Key West - More Than Margaritaville and Hemingway

I love islands...I hate the beach. There are far too many things I would rather do than bake myself in the sweltering heat with sand stuck to every crevice of my body. In total contrast, however, I love being around the carefree, laid back lifestyle that seems to come naturally to those that call islands home. Perhaps the best example of this in the states is Key West, but what makes the Conch Republic special to me goes far beyond it being the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet's greatest hits.

One day when the world discovers I'm awesome and someone decides to write my biography, it will be impossible to tell the story of Deej without including Key West. I come from a long line of "Conchs" on my mom's side, going back many generations to before Florida's entry into the Union. So while most visit Key West for the raucous festivals and Hemingway-look-a-like contests, I go to connect with history....my own.

If you've visited Key West, then it is pretty likely you stumbled past this church on Duval Street. There's a plaque on the front door for my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents. Yeah...that's a lot of greats...

A bust in Mallory Square for Elizabetha Knight. Another multiple great-something-or-another, who swam ashore to Key West after being shipwrecked by pirates. No joke...pirates. She went on to be instrumental in the founding of Key West.

The Key West Lighthouse. Operated for many years by my Great-Great-Aunt and Uncle.

Credit: TripAdvisor

The Key West Cemetery...Six generations of my family are laid - I mean stacked - to rest here. I have an odd appreciation for cemeteries, and this is obviously my favorite.
 

My Grandfather was raised in the Banyan House...A popular sight on the famously tacky Conch Train. The house is now part of a beautiful resort.

Credit: Key West Golf Club

My Great-Grandad and Grandfather both served as the golf professional at Key West Country Club. President Eisenhower joined them many times for golf during his time in office, often sending a plane to spray for mosquitoes in advance. An abuse of power? Maybe...but golf is that important.

Perhaps the most fulfilling thing about travel for me are the connections that are made along the way. Those connections can take on many forms, be it people, food, culture, or in the case of Key West, history.  With so much personal history in one place, it was only fitting that Key West is where I chose to propose to my wife, charting a course for my future, and forever bonding my connection to that tiny island. 

~Insert Dude-like Closing Here~ 

Deej