Key West: Butterflies

As a slush storm hurls itself towards the Northeast yet again, I had to share the beauty of Key West's Butterfly and Nature Conservatory as a hopeful sign that spring might actually return again. It was incredibly serene to wander the sunlit paths inside the glass structure, with butterflies and songbirds floating around us, turtles and Chinese button quails underfoot. Jane even found one hitching a ride on her hat. In the hatching center, you can stand and watch a butterfly emerge from his cocoon. When I walked out of there with lower blood pressure and ready for a nap, I couldn't help but think how fantastic it would be to set one of these up at home.

Key West: Midcentury Mod

Not only does Key West offer pristine examples of 19th century architecture, it has some swell midcentury modern buildings as well. Clearly I'm fond of neon lights.

Key West: Audubon House

The Audubon House is a bit of a misnomer. Having visited the property for an extended stay when he was illustrating his catalogue of North American birds, Audubon never actually lived in the house. It's a small detail, with the beautifully restored home and lush grounds housing a fantastic Audubon print collection. Built after the area was decimated in the mid-19th century by a hurricane, this captain's house stocked with antiques and artwork holds original double elephant and octavio prints, becoming a lesson in art, biology, and the printing industry. Dedicated to catalogue the appearance and habitat of birds, Audubon released a variety of field guide print editions, thus making the masterful images affordable for the masses. After chatting with the very helpful and knowledgeable gallery manager Martha Resk, James and I couldn't help but invest in one-- a third edition octavio from 1859. This handpainted printed lithograph of dwarf thrush inspired me to revamp a collage that I never really liked. Maybe all it needed was a bird.

Key West Eats

Eating in Key West is as you might expect-- seafood centric. Some highlights were coconut encrusted grouper and pan seared tuna at Alonzo's, conch chowder at -- well-- anywhere, and the seafood stew at Nine One Five. But some of the best surprises are off the well-traveled path. A Cuban sandwich at Sandy's Cafe on White Street proved to be worth heading off Duval Street and waiting outside the laundromat for ten minutes. Stacked with a selection of cold cuts, cheese and pickles, the toasted sandwich was huge enough for the four of us to share.

Another unexpected highlight was a trip to Peppers of Key West. You've heard of a wine tasting, but hot sauce? Seriously, we sampled some amazing varieties and shipped home a case of our top choices with Billy as our host.

For ambience, we couldn't help but revisit Bo's Fish Wagon, a ramshackle of of a luncheonette. The food was the usual french fry fare, but the interior, a pastiche of old license plates, buoys, and the kitchen sink gave the space a junkyard rococo effect.

My one culinary suggestion to the city--- set up a proper beignet shop.

The Southernmost Entry

Key West is a fascinating crossroads of cultures. Mix Carribean, New Orleans, Antebellum, and a dash of pirate, add a jigger of booze, mardi gras and crass tee-shirts, stir, and you've got the proper vibe. Even in this week's 50 degree weather, people came to Duval Street ready to party.

Funny what captures one's imagination. The Southernmost marker, with lines of tourists snaking down the street, is one of the most photographed images in Key West, right next to the popular mile zero marker for Highway 1. Proof of one's existence perhaps.

Another well-documented image is the beautiful banyon tree on Whitehead Street. Since we stayed at The Banyon House, a quaint complex of renovated historical residences, we watched nearly every passerby stop and snap a picture of this unusual tree. Originally from India, the banyon spreads its sinewy roots above ground, creating a cathedral-like space out of its limbs.

For me, what has captured my imagination on all three of my visits to the area was of course the architecture-- some of the best preserved examples of 19th century vernacular. My favorite? Oddly enough the eyelid window-- what a terrible idea to stick a series of windows under the porch where hot air is trapped. From rain capture to front porches, as we look to the past to see which passive systems worked, and in this case, which failed, Key West can certainly offer some modern-day insights.

Key West's Early Risers

photo credits: Jackson and Olivia, my early risers.

Time Out for Travel

Alas dear readers, I'm heading off to Key West for family time. Of course the trip will offer a host of new blog entries, so never fear, I'll be packing a camera, sketchbook, and new flip camera along with sandals and sunscreen. Cheers and Peace.

Downtown Revitalization

I went to take updated photographs of one of Bouler Design Group's commercial projects today. I like this project because of its siting. It's such a visual anchor in an otherwise busy crossroads in the heart of Syosset, New York. This rehab is situated on one end of the three roads that caddycorner over each other-- where steady traffic, a train station, a gas station, and pedestrians mix it up in one absolutely confusing landscape. It proves the point that architecture defines and articulates space. In fact, James and I spent a lot of time analyzing different cityscapes, trying to put our finger on why some are more intimate than others. What we've noticed in places like Key West, Antwerp, the French Quarter, and Greenwich Village is that the buildings are between three and four stories high and are mixed use-- commercial on the bottom, residential on top. Of course the car in those places is given second-class status with narrow streets since most of the traffic is by foot. On the other hand, the wide streets of Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta are far less intimate in scale. This distinction, of course, explains my visceral reaction to Salt Lake City, where I had a minor panic attack, not from the Mormons but from the sense of space.