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Key West Top Five

Key West Restaurants, Shops, Night Spots & Attractions

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Barbara's Top Five: by Barbara Bowers, Key West Correspondent Restaurants: 1. Caribe Soul, 1202 Simonton Street; 305-296-0094. This month, this restaurant with an island-oriented cuisine and a mix of upscale British and get-rowdy Jamaican ambiance (two dining rooms to choose from), is featured in Chile Pepper Magazine. Great food. Great fun. Easy fit for any pocketbook, and yes, I wrote the article for Chile Pepper. Lunch and dinner; from $6.50 to $25 per person. 2. Mo's, 1116 White Street; 305-296-8955. An off-the-beaten-path local's favorite. French cuisine with wonderfully heavy cream sauces. Skip the health concerns and go for quiches, soufflés, casseroles and daily specials. Lunch and dinner; from $6 to $14. 3. Salute, 1000 Atlantic Boulevard; 305-292-1117. On Higgs Beach, open-air dining. Offers a fresh, whole, grilled grouper that feeds two for $13. Spectacular. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; from $3 to $25. 4. Roof Top cafe, 310 Front Street; 305-294-2042. Treetop balconies overlook the heart of Old Town. Continental cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; from $5 to $25. 5. Ambrosia, 1100 Packer Street; 305-293-0304. Fresher-than-fresh sushi, a la Carte or tempura dinners. Itsy-bitsy and located in the center of the island. Call for reservations. Lunch and dinner; from $8 to $25.  Top Shops:  Shopping is inordinately expensive here for quality items; particularly during January's high tourist season. Of course, you can find T-shirts and cheap Indonesian stuff, but I'm focusing on locally made art and/or fine-island ware. 1. Mallory Square Sunset Celebration: An every evening gathering of local artists and entertainers akin to other Caribbean markets. Artists set up an hour before sunset, which is around 5:30 p.m. in January. Find everything from The Young Artist's Coloring Book to watercolors of historical landmarks to ten-minute back rubs. Best place in Key West for souvenirs. 2. The Chicken Store, 1229 Duval Street. This is pure Key West ingenuity -- an entrepreneurial venue that supports "Rooster Rescue," a volunteer effort to save the street chickens that often come under fire from people who don't especially appreciate early morning wake up calls. Yes, it is hard to be a "yard bird in Margaritaville," in spite of Key West's designation as a national bird sanctuary. The store is dedicated to all things chicken: paintings, T-shirts, clocks, you name it. Your opportunity to souvenir shop with a valiant mission! 3. Kalypso Gallery, 609 Whitehead Street. Features Carrie Disrud's vibrant, whimsical art, as well as other local artists. Everything from acrylic paintings to hand-painted clothing to children's books. 4. Nannie Mixsells; 1102 Duval Street. Gift shop and fine ladies fashions. Linens. Silks. Unusual clothing that can be pricey, but it is lovely island-ware. 5. Assortment, Inc.; 514 Fleming. Upscale men's fashion shop, in fact, the only one in Key West. Carries Polo and Ralph Lauren, among other designers, plus, the kind of fine, leather shoes European royalty tends to wear.  Top Night Spots:  All two miles of Key West's infamous Duval Street is a night spot, but some locations are especially rewarding, and less obvious to the first-time visitor. 1. Schooner Wharf at the dead-end of William Street on the Key West Bight. Lots of local color; live music; food and drinks. 2. Virgilio's; 524 Duval Street. Indoor-outdoor bar and lounge at the rear of the Italian restaurant, La Trattoria. Live music; frequently jazz. 3. Louie's After Deck; 700 Waddell Street. This bar is a spacious wooden deck at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Quiet conversation is the focus and the ultimate testament to tropical living. This is my neighborhood bar where outdoor entertainment is year-round. 4. Atlantic Shores Cinema; 510 South Street. Key West's version of a drive-in movie, only it's walk-in. Sit outdoors on lawn chairs and watch the latest films projected on the motel's wall. Movies are cheap, and a waitress serves drinks. This is Paradise, after all. 5. Diva's; 711 Duval Street. Drag shows with top-notch entertainers every night. Disco dancing for the always mixed-crowd.  Top Attractions:  It's hard to top ocean attractions like scuba diving and flats fly fishing, but here are some landlubbing attractions that I love: 1. The Key West Garden Club; Atlantic Boulevard, next to the White Street Pier. Lush foliage and history come together in this ocean-side garden inside a Civil War fort. Admission is free. 2. The Conch Tour Train; ticket booths throughout Old Town. An $18 island tour in open-air "trains". Helps newcomers to Key West get their bearings and identify areas to visit later. 3. Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas; fly (305-294-0709; $175 per person) or day-sail (305-294-7009; $90 per person) to this near-supernatural Civil War fort located in the open ocean. Designated a national park in 1992, this is my favorite place on earth. I detail its beauty and tragedy in the book Once Upon An Island (www.barnesandnoble.com). If you've made it all the way to Key West, not going the extra 75 miles to Fort Jefferson is like going to the Grand Canyon and not looking over the edge. 4. Sunset sails on old schooners every night from Key West Bight. Romance and fun includes drinks and appetizers for three hours offshore Key West. Prices start at $25 per person. 5. The Key West Cemetery; main entrance at Margaret and Windsor Streets. More than two hundred years of history in a few acres, much of it above ground akin to New Orleans' cemetery. The memorial to the USS Maine, which kicked off the Spanish/American War when it sank in Havana Harbor, is located here. Free admission. CLICK HERE to find your Key West hotel, check availability and make on line reservations -or- Call our reservations center at 1-866-226-9330 (toll free) Barbara Bowers, a writer and artist, has lived in Key West since 1988. Her travel and general interest articles have appeared in newspapers that range in scope from the Miami Herald to the Christian Science Monitor, and in magazines that range from Islands to Chile Pepper. She owns ArtSmart Books, and most recently wrote and published "The Young Artist's Coloring Book."

Choose a Hotel by Location Beach Lovers Key West is surrounded by water, but the beaches may not be what you expect. Romantic Getaway Romance abounds in this tropical paradise. There are numerous places to stay if you're visiting Key West with that special someone. Leisure Traveler If your choice of lodging is a bed and breakfast, you're in luck. Families Although some lodging facilities prefer adults, many offer kid-friendly environments. Gay Traveler Key West is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the U.S. Get a TravelPacket for Key West and the Florida Keys Click for more Travel Information by return email at no cost or obligation. Get yours now. Search the Web w/ Sir Spider

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