Hearing/reading so much about Key West in the past year made us want to test its waters. And so we did this summer. Clubbing the trip with Oh! My-ami en-route Everglades, we chalked out a major share of our trip for this country’s Rock Bottom. Yes, Key West is the southernmost part of the Continental United States, hence the rock bottom. And I got more excited when I knew about this.

We got not-very-enthusiastic comments from people when they heard about what time of the year we were visiting South Florida. We had our reasoning. That was the spare time I had in between semesters and he had his compensatory offs that could otherwise have gone unused. You know, making hay while the sun is shining. Besides, the weather app was by our side. And it did not let us down. It predicted a pleasant 75 degrees and it was right when we got there. So a tip: Trust the app. Trust your smartphone for reasons more than one.

Adventure seekers that we are, water sports topped our to-do list. Tossing between Miami or Key West to do the sports, we chose Key West just for the sake of clearer, bluer water and still untouched beaches. And glad we did. We ended up booking a Sebago water sports package that is an entire day of activity with food and drinks. Now getting snorkeling, para sailing, kayaking, jet skiing, all in one deal is one to grab it before it’s gone. And that too in the middle of Atlantic Ocean, sure was enticing. Para Sailing was our first experience and the sail operator made sure it was a memorable one – for the initial ten seconds, he just had us throwing in the water and giving us jerks from the height that if all strings let loose, it would have been a dive of a lifetime. Oh! And the super swimmers in our group out there did have a ball. Suggestion: To get the maximum of any island, don’t just know swimming but know it very well.

Oh! My-ami
You know I just realized, adventure bit of our trip was on Day 3 out of our four-day trip, I jumped straight to the most fun part. Okay, coming back to Day 1 and Miami. Miami is everything a-beach-bum-in-the-day and a-party-owl-in-the-night has to ask for. Pretty straightforward, that was. And we did exactly that. We surrendered ourselves to the sun and sand of South Beach besides treating our eyes with candies. After looking at Yelp for lunch options in SoBe, we came across Maoz, a vegetarian falafel shop and we couldn’t resist checking it out for obvious reasons. Their falafel sandwich is tasty but the worth mentioning was their mushroom lentil soup, soup of the day. Strolling across the streets, appreciating the quaint street art and artifacts, we headed towards the World Erotic Art Museum. It was interesting to see artists’ imagination run really really wild. Well, I would not say much about this, what we saw there should stay there only. Right?

In the evening, we headed out to Espanola Way where a slew of restaurants wait for you. The craving for sugar after the good soak in the sun had me at Milani Gelateria, interesting little café with artworks and an ice cream wheel. Dinner was had at Oh! Mexico, that served us delicious guacamole straight from the lava rock. What after that? It was time to shake a leg.  We got party dressed up and booked tickets for Cameo, one of the very happening clubs in the city. And of course, it did not disappoint us AT ALL. Next morning, we did the touristy downtown Miami and then to leave for Key West via Everglades National Park.

Date with the Gator
We booked ourselves to the Gator Park airboat tour at Everglades just for the sake of watching the alligator up, close and personal. And when we actually did, it was an experience to behold. Lily, the alligator kept on coming towards our boat as the guide kept calling her. Lily stopped at a distance and stared at us. The frightened me got a photo with her too, just for a memory, you know. Besides this extremely value for money sight, the way the guide blew the boat at very high speeds in the midst of woods was enjoyable too. An alligator wrestling session and a photo op with the baby alligator followed this airboat tour. Yeah, we did that too. The slimy baby was pretty innocent and camera friendly. We left the place with collecting a souvenir – gator tooth. I don’t know what we intend to do with that, but got it home still. On the way, we had quick lunch with whatever place Yelp suggested us nearby. That was a pizza place called Son of a Pizza. And don’t get me talking about the food – It was as you could interpret from the name of the restaurant itself.

Best of Key West
And then the most awaited part of our trip commenced. Key West. I remember the time when we were looking at the car rentals before the trip and he asked, “SUV or a convertible?” “Convertible, hands down,” I prompted, after staring at the route from Miami to Key West on Google Maps again and again. It looked gorgeous and the more I zoomed in, it just got better. I was allured by the feeling of enjoying the panoramic beauty with the car top down. And it was, every mile of it. The drive was therapeutic coupled with the perfect weather. We took a couple of halts at the other little keys. They have the cutest names ever – Big Torch Key, Sugarloaf Key, Grassy Key, Little Duck Key, to name a few. Pull over to a spot and a beach awaits you, yes, they were that accessible. Our long stopover was at the Bahia Honda Key to watch the sunset from the old broken Bahia Honda Bridge. Watching the sun go down behind the palm trees made me go trigger-happy.

