Bucketlist #20: See the Famous Key West Sunset

I love sunsets. You probably do too. But no one celebrates sunsets as much as the people in Key West.

Source: luxetravel

Why I wanted to go

After visiting my family in Miami, FL seven or eight years ago, we drove all the way down the Keys – a drive you should definitely make if you ever get the chance! I was excited to go, because it’s the home of one of my favorite writers: Meg Cabot. Not that I met her or anything. Besides, I think she spends a lot of time in NYC as well. And I didn’t know it back then, but Ernest Hemingway also wrote here. Anways, it is some kind of an island, so I was expecting paradise. And besides, I’m always curious to see what inspired some of the greatest (and my ‘favoritest’) writers!

Hemingway House in Key West

What I remember

Key West has a very nice port and boulvard to take a stroll on (even though I didn’t enjoy the walk because I had a lot of blisters) and the houses look like they come straight out of a Disney movie. As Key West as actually closer to Cuba than it is to Miami, this might be the reason. (If you’ve seen pcitures from Cuba you probably know what I’m talking about. Pastel colors. Wood. Just sayin.) Of course, we also went for a drink at Sloppy Joe’s, although we weren’t really blown away by it.

Source: Angelo Perron

O, those sunsets

So, like I said, Key West is all about celebrating sunsets. I’ve never seen a natural phenomenon been so exploited: sunset café, sunset bar, sunset restaurant, sunset hotel, sunset cruise… Name it, it’s there. We had high expectations about this famous moment and were there to see it from beginning to end. Just like all sunsets, it was a beautiful, colorful one. But so was the one at Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica for example.

Sunset Pier Source: shoestringsweekend

Key West is a definite must-visit if you ever go to Miami (again). Drive there – it feels like you’re flying over the water. It’s amazing, really! Don’t go for the sunset, but because of the beautiful architecture, the relaxing atmosphere and to see the traces from the island’s history.

Source: bdegiulio

Have you been to the Keys? Or Miami?