A Taste of Key West

April 29, 2008




David & Erin

Taste of Key West

While spring in Key West sees an annual great Northern migration of the snow birds, it also provides resurgence of festivals and events that bring out crowds of year round locals who attempt to reclaim the island from the masses of visitors who spend the winter here.

David & Kathy


One of the most fun of these is the massively popular Taste of Key West. A benefit for AIDS Help, A Taste of Key West features over 50 of the finest restaurants in the Keys providing samples of their delicious dishes along with a plethora of wineries and beer distributors serving libations. The event is one of the most popular and crowed of the many annual festivals held here. Crowds of locals pack the waterfront and we often run into people that we have not seen in ages. It draws a wonderful cross section of people and the food is really amazing.

Another rite of spring in Key West is the annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. A full week of activities and events that celebrate the brief moment in history when the Conch Republic succeeded from the US. The activities include the great Conch Naval Battle, the Conch Republic Drag Races ( races featuring Drag Queens), the Conch Republic parade and the Conch Republic Bed races among others. So far, I have already attended the parade, which features an eclectic, zany mix of Key West kitsch and we hope to see the bed races as well.

Effie & Lori in Conch Republic Parade

This week also found us at a Gallery opening/ benefit for our friend Kim Narenkivicius at the Lucky Street Gallery. Kim is a talented artist as well as the publisher of the wonderful literary journal, “The Secret of Salt: An Indigenous Journal”. Kim is busy preparing for a pilgrimage on the El Camino de Santiago. Kim will be walking the 900 kilometer path from Lourdes, France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain starting in May. This will be her second time, she completed the walk in 2004 and she expects to be walking about six weeks. A link to her blog, which will document her journey is featured below.

Kim



Finally, we had a too quick- cruise ship in Key West for the afternoon, lunch visit with my friend Scott and his wife visiting from Plymouth, Massachusetts. Scott is a friend from the Counting Crows message board. Hopefully they can come back soon and actually spend some quality time here. The visit was far too short.



The Road to Santiago