RevrendAndy wrote:Steve,

Thanks for the info but I'll never drive again. I'm in the Naples area and the Key West Express ferry leaves from Ft. Myers at 8:30am and arrives Key West at noon. The return leaves at 6pm and arrives Ft. Myers 9:30. Great schedule. Much faster than driving and a wonderful boat.

Can't say that I blame you. Is that a car ferry?

No cars on the ferry. You can pay a minimal fee at the terminal and park in a secured lot. Cars aren't necessary on Key West-we rent bikes when we arrive and ride everywhere.

RevrendAndy wrote:No cars on the ferry. You can pay a minimal fee at the terminal and park in a secured lot. Cars aren't necessary on Key West-we rent bikes when we arrive and ride everywhere.

That sounds great. You're 100% correct about not needing a car once you get to KW.

Key West is pretty small. If you're physically able to ride a bike you can go anywhere. Scooters and electric carts are also available for rent. Parking can be problematic around Duval St. and the waterfront area. I've been to Key West 2x this year so I'm pretty confidant about my info. There are cabs available if you don't have any other transportation.

stevez wrote:Next time you're driving down to Key West, there is a KFC between Key Largo and Islamorada that is located right where the road splits into a divided highway. The KFC is located between the two halves of the road. In any event, the owner is from the Bahamas and they serve cracked conch breaded in the Colonel's 17 herbs & spices that is amazingly good. Might be an off menu item, I can't recall. It's been quite some time since I've made that trip, so it might not hurt to investigate first, although if you're driving from Miami to Key West, you go right past it.

I'll be driving that route soon. I love the sound of that conch.

I need to join in the love-fest for the Half Shell Raw Bar (231 Margaret St. - http://www.halfshellrawbar.com). The last time I was in Key West, I gave my wallet a beat down at that place... soaking up great seafood, drinks and atmosphere. Try checking out their happy hour too, which is from 4-ish to 6-ish (I think -- my memory is hazy).

We were going to try 1/2 shell our last day before boarding the boat but it was packed and couldn't get in. We decided to go back to Turtle Kraal next door, which was a mistake. I guess there's a reason why we had no trouble getting a table.

We are fans of Key West to have some drinks, maybe a dinner, but not to stay there.

We usually stay ~15-20 miles outside of Key West, a restaurant that we've really enjoyed
is Mangrove Mama's on Sugarloaf Key.

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Our first night in the keys we stopped before we got to the hotel (we'd spent all afternoon snorkeling in relatively chilly water), at the Hurricane Hole on Stock Island.

Service was very nice, food very good.
Conch fritters were tasty, and had the conch we were missing on a previous batch elsewhere. Very nice key lime and spicy 'bahamian pink' sauces with them.
I had yellowtail, one of the day's catches. Huge portion - the server recommended panko crusted, and it was lightly breaded, several big pieces of fish served with a lot of rice.
SueF had a cuban sandwich -- not quite traditional, being mostly pulled pork, but very good.

The place is very laid back, on the docks where charter boats park, very picturesque. Lots of folks there with their dogs.
Hurricane Hole
5130 U.S. 1, Key West, FL 33040
Phone:(305) 294-0200
http://www.hurricaneholekeywest.com/restaurant.php

The next night we went to Alonzo's Oyster Bar, which is still hitting its marks as described above. I had fried oysters (
"fried?" you say. Yes, I'm not the biggest fan of raw, and their fried ones were stellar). SueF had the Shrimp Parmesan special, which was overcheesed, but tasty. We had our only Key Lime Pie of the trip here: a denser, nicely tart version (possibly unbaked?). Very good, something we should try to shoot for the next time we make it.