Key West - Beach Day and Mallory Square for the Sunset

Mallory Square Sunset

It was very warm today with not much wind so Philip and family headed for the beach at Ft Zachary Taylor. We were supposed to get a diver at noon to replace the zinc on our prop so we stayed behind intending to come along after he showed up. Unfortunately, he wasn't there by 1:30 even so as we were leaving we ran across him - supposedly he was on his way so we left the zinc on the aft deck and it was installed while we were away. Kind of reminds me of "island time" in getting things done which we ran into when in the Caribbean.

Amazing how close the big ships come to shore

Cuban Coffee Queen supplied the Cuban Sandwiches for lunch on the beach. If you're ever in Key West be sure to sample the Cuban Mix sandwich, it's great. Next was a trip to Mallory Square for the sunset celebration. It's a unique part of the Key West experience. Sure, the sunset is great but what sets it apart are all the goings on while the sun goes down. There are entertainers spaced about every 100 ft or so, each with their speciality. There are fire breathers, monocycle riders (while juggling fiery sticks), tight rope walkers, human statues dressed as historical figures and others I don't remember. They all perform and ask for a tip at the end if you like their act. They all have a "patter" for the audience and are generally crowd pleasers, they have to be to earn a living. They don't get paid except for the tips. It's a real carnival atmosphere. I took a video of the Fire Eater.

After the sunset, all the restaurants are packed! We had already eaten and walked back to BO's Fish Wagon to listen to Barry Cuda play the piano - Sara was interested in watching a good piano player since she's taking lessons.

Saturday is the last day for the kids, they head north back to cold weather later in the day although I understand it's not all that cold back home, it's been a rather warm winter so far there.