories. Where did you find the murals?
Most of the murals came from a neighborhood of Miami called Wynwood. This neighborhood is defined by it’s graffiti everywhere. There is a museum there called Wynwood Walls, they bring in famous street artists and let them do a wall within the boundaries of the museum. Julie Goddard told us about it. The also told us of another place called Walt Grace, Vintage cars and vintage guitars. Bill would like that place for the calls. Can’t wait to see you. April will be here so very quickly!
What an awesome time Mary and Pete! And beautiful weather. It’s been raining here a lot, in fact we have 3 inches to date – great for Tucson! Love all the pics and you made us want to go there.
Hi Terri. If you’ve never been to The Keys and Miami, you should definitely go! The weather here has not been wonderful. Cold and rainy for Florida. No snow, though, so that’s a plus over Tucson this winter! See you soon! I hear we have cul-de-sac happy hour scheduled. That makes me very happy!
I’ve never been but you are right…it looks lovely!
It is absolutely lovely. Definitely add it to your list of places to go.
Some of your best pictures yet!
Thanks for taking us with you!
Love and prayers, Susan
Thanks for the love & prayers! The water in the Keys rivaled Hawaii and Cabo. It was so beautiful. I could sit on the beach and stare at it for hours. See you soon!
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=4ee34b91b601045e&sxsrf=ACQVn08poT_xq16kP3SsfFseJwc8dRZZnw%3A1707755182339&q=Truman%20Little%20White%20House&ludocid=3809817739934498926&ibp=gwp%3B0%2C7&lsig=AB86z5VmKafvLandnU1YHbTkASBd&kgs=f1298e41914d2b02&shndl=-1&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F3
Mary and Pete if you got time on your way out of Key West check out President Truman’s winter Key West home.
Hi Anthony. Thanks, we did stop there on one of our tourist days. We enjoy the president museums and houses.
‘t quitters! Luvya both. Maybe see you when you nget to Orlando I Hope??!!??
Hi Jeanne. We head to Orlando next week. I will give you a call and let’s see if we can get together again! Would love to see you and get one more hug before we leave Florida!
Wow, you guys are really seeing all Florida has to offer! Look forward to catching up in Tucson soon!
Florida has been a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to catching up in Tucson, too! See you soon, very soon!