KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY: EVERYONE (STILL) GOES TO FAUSTO’S

When Jimmy Buffett wrote, “I’m goin’ down to Fausto’s/get some chocolate milk” in his 1976 classic “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, and I...

ONE OF FLORIDA KEYS’ MOST FAMED ATTRACTIONS TURNS 50

Fifty years ago, as America celebrated its bicentennial, Robert Reckwerdt leased a Lower Matecumbe Key marina from Ruth and Buck Starck. The Starcks had...

ICONIC LA CONCHA HOTEL OPENED 100 YEARS AGO

La Concha Key West, Autograph Collection, the hotel that has stood over the intersection of Duval and Fleming streets for a century, will celebrate...
a group of people are posing for a picture

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY — THE ‘OLD’ PALATE OF ORDINARY TIMES

There are foodies who can taste a dish and instantly discern its ingredients, or who have such sophisticated palates that they can distinguish between...
a large boat docked at a dock in the water

HISTORIC USCGC INGHAM — A SHIP WORTH SAVING

Secured along the seawall at Truman Waterfront, the ship commands attention, the searing white of its hull stretches out like a 100-meter dash (327...
a man holding a fish on a fishing rod

KEYS HISTORY: THE LEGEND OF BOAT CAPTAIN BILL SMITH 

Bill Smith holds a special place in fishing history. He showed up in the Keys as a 19-year-old. In 1928, Smith was approved for a...
a couple of vans parked in front of a building

KEYS HISTORY: HOTEL TRANSFORMS INTO A HOSPITAL FOR TURTLE RECOVERY AND RELEASE IN MARATHON

Key Vaca is the heart of Marathon, and Marathon bills itself as the heart of the Florida Keys.  As the highway crosses the island, its...
a black and white photo of a harbor

KEYS HISTORY: MARATHON’S ORIGINS GO BACK TO A RAILROAD TOWN

Marathon began as a railroad town. During the construction of the right of way for the Key West Extension of Henry Flagler’s East Coast...

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY: BUFFETT & ‘THE MARGARITAVILLE MOVIE’

If you hung out at the Chart Room, Full Moon Saloon or Louie’s Backyard in Key West during the late 1970s and early ’80s,...
a black and white photo of a dirt road

KEYS HISTORY: OLD MONROE COUNTY SPANNED WELL BEYOND THE ISLAND CHAIN

It is always interesting to see where a column goes. I start with an idea and then let the history unfold as it needs...