RVing in Key West for Lobsterfest 2018 – Traveling Robert

[Music] there's big accidents on the Turnpike so we're gonna have to take an alternate route it is Friday August 10th 2018 and today we're going back to Key West this once again Lobsterfest you might say Key West again but believe it or not there are a bunch of

things in Key West we haven't done yet you'll see no tiki bar yet at the post garden since it got blown over by Hurricane Irma so anyways the idea is to see some of the stuff we haven't seen yet and revisit some of our all-time favorites sunshine key

here looks like it is almost ready for the high season yeah that wasn't suffered pretty heavy damage from the hurricane – well here we are Boyd's campground on stuck island this is our site here it's horribly hot anyways greetings from paradise it looks like there is some activity

here at nearby Boca Chica Naval Air Station very cool to see it it is almost like an airshow when I love planes although I probably shouldn't be flying the drone today just in case by the way where we are here stock Island is the key just before Key

West so we could almost walk over there if we really wanted to but it is hot and muggy and luckily now they have uber and lyft here in Key West so we're probably gonna do that especially after an IPA the campground full of iguanas we're gonna take a

lift down to Key West because we don't really feel like driving and we might consume a couple of adult beverages along the way so and it looks like we have a new welcome sign in Key West our uber driver Key West native super friendly she seems to know

everybody out on the street now crossing The Wall Street and here we are first flight brewery it was here that the now-defunct upon American Airlines began operations in 1927 as a seaplane service to Havana scallops [Music] you just had some appetizers here at there at the first light

island restaurant emplous brewery and this happens to be I mean and they should trim these three but this is the birthplace of Pan American Airlines I just did a live video from here by the way very cool very cool today your your interaction and now we're going to

do vows straight see what's going on because you know in Key West the way this is the southernmost microbrewery very cool this is historic captain George Carrie's house dating back to 1834 well here's the second oldest house in Key West is for sale if you guys want to

buy it I'm sure they're asking it's a deal I'm sure it's a deal Wow and qsr is of course famous for its unusual peculiar apparel well we haven't mean to sloppy joes in quite a while so let's check it out and by the way there is live music

here everywhere here we are sloppy joes I thought you'd like two years ago and women are still together I'm sorry to say it but it is one of the worst mojitos we've had in a while and I even think the plastic cup is supposed to be a collectible

I'm sorry but I tell it like it is maybe it's that Pilar um they're using I don't know also not very crowded for a Friday night in fact this is the first time with ever being able to sit at the bar [Music] [Applause] that's a lot of fun

one just one thing another mojito right otherwise was great all right next up mallory square for sunset but we might make a quick stop at amazon the paper versus talking about places we've never visited there's the former customs office which used to have a huge sculpture up front

not anymore the shipwreck museum tower and the aquarium of course we'll visit those one of these days as we approach El Meson de Pepe we bump into marks Schultz and his wife and they own the sweet dreams in here in Key West it is a boutique guest house

and I look forward to visiting one of these days here we are in the Sunday paper [Music] [Music] we couldn't get a seat at the bar so we just took two mojitos to go and came to Mallory square here to witness the sunset [Music] there's a the local

mermaid and live music [Music] in [Applause] [Music] [Music] there's a cool invention a floating tiki bar that is something we got to do the next time we come as well and if you've been following me you know we come at least once a year so stay tuned for

that it is kind of strange a little bit of an eerie sunset it's kind of foggy I guess yeah Keywest sunset seldom disappoint and this one is different because the Sun is not very bright I guess because there's a little fog or humidity in the atmosphere that in

front of us is the very aptly named the sunset key because the Sun usually sets right behind it was a unique sunset here in Key West they're all different but this was particularly interesting here's a curious shipwreck named Mary as night falls we are making our way back

to the Wall Street ooh a winery in Key West tropical wines Key West's first legal rum distillery hmm let's check it out yep let's do a tasting so we got this run called the bad bitch that's where they make the rum pretty cool and this one has a

particular flavor because when they were aging it hurricane air Mike came in and and because of the heat or something like that it got a special caramelized flavor so I'm gonna taste it well yeah this is the competition maybe we'll come here tomorrow you're gonna have dinner here

at B O's fish wagon at least a couple of years ago and under sandwich it doesn't look like much when you get it but it was delicious it looks like Pepe's lost its original sign during the hurricane and they haven't replaced it yet by the way great mojitos

here with a great local vibe although not today like almost everywhere else business seems to be slow anyways good night and good morning from Boyd's campground hmm it's a swimming iguana I have seen many one as in my time but never seen one swimming and now it's raining

got a loved Adam predictable South Florida's summer weather here don't you and that's our neighbor dave winer regular voids it stopped raining so let's get down to [Music] I think we are perhaps too early the street fair doesn't officially open until noon this is laughter fest it rained

a little bit this morning that's well we can always have breakfast or brunch or early lunch here at Jimmy Buffett's place some people have me Moses for brunch we have IPAs and grab a seagull dipped YUM yeah they make you walk a long way to the restrooms daven

