Suttleswing kicked off her day in Key West with a cup of cold Cuban coffee from the famous Cuban Coffee Queen. Her bright yellow cup dazzled in the daylight amidst the blue flag of the Conch Republic.

Key West is also known as the Conch Republic and stands as the southernmost point of the U.S.A, just 90 miles from Cuba.

Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, this island is famous for its Cuban influences, cuisine, and culture.

The coastline is blue and houses the rare queen conch with a pink shell. This pink conch shell and a bright yellow sun adorn the blue flag of the Conch Republic and are an emblem of Key West.

Upon finishing her coffee, Suttleswing saw a rugged wagon covered with bumper stickers all over its body, standing stark, surrounded by the chimes of oyster shells and the beaming pink conch shells placed on a wooden cart along with handcrafted wooden turtles.

She treads towards the famous Duval Street in her shocking pink Skechers and stops over for a picture with Marilyn Monroe, striking her iconic pose. Behind the statue was an art deco building called Tropic Cinema, famous for its movie screenings, popcorn, and beer.

A few steps ahead, the crystal-studded punk Buddha greeted her from the display window of an art gallery that showcased the work of German artist Metis Atash. Crystal studded bottle of Chanel No 5 placed next to art-pop style images of Richie Rich and Audrey Hepburn. The Punk Buddha also wore a robe with a pop art print of Marilyn Monroe. A red LV hand grenade and yellow Fendi hand grenade brought some action to the serenity of Punk Buddha.

Adjacent to the art gallery was a bright green shop selling the famous key west lime pie, and Suttleswing relished the tangy taste of the yellow lime pie. Moving forward, she decided to check out the Key West Butterfly Garden, but she could only visit the garden shop as their butterfly tour schedule was full. The shop was vibrant, full of flowers and butterfly souvenirs made from glass, fabric, ceramic, and metal. There was a mirror with a golden butterfly frame and life-sized flamingoes made from molten glass. She bought a pink conch shell butterfly pendant as her Key West souvenir and happily left the shop.

The edge of Duval Street took her to the most photographed hotel in Key West called the Southernmost House. It had beige walls, enhanced with candy blue ascents and covered with a burgundy roof.

She admired its Queen Anne-style architecture and headed toward Strand Theatre.

Strand Theatre was a blue and white art deco building that opened in 1921 and was later converted into Ripley’s auditorium from 1993- to 2002. Currently, it houses the Walgreen pharmacy and retains its old-world charm. Across the street was a cigar man from the Island Cigar Factory outlet. He seemed like a dashing local fellow wearing a green shirt with brown pants rolled into a cigar.

Not so far was the Hard Rock Café of Key West, housed in a Victorian-style villa once owned but now haunted by the ghost of Mr. Robert Currey, the first millionaire from Key West. Suttleswing was impressed by the unique architecture of the café compared to its other branches in the country.

She headed hastily to catch the Key West sunset at Malory Square but couldn’t see the sun due to the cloudy sky. However, the orange sunlight filtering through the dark grey clouds turned the Atlantic Ocean fiery orange, and it was a vision to behold. While the ships sailed on the water and seagulls cruised in the sky, the night took over the evening. It was time for the Key West Dinner, and she enjoyed crispy conch fritters, fried calamari, and oysters.