If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#31
|
|||
|
|||
No time for Vaccinations!!
On 3/28/2009 9:06 PM Rosalie B. "tweaked" on too much Starbucks said:
"DJC" wrote: Thanks to all for your help. Any tips on things to do at these ports. We plan to just explore in Key West and see what the day brings us - I hear there is a Margeuritaville. We have a VW Beetle rented in Cozumel to visit some sites. My wife would like to visit one of the ruins. Thanks Again! There is a ruin on Cozumel in the park at the south end near the lighthouse down there (which has a museum and you can climb it if you like). There's also good snorkeling there, and a crocodile reserve (not in the same place). But the ruin is not as tall as I am. I think for more significant ruins you'd have to go somewhere off island. As for Key West - yes wandering down Duval Street is fun. And the Conch Train takes about 2 hours. If you are there at sunset, you can go to the Mallory Square festivities. "DJC" wrote in message ... We are going on a short cruise on the Carnival Destiny next week - with stops in Key West and Cozumel. Have not had any vaccinations. Any advice on what to do or not do. Is there anything I can get in the short term? TIA One note about Key West that I didn't mention in my previous exhaustive post about Key West and driving in Mexico. Don't shop for souvenir t-shirts on Duval St. You'll find the T-Shirt Factory 316 Simonton Street, ph: 1-305-292-2060, on the first floor of Casa Antiqua (the first place where Hemingway stayed). All T-shirts are silk screened onto pre-shrunk cotton T-Shirts, or Sweatshirts. All the designs are original hand made by local artisans. The prices are considerably less then what you'd pay on Duval St. Many of the tourist shops on Duval St. are owned by foreign businesses. If you shop at the T-Shirt factory, you will be supporting local art. -- ________ To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address. Brian M. Kochera "The poor dog is the firmest friend, the first to welcome the foremost to defend" - Lord Byron View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951 |
#32
|
|||
|
|||
No time for Vaccinations!!
Brian K wrote:
On 3/28/2009 10:38 AM DJC "tweaked" on too much Starbucks said: We are going on a short cruise on the Carnival Destiny next week - with stops in Key West and Cozumel. Have not had any vaccinations. Any advice on what to do or not do. Is there anything I can get in the short term? Key West Notes: At the beginning of March there was a fire on Duval St. in Key West, Fl. But it did not damage Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville or the Margaritaville Store. The business suffered minor smoke and water damage. (See: http://cbs4.com/local/margaritaville...2.953658.html). The thing about Key West is that it is best appreciated as a land vacation. As a cruise ship visitor, your time will be limited. There won't be the opportunity to participate in the Island City's laid back culture. There is much more to it than doing the "Duval St. Crawl", which consists of sampling Margaritas and/or Mojitos in every alcohol serving establishment along the street and side streets. Why you ask is it called the "Duval St. Crawl". It's not a dance step, nor a means of traveling when Duval is awash during a hurricane. Somewhat more obviously it consists of walking out of the first establishment to serve Margaritas and/ Mojitos to only being able to crawl back to your hotel or B&B once you've sampled every Margarita and/or Mojito the street has to offer. I do not know anyone who has attempted the "Duval Street Crawl" during daylight hours while visiting as a cruise passenger. After completing the "Crawl" you'll need at least a day or two to regain your sanity and recuperate in a quiet place somewhere. This is a good summary. I've never done it, but I have always called it the Duval Crawl (without "street" in there) It rhymes that way. Most cruisers don't sample the local restaurants, which is a shame. Any kind of cuisine you can imagine is available at Key West. But being situated on both the Atlantic and Florida Bay / Gulf of Mexico the opportunities for fresh fish are almost unlimited. I have dined in the past at: A& B Lobster House, Turtle Kraals, Half Shell Raw Bar, Captain Runaground's (whose motto is, "You catch 'em we'll cook 'em"), Iguana Cafe, Blue Heaven, Kelly's Caribbean Bar and Grill (once owned by actress Kelly McGillis) Three Brother's Deli, and Hog's Breath Saloon which features a web cam (http://www.hogsbreath.com/). I find each has it's own unique spin on seafood and other specialties. One not to miss place is Schooner Warf Bar. [ http://www.schoonerwharf.com/ ]. They have live entertainment day and night. Locals and tourists mingle there. We used to live in Key West and we've stayed there several times during the winter since then. The restaurants that we've eaten at are Alice's (good but very gourmet), Alonzo's Oysters (downstairs from A&B), Bahama Mama's (interesting, cheap and good), Chicharrones (a family run Cuban restaurant), El Meson de Pepe (also a Cuban restaurant which has a sort of museum with it), Crabby Dicks (OK), Finnigan's Wake (OK), Kelly's (which has a small Pan-Am exhibit), Looneys (which is part of the Blue Lagoon - good and cheap), the Key West Diner, Martha's (out at the airport in the Hyatt), Monte's Restaurant & Fish Market (opposite the charter boats in Garrison Bight), and the Turtle Kraals. Key West is a very Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transsexual friendly town. If you are in town during "High Season" (mid December - last week in April) there are more GLBT persons about then "Low Season". But, Key West does I've never seen any particular GLBT activity in Key West even when we spent the winter in the Keys. What I HAVE seen is people down from Daytona Bike Week - lots and lots of motorcycles. I would not be particularly worried about the GLBT stuff. The max that I've seen is a guy in a bar with purple hair singing about the one eyed one horned flying purple people eater with the slang for the male sex organ substituted for the word people. have its local GLBT folk. So if you have a problem with GLBT folk just stay on the ship. It's not like gay men or lesbians are having sex out in the open. But they do everything heterosexuals do. This includes holding hands, hugging and smooching. "What about the children?" Everybody including the kids are used to it. It's no big deal. Some kids even have two mommies or two daddies. If you are in reasonably good shape, rent a bicycle. Parking is at a premium in Old Town Key West. You can optimize your ability to get around on a bike. These are not "Tour de France" bicycles. They're called Beach Cruisers, you brake by peddling backwards. A day rental is cheaper then using a taxi to get around. The Old Town part of Key West is a little bigger then Central Park in New York City. Anything you might want to do or see is in Old Town or Bahama Village an off shoot from Old Town. It is possible on Duval St. to walk from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico at a brisk pace in less than 20 minutes. Some inexpensive things to see in the Old Town area - one of the Martello Towers (West I think) which is free for a donation, the Audubon Park (aka Charles Sonny McCoy Indigenous Park) , the City Cemetery (free), Fort Taylor (a state park with a small entrance fee), the Turtle Museum (free with a small donation requested), and the Botanical Garden on Stock Island ($4 donation requested). And you can go to the top of the parking garage for a view of the city for nothing. Other places which I think are worth the entrance fees are the Audubon House ($10), the Oldest House ($5), the Aquarium ($10), the Butterfly Conservancy ($11.50) and the Lighthouse Museum ($6). There's also another Martello Tower (East) out by the airport which is a museum with an entrance fee ($6). I thought that Truman House ($13.50) and Hemingway House ($12) were too expensive. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Vaccinations in Asia | [email protected] | Asia | 11 | April 9th, 2006 10:11 AM |
S.E. Asia vaccinations | yakzweepa | Asia | 2 | October 22nd, 2004 07:50 PM |
Which vaccinations should I get if ... | sally | Asia | 7 | October 8th, 2004 11:25 PM |
vaccinations | Paul Krause | Cruises | 4 | June 17th, 2004 02:24 AM |
Vaccinations | brandon_lxl | Latin America | 0 | June 9th, 2004 06:18 AM |