have mile markers oh that whenever we had breakfast at mercury de ville this was it the lighthouse we've never been there this is starting to get actually a little busier the san carlos here is a very important building in Cuban history it is where the Cuban exiles back

in the 1870s planned the campaign of independence from Spain we might visit later is different here's the green parrot which dates back to 1890 I'm telling you sometimes I think he waste as always being a party town there's an old wooden church the corniche memorials ioan Church one

of these days we are also going to take the conch train but not today I love this old Toyota based Class C motorhomes when a vago warrior perhaps hmmm what is this place I had never seen it before although apparently it is a very historic neighborhood here you

see Key West always has surprises even after all these years there is Hemingway's house of course but with being there done that actually we're going a little further down the street to the Key West lighthouse here they have the Fresnel lenses very cool and even cooler all this

chickens out here and there's the lighthouse we've never actually been here before and it is a long way off well this was one of the few places we had left during the West this is as high as we can go yeah all right from the narrow balcony at

the top we get a commanding view of the island of Key West can almost see Cuba oh there's whitehead spit which if you look at the map it happens to be the actual southernmost point in Key West everything looks kind of different from up here down there it's

Hemingway's house and in the distance Mount Trashmore a former landfill and the highest point in the Florida Keys [Music] [Music] [Music] it doesn't say anything better might not be session let's go back down it's a very nice up here maybe a baby a little bit of a stretch

for ten bucks you know but thank you Western [Music] hello there you don't say much do you well we made it it's incredibly hot here in Key West not only hot but incredibly humid so you sweat a lot there is of course a museum a housekeeper parlor that'll

let you in on a little secrets we can mean as much for the history as for the air-conditioner Wow does it feel nice in here and there are Fresnel lenses Ibis bird let's continue our exploration of Key West [Music] here we are usually walking on Whitehead Street there's

the Monroe County Courthouse mile marker zero of us one should be close by and here we are at the beginning and the end the Alpha or the Omega depending which way you're going hopefully soon I'll be able to show you the other end up in main the street

fair here much more animated now that it is later and the weather is holding up Key West's oldest house has opened up its backyard for people to come and sit down but I guess not many people know about it and besides it is too hot to be sitting

in the Sun anyways and this is the oldest house a Mizzou this time around prices seem slightly higher than in previous years and the lines are equally long and the Florida lobster looks delicious and there is of course live music [Music] my my look another blow my cover

she stole our divine dinghy there's wet willies and the smallest bar bachelorette party perhaps the hot weather calls for a refreshing frozen drink and here we bumped into Katrina viewer of the channel and also Nelson and his wife always makes my day to meet people on the street

who watch my videos the lobster roll challenge we did that the last time we were here it is a Maine lobster roll versus Florida lobster roll by the way two totally different animals let's begin with the cheapest option here which is the half lobster tail on a stick

for ten dollars next we're having the $24 platter with an extra tail for 16 for a grand total of 40 bucks really delicious and cooked to perfection last but not least we'll it is full tail dinner for $26 it looks great on top of the grill but the

final product a little overcooked and not the greatest flavor remember I mentioned the san carlos earlier while it is open now so let's check it out they have old magazines and the stamp exhibition they even old cuban money from the 1950s lots of memorabilia it was here in

Key West that Cuba's greatest hero Jose Marti planned the war of independence from Spain which began in 1895 he also went to Ybor City in Tampa unfortunately he was a leader on a writer but not a fighter and got killed pretty much in the first battle of the

war they have some pretty rare force of him also rare a phone book from 1958 and guess what I found my childhood home address and phone number under my dad's name that's super cool well let's go upstairs since we're here by the way I don't think they have

air-conditioning in here they're all the presidents of Cuba before the Castro's raft used to flee the island probably from the mid nineties and an old typewriter presumably Marty's library there is AC but it doesn't look like it's working very well anyways after this bus let's continue exploring Key

West the San Carlos was a nice break verdict the first Lobster was too small the third Lobster was too hard the second Lobster was fantastic well this year is the line to take a picture with southernmost point in the continental United States right there yeah we're not gonna

do it today been there done that cool thing if you're here but it's always lately there's always line for the most house of course with being here many many times but next we are walking towards an area of Key West that either we've never been to but it's

been a long time [Music] there's an oldie another Toyota so either a dolphin or a brave could be a mini or warrior as well there's a little play eater this area of Key West which we actually never explored before this beautiful is the dog beach Key West here

definitely not known for its wide sandy beaches that's for sure so Martina this Casa Marina very big and ritzy beachfront resort and here we have Hicks Beach there's some hurricane damage still visible in this area these red brick ruins here are the West Martello tower which unfortunately is

close by now it is what remains of a 19th century fort and the grounds inside are supposed to be really pretty [Music] here's the site of a recently discovered slave cemetery dating back to 1865 I using an underground Raider here's also an AIDS memorial dedicated to the lives

touched by AIDS and there's also this long pier let's check it out towards this area to the east there's a bunch of hotels and condominiums pretty there's a bunch of people fishing there seems to be like a jet ski tour and that looks like it could be a

lot of fun there are a couple of gentlemen here from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission inspecting the lobsters some of the people are catching but I don't feel comfortable filming them so no video [Music] you know bothering the local wildlife here can be a lot of

