Friday, November 30, 2007

Key West Kaleidoscope

The Strand opened in the mid-1920s and became the home of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium in 1993.

The theater was sold in December 2001 and closed in April 2002. It has since become the another branch of the Walgreens pharmacy empire.

Many of the historic elements of the theater will be saved, however, including its facade, marquee, various aspects of the interior, the lobby tile, marble stairs, and wood floors.



This is a great 'train ride' through time.

They'll take you back to the days before civilization when fierce Indians left their enemy's bones to bleach in a tropical wilderness naming the island Bone Key.

Explore a lush, tropical island, and discover the charm and grace of one of America's most unique architectural pleasures.

Get to know characters like John James Audubon, Ernest Hemingway, and Harry S. Truman and, like them, become captivated by the magic that is Key West.

You'll even stop at the ice cream shop for a single scoop cone or a refreshing lemonade to cool you off!

Read more about this here



Duval Street is a famous downtown commercial zoned street in Key West, Florida, running north and south from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Duval Street is the location of many famous restaurants and bars, including Sloppy Joe's, The Bull and Whistle, Rick's Cafe and Irish Kevins bar. It is named for William Pope Duval, the first territorial governor of Florida.

At night, Duval is a carnival that lasts until dawn and beyond.

At the north end, tourists from the cruise who dock at the Hilton harbor complex are often seen traversing Duval Street's many shops in the afternoon looking for souvenir trinkets and T-shirts.

At the south end of Duval Street is the Southernmost House, a striking old yellow Victorian architecture mansion bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, South Street and Duval Street.



What is a conch house?

Early settlers of the Bahamas and Florida Keys built their homes of a morter made from sand, water, and lime. The settlers obtained their lime by burning conch shells. Having no building stones or bricks, but an abundance of conch shells the settlers often utilized the shell itself in constructing their houses. Thus the term "conch" house had its beginning. Later, wooden homes built by settlers and ship's carpenters utilizing a blend of architectural styles took on the name of conch houses.



Direction signs in the old harbor of Key West are showing you the way to any destinations that you can think about.




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