Cheesburger in Paradise: Edit#2

The title of this post makes reference to the famous Jimmy Buffet song, Cheeseburger in Paradise. If you haven't guessed already, I'm including Buffet's song with the funny lyrics because I just got back from my spring break in Key West, FL. It so happens that for some strange reason I'm still trying to find out, what is it that he has something to do with this small island. I’m sorry for not posting lately, but I guess you already have an idea of why I stopped posting for some time. Yet, here I am and I'm telling you about the trip I just got back from a few hours ago.

As usual, my parents (specially my dad) are the ones who finance my trips and since I'm still under their care, there are only a few things in which I influence the final decision, if any at all. This time though, it was a little different. It all began months ago when my brother had a sudden Beatles obsession. He has almost every single Beatles original record - which is not that surprising. Actually, all of my family (including myself) got infected with the Beatles fever and my mom asked me to look for any Paul McCartney concerts. My parents are not big concert people, but if there is ever a chance, they would make an exception. I signed up for any upcoming events where Paul McCartney would be playing. To my surprise, there were more events than I had imagined (I thought the guy was thinking about retirement, not starting a tour). I received an e-mail with information about his tour which had a stop in Miami on April 3, 2010. Since my mom had insisted on the McCartney concerts, I let her know about it but it didn’t seem like such a big deal. The next thing I knew, we were going to Miami during spring break to watch Paul McCartney playing at the Sun Life Stadium! The concert part was fun, but I wasn’t so excited about the other six days of the week in Miami. Some people reading this might disagree but an afternoon for shopping is more than enough, and after more than a day, hanging out at the beach gets old (this only applies to places where the sea is freezing just a little over 70oF).

I told my parents that we should go somewhere else, but the tickets were already bought and there wasn't much I could do to change the plans. I looked at the Florida map for any possible road trips and saw that Key West was not that far away from Miami. I suggested this detour to my parents and they agreed. My mom didn’t wait for long and booked a B&B (Bed and Breakfast: when a couple no longer lives with their kids and are left with an empty house, full of rooms, they offer it to tourists or backpackers and the price normally includes breakfast).

Last week, we finally got on the plane and started towards Miami. Our plan was actually to stay in Miami a night or two so that we could meet my dad's stockbroker and then head off towards Key West. Miami wasn't that exciting, I did get some time at the mall and a day at the beach, just enough. My cousin was there with her husband so we spent some time with them. Later we stopped at Aventura Mall just minutes before they were closing. This ended up being all we did in Miami. The next day we drove almost four hours into Key West. The highway, or whatever you want to call it, actually goes over the sea's surface. It looked like a long bridge that crossed the sea. When we finally got there, we unpacked and went outside for dinner. It wasn't so late so we got to walk around.

This is where the famous Jimmy Buffet comes in. If you know anything at all about the man, you know his songs are silly and barely make sense, but are funny and make you feel good. I've kind of grown up listening to Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville, where he was "wasted" looking for his "lost shaker of salt". Back to this having anything to do with this post -again I don't know what the connection is between him and Key West- but it’s obvious he’s important there. The guy has his own restaurant on Duval St. (where almost everything happens in Key West) called Margaritaville and a gift shop right next to it. The place feels like a beach party, actually the restaurant has a sign on it that says, Hurricane party. To finish the story, we had dinner there and they had a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” on the menu. Obviously, that was what I got, my parents ordered margaritas and that's how this very interesting story ends. I do suggest you go there though. As far as I know, there's one Margaritaville in Cancun and there may well be all over the world. It's an experience and although the food isn't as great as it sounds, the drinks are amazing (No, I didn’t try the Margaritas, I tried the Pina-Colada).

The next day, we reserved space on a Katamaran that takes you out at sea and you can go snorkeling. We got our wetsuits but I can't say we saw much. The bottom where the fish are supposed to be, was pretty much gray, brown, and empty. There were some fishes but that was about it. Later, we rented a jet ski that fit three people. I rode it with my dad and my brother, but neither of them had any idea of what they were doing, so I took the wheel. I was going very slow steady pace but I was being safe, my brother was terribly bored with my pace so I gave him a turn and asked him to take it easy. The next thing I knew we were all in the water and the thing was a few feet away. I got furious with him and so did my dad. He decided he would drive so that we would stop fighting. He has absolutely no idea of how a jet ski works and so all the way back we were zigzagging and getting in the way of other boats. You can probably tell I didn’t have as much fun as I expected. However, if you're into it, you will enjoy it, just make sure you're with someone that actually knows how to drive a jet ski.

On the third day, we went to the local museums and the aquarium. All the museums are tiny and you can see them in a few minutes but it's worth it. Some of the places I liked best were Ernest Hemingway's home and the shipwreck museum. Although the Shipwreck one is more exciting for five year-olds, I had a good time. Hemingway's home was very interesting, I can't say it was beautiful or distinctive but I liked it anyways and it was also were he wrote some of his famous works so I guess that gives the place some extra points.

A part from the museums or the water activities, Key West is a very cozy and relaxed place. We rented bikes that turned out to be a very good way of transportation. We got to see what we wanted to see and eat homemade ice cream. After all, Key West exceeded my expectations and I really enjoyed spending some time there. From the homey feeling of the B&B to falling off the jet-ski, last week was packed with fun things. Key West is definitely a place I would go back to.

I spent the last day of the week driving up to Miami again. We waited until it was time to head to the concert. I still can't believe I saw Paul McCartney live! It's a memory I will never forget. Specially singing Hey Jude or Helter Skelter and just being there is an incredible experience.

For the most part, my trip to Miami exceeded my expectations and it turned out to be something far more better than what I had imagined. Now, I’m very tired and I have school tomorrow, so to finish up, I highly recommend Key West and Paul McCartney concerts. Go and enjoy yourselves in the very liberal Key West lifestyle.