Just around the time of our dinner, we reached Key West. Tired after driving almost the entire day, we still didn’t want to call it a day. We threw our bags in the hotel room and walked towards Duval Street – the liveliest street of this Key. It may seem laidback with the architecture or accents/behavior of people, but the city doesn’t sleep either. At 11 in the night, it was bustling with people and Sloppy Joe’s where we went to catch a grub, was as we heard, loaded with people and conversations.

Next day was all about adventure and activity. Leaving the hotel early to make it up to the catamaran, we walked to the deck just so that we soak in the morning feel of the city. Exploring the city on a bike or a rented scooter made the riders look cool and the city relaxed moving at its own slow pace. Talking about the adventure bit, I made sure I spilled it out in the first few paragraphs above. I was super excited, after all.

So, after doing that, we were all by ourselves and decided to hit Duval Street with a bang. We started with shop hopping for some souvenirs shopping. But what caught our eye were the art galleries and local designer boutiques. We spent a lot of time appreciating art and a few curators got us interested too. For dinner, we stopped by another fancy looking but with a traditional setting Mexican restaurant – Old Town Mexican café. They are so firm with their traditions that they don’t serve any cocktails, which is good. Their chimichanga with spinach and beans was lip smacking and very filling.

Next morning, we woke up really early to catch the sun as it rises. We took our camera-tripod and drove to, as suggested by our concierge, Higgs beach. And this sunrise was beautiful too, as every sunrise is. It is hard not to immerse yourself in the beauty of the water. And the hues of blue in here, yeah talk about it. It gave a perfect setting for someone who writes or meditates, close to nature and closer to peace. It gave us a lot of photo ops, including one that shows us meditating over our swanky red Mustang. More photos have never harmed anybody, has it? Unless the photographer and the model are same sometimes, just like we were.

Once the day was out and bright, it was time for us to do some more touristy stuff and then bid goodbye to this lovely city. On our list now was touching the southernmost point of this southernmost part of the country, which is just 90 miles away from Cuba. That anchored concrete buoy was a cool thing to get clicked with and remember. We also saw the Zero Mile marker that marked the end of highways in the South of USA.

This little town boasts of residences of two legends – Ernest Hemingway and President Harry S Truman. Hemingway’s house, we were keen on, growing up with reading some of his stories had me intrigued with his very colorful life. Checking out his house was the next thing to do. Truman… Truman… we could not contemplate the reason to tour his personal life and hence, we didn’t. At Hemingway’s, it was a quick tour, with a well-read guide who had read ALL of his works. The tour digs deep into his life that included four marriages and one affair. His cat love is also quite prominent, including the six-toed cats that find a place in home till today, so much so that he has a dedicated space for cat cemetery. Standing at one of the decks, we saw a parallel view of the Key West’s only lighthouse. Peeping among the tall trees, it demanded a closer look.
We hopped in there just to have a bird’s eye view of this lovable town after walking up all that spiral stairs of a lighthouse. It is supposed to be the highest point of the island and how far we saw from up there, unfortunately, we still couldn’t see Cuba. One just can’t.

With that, it was time for us to say sayonara and be home with bagful of experiences and, of course, photographs. You know, this belt of South Florida is vicious. It doesn’t let go of you so easily. It does make you come back to its gorgeousness again and probably, again. Not that I am complaining!

                                                      Have you visited South Florida? How was your experience?
                                                                        Please share in the comments section.

Lately, this summer to be precise, I realized how much fun it is to experience the outdoors on two wheels. I am not a professional biker and don’t intend to be. But once in a while biking around the beautiful lakes, eventful streets and by the bushes got me into making this impulse purchase. It’s a cool idea to give your gas guzzler, or whatever it is, a rest and go green for at least a day. As it is, make the most of sun till it’s still beginning of fall. ‘Cos once it is winter, snuggling in a quilt with a mug of hot coffee, catching up on TV are all you going to think about.

So, this short tour my husband and I made, cycling away to Washington, D.C., had me pondering over various things I missed, didn’t take care of, observed en route, et al. Made a mental note of them and sharing with all of you now…

MAP THE ROUTE: Whether it is a paper map, a GPS or an app on your phone, make sure you know the routes thoroughly to avoid any confusion and argument with your biking partner later. Sure, you don’t want to hear “Didn’t I tell you…” or “Maine kaha tha na…” anytime during or after the trip. And, no! We don’t have a handlebar for it, yet. We kept the phone GPS in the pocket, took it out as and when we needed.

CARRY LIGHT: You don’t want to add up on your weight while cycling, especially upslope, with a heavy backpack. Carry light! Though, in my case, I royally gave away the backpack to him. Carry an empty bottle since you are most likely to find water fountains in the vicinity. Other essentials include some cookies/chips to munch in between halts, a hand towel for a quick wipe and some band aids for those unexpected and unwanted bruises.

