Thanks to its unique location at the bottom of he Florida Keys, USA, getting to Key West is half the fun.
THE SUN’S BL A ZING, the early morning sky is impossibly blue and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean—to my left—and the Gulf of Mexico—to my right—are patchworks of glistening aquamarines and brilliant turquoises. Sailboats dot the horizon and game fishing boats head for the nearby Gulf Stream where sailfish, marlin and other trophy fish hang out.
I am cruising in a rented convertible with the top down along US Route 1, the 182-km-long Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, that necklace of islands that hangs off the southern tip of mainland Florida. My destination: Key West, America’s southern-most, quirkiest and most uninhibited town.
As I drive, I am reminded of what Craig Cates, the mayor of Key West, said when I told him I was planning to visit his hometown.
“Sure, you can fly down to Key West,” he said. “But you’d be missing one of the world’s most breathtaking road trips if you don’t drive down here.”
He also advised me to “slow down” and stop along the way. The top speed on US 1 is just 45 miles per hour, so I can’t help but slow down, all the better to take in the scenery, from kitschy tourist traps and tiki bars to elegant hotels to cobalt blue waters.
“This is paradise,” I say to myself as I slip a Jimmy Buffett CD into the car stereo. Margaritaville, Buffett’s best-selling 1977 tribute to his former Key West home, begins.
‘Nibblin’ on sponge cake, Watchin’ the sun bake …’ Moments later, I can’t resist and start singing along, drowning out Buffett with my own out-of-tune warbling: Waaaaasted away again in Margaritaville …
This story is from the September 2018 edition of Reader's Digest India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2018 edition of Reader's Digest India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR RIPLEY
The creator of Believe It or Not had an insatiable curiosity about strange and astonishing facts
HE OPENED UP THE ARC TIC
\"You don't just sit and wait for adventure to come,\" famed polar explorer Knud Rasmussen liked to explain.\"You go out and make it happen!\"
Discovering Babasaheb
This Dalit history month—which also marks the 134\" birth anniversary of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, we recount four momentous incidents from his life
Lion in the Living Room
Five decades after two young men brought a playful cub into their London home, the tale has touched a whole new generation
The Many Roles of SUNIL DUTT
Through many personal tragedies, this favourite matinee idol finds strength and solace in helping others
AGATHA CHRISTIE MURDER BY THE BOOK
More widely read than any other English writer, she baffled the world with masterly tales of murder and remained something of a mystery herself
THE DAY WE MADE Flying History
Ona sunny September day in 1913, the author set three world records ina homemade flying machine
THE COMMANDO WITH THE TATTOO
Ganesh Dhangde was just six years old when he got lost. Twenty years later, his mother had a visitor
MARILYN: HER MAGIC LINGERS ON
The real Marilyn Monroe was nobody you'd look at twice—unless she wanted you to
I Think, Therefore, I Spam...
...has become the way forward for too many e-mail pests. Here's how I deal with them every single day