fun but we are totally exhausted we've walked many miles today six and a half according to my Fitbit so let's go back to the campground and rest because tomorrow we are going snorkeling and I was totally kidding about bothering the local wildlife I don't do that shortly after

returning to the campground we get a surprise visit by some viewers from Germany they're staying a couple of sites over oh here we are back at the campground it rained quite a bit we're gonna sunset from here [Music] there was supposed to be a meteor shower tonight the

purse aide but all we got to see was some Lightning and then it got cloudy well good morning it is warm and muggy as we await this sunrise [Music] check out the tethered blimp that cannot possibly be the one in Kedah although it looks exactly the same this

one is much more closer I think [Music] all right let's go [Music] today we are going to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park not for the fort itself but I've been itching to do some snorkeling so that's why we're here [Music] and here we are fun fact if you

look her up in a map this is actually the southernmost beach in the island of Key West and there is a cruise ship coming over the horizon proof that the earth is not flat this is also probably the best natural Beach here in Key West which as I

mentioned earlier is not known for its white sandy beaches so this is pretty much as good as it gets right here where the Atlantic meets the Gulf of Mexico let's go snorkeling around these rock formations [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well then having a great time here

in this salty water please as you can see not very very sandy beach so water shoes are pretty much required still very enjoyable [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I guess this area belongs to the Naval Air Station and the no trespassing sign it goes both ways [Music] this looks

like another nice area to snorkel just watch out for the birds I guess unfortunately it is getting a little a little murky still lots of fish [Music] there comes the big boat [Music] it is the majesty of the seas about 26 years old but still very majestic [Music]

how about an IPA here at the Kiowa so cafe hey wassup by the way means bone key in Spanish in the name of the island when all these used to belong to Spain 105 miles to Havana oh right there overall very nice State Park lots of picnic tables

and lounge chairs for rent and I believe it is the first state park that I've been to where they not only allow but sell alcoholic beverages but then again here in Key West boy am I glad we came early it is getting really crowded now by the way

there is RV parking if you want to spend the day here just know over night look at the line of cars coming in now we're gonna go back to the RV take a break shower and then come back for lunch look at it laughing see own we stayed

there once many many years ago a group of young people arrived this morning with all these green tents it almost looks like a refugee camp we enjoy the nearly empty pool the local wildlife and a bunch of people have recommended Elsi banane so let's check it out Cuba

bread and a sunset ale to the game Haley got the sangria and I got della tongue you know pork roast and the fried pork chunks which is my favorite okay LC Bonet and this place came highly recommended by several people and it's fine it's it's hard to mess

up lechon my fried pork chunks it's fine it wasn't bad but I mean they have more cameras in there per per square foot than a Las Vegas casino and the employees seemed so miserable and it's kind of out of the way in this neighborhood here so I mean

if you have to have your lechon fix by all means come here but it's it's it's fine it's not great it's just fine that's my opinion right we're walking towards Duval Street along this very non touristy neighborhood here a never-ending conundrum why did the chicken cross the road

[Music] is that the Dennis were Eric Jacobs eight when he was here this time around I've seen many of his science troubling a refreshing sangria perhaps on this hot day of course cool bar by the way [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] ooh hard to go it is kind of

like a mobile art gallery pretty cool there is definitely an economic downturn here in the conch republic here's once again the oldest house housing South Jordan it's been kind of quiet today but it is a Sunday and I don't think we've ever spent a Sunday here before we're

making our way to Mallory Square slowly no rush although I don't think we're going to wait for the sunset today anyways as we wind down our weekend escapade here we visited some new places did something new no snorkeled and of course visited some of our old favorites and

that was the plan from the beginning by the way for years I had a recurring dream with this building and I didn't know where it was till I came back to Key West this ruins here they look very historic but I have no idea what they are there's

the sunset beer which was destroyed by a hurricane Irma and it hasn't been rebuilt yet there's a nice balcony to see the sunset from [Music] [Music] sunset coming soon greetings from Mallory Square this is not quite the conclusion but some conclusions that I've gotten from this trip Lobsterfest

wasn't as great this year as in years past or the one time I saw it in the past everything prices for everything in Key West seem to have at least increased by 50 percent and maybe it's a hurricane erm I mean a lot of a lot of places

not a lot but many places out of them out of business you know for sale that were thriving businesses before so I'm sure hurricane Irma has something to blame for that I mean it was still is it's charming self but yeah it's become a little more expensive in

the past couple of years anyways as sunset is coming up soon here with that some street performance here in the mallory square and by the way it's August it's incredibly hot out here but now we've had a great time as always well I get dizzy just looking at

that bird Mallory squirted a the kind of different vibe compared to Friday and we have a street performer here [Music] don't ever stop doing what you love to do I want to dedicate the rest of tonight's show [Applause] let's head back to Boyd's campground I'm going to show

you the sunset from there [Music] time to go by the way if you haven't make sure to check out my Key West playlist on YouTube for many many more videos of the conch republic [Music] as always thank you so much for watching and see you on the road

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