SORE BUM: It’s the scrawny-ily narrow seat that’s the first culprit then it is that speed bump which you so want to avoid. But alas! As much you try, it is sure to take on your bum and make you scream “Ouch!”. Well, what’s the solution? We didn’t and still don’t have a seat cover on but a padded seat cover should help one cushion, else, make sure you have a good balm at home.

LOCK & KEY: It is most certain that you love your bikes unless you borrowed them. In any case, you got to lock them up. You know, you may not worry about pick pocketing but for this, you don’t want to take a chance. U-lock or the cable lock, we saw both of them on streets. One cable lock for both of our bikes worked just fine or we were simply lucky that day.

STAY COMFY: Okay, I have seen girls biking in heels and biking just as comfortable as any other. But, this chick I saw, cycling in a short tight skirt didn’t give me those vibes of how comfy was she unlike her guy in shorts and even knee caps on. Guess, a combination of a tee, shorts and sneakers should be the answer to comfort factor. I wish I could have clicked them. The frame would have just been perfect for a great contrast. Oops!

–> Giving you specs of our journey, we completed a total of 8.2 miles in close to 45 minutes of riding time. Below is the map of routes we followed to reach from Destination A to D:
A: National Postal Museum
B: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
C: Washington Monument
D: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Almost all of us have played the game Monopoly or at least have heard about it. We have built houses, motels and well, among others, purchased railroad stations too. Recalling the game’s American version, remember B&O railroad station? Of course we do. We may not know that this B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) railroad station is the oldest surviving station in the country today and has a museum in its name but thanks to Monopoly, at least name of this station has become immortal. Or is it?

Track this station on Google maps, our best bet to get just anywhere, and you’ll find that it nestles in Maryland’s Historic Ellicott City. Explore more and you’ll find that the city is home to not just this but more museums like the Firehouse museum that contains firefighters memorabilia, uniforms, a real hand drawn two-wheeled hose cart. Besides these, the city has galleries, art, culture, food and shopping options abound.

Where museums and history may be extraneous to many of us, shopping may be an extra joy to some. So among the massive Walmarts, Home Depots and Targets of the city, there perches a 
not-so-little Historic Ellicott City teeming with little boutique shops of antiques and quaint artifacts. Hold your vintage curiosity as it’s easy to visit the past here while hunting for the treasured collectibles. Quaint enough that you wouldn’t get to see the same, for example furniture, that you bought anywhere else, at least not in your relative’s house (Doesn’t that hurt when you see the same centre table you got from Ikea in your friend’s overlooking the same TV table? Ouch! That does.) Hey but no complaining whatsoever. But one thing is for sure, shell out a bit extra, and you’re home to great looking stuff. Some old, some antique, some designer and some straight from the hands of the craftsmen –grandfather clock, 1960s typewriters, gramophones, to list a few.

If shopping is not your thing, absorbing the quiet ambience taking a leisurely walk down the street by only looking around can be quite an exhilarating experience. Interesting architecture that’s more of European with a hint of American, buildings and the sidewalks create patchworks that catch the fancy of many alike. Strolling through, you may get lucky watching the artists paint a pretty picture in the open.

And when you want to seek respite from the streets’ many shops, there’s much tucked in the nooks to fill your appetite. Sip coffee with a pastry at the very European style sidewalk café, the Little French Market, enjoying a great outside view. Or walk upto the local coffee shop, Bean Hollow, for some great coffee like my fav Frozen Explosion and equally other great savories. Take home home-made chocolates from Sweet Cascades where well everything is chocolate. If you’ve had enough of chocolate covered strawberries then try their chocolate covered bananas. Grab a beer at Johnny’s Bistro on Main or enjoy a Mediterranean fare at Pure Wine Café with a bottle of wine.

Fine, the street may sleep early around six in the evening with only the restaurants open till late but their fun nights like the midnight madness nights, girls’ night out, among others, keep the street buzzing and perked up. I mean it’s not as happening as Georgetown of D.C and nowhere close to Times Square of NYC, but it has its own old world charm. It grows on you. Move at your own pace and you will start liking it.

It’s excess. It’s indulgence. It’s sin. It’s Vegas, Las Vegas. Describing the city humbly or soberly would be just downright paltry. A night’s view of the Strip, swanky chic hotels, loud and thumping music, dazzling lights, stylish crowd, any-time-of-the-evening eventful stops – Vegas celebrates life, GRANDLY. So, talk about a trip to remember. I put on my best shoes, dressed up with a tinge of shimmer and was ready to paint the town red with my better half.

Whether its Rome inspired Caesars Palace, Venice inspired Venetian, Paris of Vegas or Egypt’s pyramid look-alike Luxor, including others, we were set on a world tour only in a trip to Vegas. And what a better way to begin that with a romantic gondola ride in Venetian we thought. Cruising through the hotel’s streets and shops with Italian music serenading our ears, it really felt we were in Venice.

