Duval Street

Duval Street had just bought me seriously undone. I am sitting in a hotel in Miami because it is pouring rain having got a grand total of 2.5 hours sleep after drinking with the locals. I may have to move here. 

It started innocently enough. I got talking to some people in the pool, two were a nice retired couple who were very sober and responsible and two guys who were dating and having their first mini break away together. The two guys went to go catch the sunset, and the older couple were deciding where they were going to eat. I showered, changed into some fresh clothes and hit Duval Street. While I was deciding what to do I thought I'd grab a hot dog and wander the street to see what's up.

Key West is a bit upscale so not only does it have the cheap souvenirs and t-shirt shops but designer boutiques and fine art galleries. What all of these tourist places have in common though is the big chain restaurants. I'm thinking Hard Rock Cafe, Margaritaville, Hog's Breath, that kind of thing. I am always bemused when I see them full. It is a totally white bread experience. Come to an exotic and unusual location and eat at the place you go to when you're home. Head back and tell all your buddies that you've had the authentic Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis, Key West experience. 

They have people hand rolling cigars here. They sit out the front of the many cigar bars. The smell of the smoke is just divine. I thought about grabbing a pack to bring home. They are quite cheap but a local aficionado explained that they are of poor quality. They're rolled out in the open in the horrendous humidity and not stored in a humidor. He suggested I grab some Cubans from the duty free. The other thing they have here is wine bars. Not the sleazy old wine bars like you could find in Sydney in the 70's, these actually sell quality wine by the glass from around the world. They accompany them with with good tapas and cheese plates, better still one was right opposite the hotel I'm staying at. This is when its starts to get messy. 

I'm convivially sitting at the bar sipping a Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc chatting to the bar keep and a few bar flys and in walks a statuesque blond. We get chatting, she had been in Australia recently and loved it there. I explained that I wanted to check out a few things tomorrow but tonight I had to try a Key Lime Pie. They are all the rage as you know but were actually invented here using a bitter Mexican lime. I had to tick the box. Well that became the mission, phones were brought to bare, calls were made, bookings completed, directions sought and transport arranged. All the while it was on to the Chilean Cabernets followed by some from the Napa Valley. 

Then we hit this speciality dessert restaurant called Better Than Sex I highly recommend that you check out the webpage. Their chocolate wine was amazing and the Key Lime Pie was simply divine. All I can say is that I'm pleased I took my sunglasses. I staggered home at 6.00am and madly got up at 8.30am and did the Ernest Hemingway Museum, which was amazing. 

There was a world weary old curmudgeon who showed us around with stories drier than a Muswellbrook summer. He had tales about the six toed cats, how Hemingway ended up with the urinal from Sloppy Joe's Bar, the story of how wife number two took his last penny which she had concreted into the ground, along with history of his amazing body of work and his insatiable appetite for women. He finished with the poignant story of Hemingway's death by his own hand.

I tried to do the Little White House but it was shut (I found this out after I had walked there in 100% humidity 40 degree heat). Then I jumped in the car to fight my way through Miami traffic and sit here before you now. Its 8.00pm and I'm about to hit Ocean Drive and check out the art deco stuff. Wish me luck, that first drinks going to be a killer.