Lunch at Snappers - Picture

So tell me, when you live in Paradise and want to get away for the day, where do you go?

In our case, we hopped in the car and drove down to the Keys.

Yes, for lunch.

100 miles one way.

Sure it sounds a bit over-the-top, but we needed the escape a week ago.

And look at the view!

We got to sit at a table, getting the tropical breezes off of the ocean in Key Largo, having a really nice lunch with a bottle of Pear Cider.

I have a feeling that we'll head down to Snappers in Key Largo once again.   Nice people, good food, and a complete change from the usual up here on our little island in the city.

The thing about the Keys is that if you fly in, you're there.   If you drive in, you seem to go through stages.

The Mainland in South Florida has "this look".  Everything is low slung.  Shopping centers and homes aren't usually over one floor, although for some crazy reason this is changing.  Big buildings can be built like bunkers with thick walls.  Overhangs are bolted down for a reason - they fly away.

Then all the sudden the sprawl... stops.

You hit the road through to the top of the Keys - it's grass and flat as a table top.  One lane each direction, so you're going to have to be patient.   It's about 12 miles of this.   Little bridges over little lakes.   More grass.   Signs saying "Crocodile Crossing".  Lake Surprise.

Then the bridge over Jewfish Creek and you're in Key Largo.

Now everything has it's own look.

Shops have a more island look to them.   Pastel colors, heavily pitched roofs, and lots of metal on them.   After all, you don't want them to peel apart shingle by shingle.   Tiles on the roofs, thick concrete block and stucco walls.

Palm trees greet you.  It's a Gilligan's Island look to things.   Strange posts that say Vacuum Sewer, so you expect to hear a sucking sound but don't get too close.

It's a world designed to be washed over and drained.

Something that we're lucky enough to just pop down on a weekend and dip a toe into.