Key West Is A Literary Pilgrimage For Fans of Hemingway

Above, one of the many cats at Hemingway House. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2019, a friend and I took a cruise to Havana, Cuba. Along the way, the ship stopped for a day in Key West, Florida.

While there, I got off the shuttle bus to visit the Hemingway Home & Museum. I then took a self-guided tour of the former estate of Ernest Hemingway. There were many cats roaming around. They were descendants of a cat Hemingway had. 

Above, Ernest Hemingway's office. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A piece of trivia: The Hemingway Home was featured in the 1989 Timothy Dalton James Bond movie, Licence To Kill.

AOL posted an article on why Key West is a literary pilgrimage for fans of Hemingway.

They begin it with:

Hemingway's influence in Key West is so strong that it would be difficult to avoid hearing about the writer while visiting the island. The house he lived in with his second wife, Pauline, is now the Hemingway Home and Museum. Hemingway fans travel from all over the world to visit the beautifully preserved property and get a glimpse into the novelist's private life. Besides bedrooms and family rooms, you can go into the writer’s studio, where he worked on masterpieces like "To Have and Have Not" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls." While the house is great, the best part about the museum is seeing the true owners of the property roam around their kingdom: the six-toed cats that are direct descendants of Hemingway's beloved Snowball.

To read more, go here. 

The Cats of Hemingway Home

Above, two of the Hemingway Home cats. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During the cruise to Havana, Cuba, our ship stopped at Key West, Florida for the day.

While there, I went to the Shipwreck Museum, a cigar shop, a outdoor patio bar and Hemingway Home.

At Hemingway Home, I saw several descendants of author Ernest Hemingway's cats. Some of the cats have six toes. They wandered around the property and mingles with visitors. There's also a cat cemetery on the property.

Garden & Gun has posted an article on the cats.

It begins with:

When the Hemingway Home first opened its foliage-framed gates to the public sixty years ago, visitors got to enter the preserved Key West oasis that inspired one of America’s literary heroes. Today, the property looks much as it did when Ernest Hemingway lived there in the 1930s: typewriters are strewn about desks, vibrant mustard-colored art deco tiles line bathrooms, and of course, dozens upon dozens of six-toed cats roam. “We have fifty-nine cats at the moment, and about half of them have extra toes,” says Alexa Morgan, the director of public relations at the Hemingway Home and Museum. 

To read more, go here.

6 Best Bars In Key West

Above, Sloppy Joe's Bar is number one on the list. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2019, the Cuba cruise I was on stopped for a few hours in Key West, Florida. I had a great time there. I toured the Shipwreck Museum and the Hemingway House. I also mangaged to shop at a great cigar shop and have a couple of margaritas at an outdoor bar.

Above, yours truly enjoying a margarita at El Meson de Pepe.

The Infatuation has posted an article listing the six best bars in Key West.

They begin it with:

If finding a great bar in Key West seems daunting, it’s only because the island can feel like one never-ending bar. On seemingly every block, you’ll find chairs with waterfront views, stools within earshot of someone strumming an acoustic guitar, and places that claim to have hosted Ernest Hemingway. The good news is that there aren’t any bad choices when going out in Key West. Just keep your drink orders simple, because cutting-edge cocktails aren’t really a thing here. And know that Duval Street, often called Key West’s Bourbon Street, is where you’ll find the most (and rowdiest) bars. 

If the thought of taking shots with wandering bachelor parties makes you shudder, though, this guide has plenty of options off Duval, with all the Jimmy Buffett vibes that made you book a room here in the first place. And when you get hungry, check out our guide to the best restaurants in Key West.

 Sloppy Joe's Bar is number one on the list. Strangely, there's also a Sloppy Joe's Bar in Havana, Cuba.

To read more, go here.

Ernest Hemingway's Florida

Above, Sloppy Joe's Bar, Ernest Hemingway's favorite Key West watering hole. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During our stop in Key West, Florida during our cruise to Cuba, I went to the Hemingway House to see where Ernest Hemingway lived in the late 1930s.

I also toured Key West aboard a trolley bus that meandered around the town. Some of the places we drove past, such as Sloppy Joe's, are Hemingway-related.

Above, Hemingway House in Key West. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

InsideHook has an article on some of the haunts in Florida Hemingway used to frequent.

They begin it with:

Sparse of prose and generous with Martinis, Ernest Hemingway was nothing if not a literary and lifestyle legend. The iconic writer’s alpha male appeal has paved the way for no shortage of stories about his exploits — some canonical, like the three-month safari that resulted in a lion as a trophy, and others anecdotal, like his claim that he liberated the Ritz bar in Paris from the Nazis, or that he contributed to the invention of the Bloody Mary.

