A Toast to the Keys

Story by Andrea Gross; www.andreagross.com

Photos by Irv Green; www.irvgreen.com

I immediately learn three things on our visit to Key West.

First, the weather is glorious. The average temperature is 78º, the coldest ever recorded is a balmy 41º and the warmest — reached only a few times more than 30 years ago — is 100º.

Second, the ambience is seductive. As Jimmy Buffet sang in his hit song Margaritaville, all you want to do is sit on a porch swing and strum on a six-string.

And third, getting there is half the fun. The 128-mile Overseas Highway, which leads from the Florida mainland to Key West, links the numerous keys [small islands] by means of 42 bridges. In 2009 it was named an “All American Road,” an honor that, when it comes to national scenic byways, means “the best of the best.”(read more)