Meeting Of The Minds: Getting There Is Half The Fun

Meeting Of The Minds, the annual gathering of the Phaithful, is taking place right now in Key West, Florida. What started as a Fall migration of Jimmy Buffet fans, aka Parrot Heads, has turned into a celebration of Trop Rock - with dozens of bands playing in just about every Cayo Hueso bar and alley that can put up a sound system. After talking about it for close to ten years, we finally decided to take the plunge this year, booked a room, flights, and rental car and told the kids they were on their own for a week.

We're not novices to Key West, having been there a number of times - including our honeymoon. And one thing we've learned over the years: Getting there is half the fun. You can fly directly into the loftily named Key West "International" airport (really not much more than a small private airport that handles larger planes). But, we prefer to fly into Ft. Lauderdale and drive the 190 miles.  That way, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery, appreciate the quaint little towns and keys, see local color...and, oh, by the way, there might be a watering hole or three to stop in along the way.

Wed morning
After landing in Ft. Lauderdale, we jumped in to our rented convertible and headed South. Our first stop on US 1 is always Lor-E-Lei's in Islamorada. Sitting right on the water, their "Boss" Margarita and Catch of the Day sandwich is just what the doctor ordered after a grueling hour and a half flight from Atlanta (feel free to make up your own excuses for needing food and/or drink). Sitting on their beach, enjoying the Gulf breeze and watching the boats go by immediately gets your mind off whatever you left behind.

Of course, we're not the only ones who think driving down to Key West is the only way to make the trip and, with the largest congregation of fin friendly folks in the world getting ready to begin later that day, it didn't take long to find others who were making the same trek. You could hear the collective sound of heels clicking and people saying, "We're not in Kansas (or Minneapolis, New Jersey, Oklahoma - insert your home state here) anymore!"

Hunger sated and thirst quenched, it was back into the convertible and off to the next stop: Robbie's Marina. More of a flea market with a small bar, Robbie's has something for everyone. Cheap souvenirs, hand produced art, clothing, and - of course - food and drink.

But, what really makes Robbie's a must see stop, especially for people making the trip with kids, is their Tarpon. Schools of the large, dangerous looking sport fish hang around Robbie's, waiting for hand outs from willing visitors. Grab a cold beer from the cooler, a bucket of bait fish, walk out onto the dock and let the fun begin.

Next: We take the Howard Livingston Tour and meet some Ft. Myers phlockers, including the Most Organized Man in the World... And Night One at MOTM.

To be continued....