Tag Archives: key west

“Pic of the Week”, September 25, 2020: Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Key West

As we walked down Truman Avenue on our way to Duvall Street — around which you’ll find the main sites of interest in Key West — we came across this pretty church. It’s the Basilica of St Mary Star of the Sea, one of the oldest parishes in Florida.
The first Catholic Church in Key West was constructed in 1851 and was dedicated as “Saint Mary Star of the Sea”. That church was destroyed by fire in 1901. Construction of the present church began in 1904 and was completed the following year.
The church is built directly onto the island’s coral limestone and is made of concrete blocks containing crushed limestone and sand. It’s exterior design is considered “American Victorian”. The church …

Karl on Sep 24, 2020 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, August 21, 2020: Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden

Late one afternoon while we were heading towards Mallory Square to enjoy Key West’s nightly celebration of the setting sun, my brother and I came upon this Memorial Sculpture Garden, which remembers and pays tribute to some of Key West’s most famous residents.
The Sculpture Garden opened in September 1997 and there are nicely made busts of 36 men and woman who lives impacted the history of Key West. Most of these are of local people unknown to most of us, but there are several that are easily recognized. These include Ernest Hemingway, President Harry S. Truman, and Tennessee Williams.
All of these busts were crafted by artist James Mastin. The Sculpture Garden was privately funded (Friends of Mallory Square, Inc), and …

Karl on Aug 20, 2020 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, June 12, 2020: Key West homes after dark

We were walking the streets of Key West after dinner — a beautiful warm winter night — and I was impressed with how nicely lite many of the older homes were. Admittedly it was December and this may have been something special for the Holidays, but I suspect it is part of the normal ambience of the city.
Yet another thing I enjoyed about our visit to Key West.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)

[Show slideshow]

Karl on Jun 11, 2020 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, April 3, 2020: Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Key West

Sloppy Joe’s Bar is located on Key West’s main business street, Duval Street. The bar opened in 1933, the day prohibition ended. It was to move locations and have a name change or two before it ended up being at its current site in Key West. The name finally chosen was borrowed from the original Sloppy Joe’s bar in Havana, Cuba, although today the name has really stuck to the Key West location.

Local legend has it that Joe Russell, the original owner, was a friend of author Ernest Hemingway who lived in Key West at that time, and that Joe provided Mr. Hemingway with some illegal hooch during prohibition. It seems likely that Hemingway would have visited the bar when …

Karl on Apr 2, 2020 | Comments Off

Some Signs from Key West

Karl on Feb 17, 2020 with Comments Off

It’s often said of cities people visit that there’s no other place quite like it. Well, that’s definitely true of Key West, the most southern point in Florida.

Many cities have unique qualities — Vancouver BC and it’s beautiful harbor, New Orleans with its fascinating French Quarter, San Francisco and its Golden Gate — you get the idea.

I’ve often visited Florida, but this past trip marked my first visit to Key West. I was delighted with what I found. It’s an eclectic mix of history, the sea, grown up hippies, people who respect the military, partying, and a positive attitude about life. The place is a lot of fun!

Regular readers of this website know that I like to collect photos of the …

Tagged key west, Signs