Hemingway lived just shy of 62 years, and he crammed more than most into those six decades. After his military service, he embarked on four marriages and countless adventures, from Paris to Madrid, Havana to Key West. And there’s nowhere quite like Miami to live large in his image.

To read more, go here. 

Climbing The Key West Lighthouse

Above, the Key West Lighthouse from the Hemingway House. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I toured Key West, Florida four years ago this coming April, I was on the top balcony of the Hemingway House and spotted the Key West Lighthouse nearby.

From the balcony, I took the above photo of the lighthouse.

Since then I found that a view of the lighthouse was shown in the 1989 James Bond movie, Licence To Kill with a similar view as my photo's.

TheTravel posted an article on visiting the Key West Lighthouse (which I should have done, but didn't).

They begin with:

The stunning views from the top of the Key West Lighthouse are a sight to behold. With a climb of 88 iron steps, visitors find themselves perched atop the 18th-century structure, taking in the expansive, sweeping views of the surrounding area. Initially built in 1847, this lighthouse served as a beacon of safety for countless ships entering the port, warning them away from hazardous reefs. Today, adventurous travelers can take on the challenge of scaling this historic structure to experience a bird's eye view of Key West like no other.

The observation platform offers an unparalleled view of the town's famous sunsets, making it the perfect spot to catch the sun as it disappears below the horizon. For more than 100 years, lighthouse keepers kept watch from the top of this tower, ensuring the safety of sailors and the preservation of the historic structure. Now, visitors worldwide can follow in their footsteps and experience the thrill of climbing to the top of this iconic Key West landmark.

To read more, go here. 

10 Unique Key West Tours

Above, an example of Key West architecture. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During our April 2019 Royal Caribbean cruise to Havana, Cuba, we made a stop in Key West, Florida for a few hours. 

We had enough time to explore Key West with a trolley that stopped at major points of interest. I stopped at the Hemingway House and took a tour of Ernest Hemingway's home, office and grounds. I also stopped at the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum.

There are other ways of exploring Key West and TheTravel has ten recommended tours for consideration.

They begin with:

Key West is closer to Cuba than the rest of Florida, so visiting there makes the rest of the country seem a million miles away. The island's boisterous history, colorful culture, and laid-back attitude give it a Caribbean feel. With a vibrant nightlife, tasty seafood, and plenty of outdoor activities, Key West offers all the trappings of an island paradise while still being conveniently located on American soil. With a plethora of activities to enjoy, such as kayaking, snorkeling, exploring nearby coral reefs, and going on a boat tour, it's easy to see why Key West is so appealing. Here are 10 tours worth doing in Key West.

To read more, go here. 

Key West Airport To Get New Concourse

Above, a portrait of Ernest Hemingway at the Hemingway
Home and Museum in Key West. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before the pandemic hit two years ago, I was planning to return to Key West, Florida. The pandemic put a nix on that idea.  

I first visited Key West during a cruise one-day stopover in 2019 while en route to Havana, Cuba. The planned trip would have had me flying to the Key West International Airport. 

Should I go back to Key West in 2025 or after, there will be a new concourse at the airport to use.

According to Bloomberg:

Future pilgrims to Ernest Hemingway’s home and museum in Key West may find it a little easier to get there thanks to $36.7 million of municipal bonds. 

Monroe County, Florida is issuing revenue bonds next week to help finance a new airport terminal at Key West International. The new concourse will be 48,805 square feet, and is scheduled to open in late 2025.  

Key West International is recovering now after, like all airports, it was hard-hit by the pandemic. Traffic in April of 2020 was 3% of its level in the same month a year earlier. But business in fiscal 2021 was a-booming there, rising to a record level of 659,321 enplanements, or passengers boarding aircraft.

One of the best known sites in Key West is the house at 907 Whitehead Street, which was the home of author Ernest Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline, from 1931 to 1939. The Key West International Airport actually pre-dates the arrival of the Hemingways and was where Pan American Airlines was founded in 1927, according to the offering documents to the bond issue.

In 1956, Hemingway was featured in a Pan Am advertising campaign, in which the author says, “We started flying commercially about the same time,” and refers to “the old Key West-Miami-Havana-Bahamas early days.” Pan Am went bankrupt in 1991.

While in Key West in 2019, I toured the Ernest Hemingway home and museum,

To read more, go here.