Roller coaster ride at the New York New York Hotel & Casino, as they say, was one roller coaster ride. I used to consider myself pretty daring for such thrilling rides (or for those we have in India?), until I experienced this one. Treating you with a miniature NYC skyline including Statue of Liberty, Empire State and Chrysler, it still scared the heck out of me (as if they were helping!). It was sure to send me in a tizzy but now that I survived it, I am raring to go roll again.

After this thrill, we headed towards our thrill to sensuality – Zumanity, show by Cirque Du Soleil at New York New York. This one’s not for the faint-hearted at least. Don’t, simply don’t, book your tickets for the front, you’ll only be the gullible target seduced and, most of the times, embarrassed. But that is Zumanity – an erotic show for lovers alluring you with acts of love, desire, impish comic antics, conversation, cabaret and magnificent music and dance. However, there were moments that left me spellbound – two scantily clad women splashing in and out of a large glass water bowl, a girl performing the aerial act with more than a dozen hula hoops and some raunchy laughs.

If you’re passing by Hotel Bellagio then make it a point to stop and watch the Bellagio fountains. And if you aren’t, then deliberately make a stop to witness something as spectacular as the city. These dancing fountains are a 10-minute pure pleasure illuminating the sky and our senses to some playful music. Timed for a repeat every 15 minutes or so, it was the best free entertainment leaving us surprised every time.

Yes, I dipped my toes into the great casino waters too. Not dipping them too deep to fall into temptation, the not-so-complicated slot machines were my best bet, while my husband preferred Black Jack and Roulette. Though every spin is totally random, I pulled the arms of only 3-reel slot machines for a higher win probability.

And I must confess, when the jackpot struck, that little money gamble victory, each day, made the little gambler in me lucky and too overjoyed. Resisting myself to slot more (trust me, it was tougher to resist when I won), with my twinkling eyes, I looked at the jackpot trail once again, pressed the ‘Cash out’ button, grabbed the voucher, eyed around for the ATM, and soon, tip-toed out of the slots. But I miss not bringing the cash voucher home, as a souvenir, besides other goodies like the playing cards and dice magnet adorning my fridge from this Casino city.

It’s back to the middle ages at the Renaissance Festival, Maryland. It was a travel back in time to this colorful world while falling in love with the rhythm of bagpipes and drums. The music made me tap my feet making way for an era that saw the beginning of art, literature and all things intellectual. Paying $20 for the entry ticket seemed expensive in the beginning but spending about your whole day in revelry and never a dull moment, it’s rare to get one, the price was worth it.

As we strolled across the lanes of Revel Grove, a recreation of a 16th Century European village, everything from the glittering crowd to their kilts and peasant dresses, feather barrettes to Robin Hood hats, traditional pinball to jousting, all left us more than excited. And with the perfect pleasant weather by our side, we were eager to try them all out. Except for dressing up. Though rent-a-costume was possible, maybe we will try them another time.

Playing pinball, maze, axe-throwing, balloon bursting and more, in all traditional style with wooden boards and guns reminded me of them as video games when we were kids. Now in the times of PS3 and Xbox, even these games are passé.  But here, you could play them and only for a buck! Talk about playing more than once or, better still, till you win.

There are free shows and live music too. If the art of making goblets at the glassblowing session was a must see then the much hyped about jousting was just okay. But hey, I got to see jousting and the steel warriors in real and free. Could I have asked for more? We overheard people complimenting archery demonstration and mud show – we missed it or, so to say, marked it for the next year.

This festival would give great photo ops to the photographers as there’s so much happening around.  And for those who love getting clicked (like me), the royally clad characters roaming freely at the fest are just as easy and happy to pose. Also, we didn’t miss out on those interesting photo op corners to spice up our Renn Fest album.

After all that walking (a lot of walking), taking that monkey slide, witnessing street acts, playing, just-plain-seeing others play, it was time to dig into a good meal. Food stalls touted local medieval fare on their menu. Limited choices for vegetarians like us, among those treats, we savored peasant breads with maple syrup and olive oil, jalapeno poppers, fried cheese and fresh corn (Stripped & dipped!). And that apple dumpling with hot cider sauce and ice cream was just right for our sweet cravings.  Pretzels (choose between plain, garlic, sesame or probably more!) could also have been an option for us, but being exposed too much in the open hanging on sticks with vendors taking them all through the village, the idea of having them did not seem a sound one.

Unlike those history lessons, this date with history was quite a pleasing one. We had our share of feasting, frivolity, shopping for precious little nothings, some knowledge and some nostalgia. A trip next year? Definitely.