{"id":65781,"date":"2018-03-13T12:26:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T16:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/my-wild-weekend-uncovering-the-simple-splendor-of-key-west-gay-travel-diary\/"},"modified":"2018-03-13T12:26:14","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T16:26:14","slug":"my-wild-weekend-uncovering-the-simple-splendor-of-key-west-gay-travel-diary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/my-wild-weekend-uncovering-the-simple-splendor-of-key-west-gay-travel-diary\/","title":{"rendered":"My Wild Weekend Uncovering the Simple Splendor of Key West: Gay Travel Diary"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Wild Weekend Uncovering the Simple Splendor of Key West: Gay Travel Diary<\/b>
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On Sundays in Key West, there\u2019s nowhere better to be than the pool at Island House. Photo courtesy Island House<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tennessee Williams once described Key West<\/a> as \u201ca haven for those who choose to drop out of conventional society.\u201d A favorite destination for writers like Williams, Ernest Hemingway and Elizabeth Bishop, Key West has long drawn creative spirits to enjoy the relaxed \u201ccome as you are\u201d mentality against its beautiful backdrop.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an unshakable ethos that\u2019s been distilled down to the island town\u2019s slick marketing tagline, \u201cClose to perfect, far from normal,\u201d but having spent a long weekend in Key West recently, that irresistible creative energy truly permeates the entire area.<\/p>\n

Escaping the most recent bomb cyclone, I arrived at Key West International Airport after a mere 20 minute flight from Miami. Greeted by a sign welcoming me to the \u201cConch Republic\u201d \u2014 a tongue in cheek reference to Key West\u2019s brief secession in the early 1980s \u2014 it\u2019s the first indication travelers are about to enter an utterly unique environment.<\/p>\n

At the center of the island\u2019s gay<\/a> community is Island House<\/a>, an all-male<\/a>, clothing-optional resort around which it seems the city\u2019s daily social activities revolve. Happy hour, offering complimentary top-shelf drinks to guests from 5 p.m. \u2013 6:30 p.m., draws lodgers as well as locals to mix and mingle in Speedos or less. The friendly (and, sure, at times frisky) atmosphere guarantees plenty of eye candy, and, once the vodka really gets going, enough buff bodies to render Island House\u2019s complimentary in-room porn channels a bit redundant.<\/p>\n

This would be my home base for a wild four days.<\/p>\n

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In the event of an emergency, your cocktail can\u2019t be used a flotation device, but it\u2019s still worth bringing in the pool. Photo courtesy Island House<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019d be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t a bit nervous at first. I\u2019m typically not one to disrobe in such a public manner. I wouldn\u2019t even put a shirtless picture on Instagram normally. Plus, I was traveling alone. Or, I should say, I was arriving alone, because the first thing you notice about Key West is just how easy it is to make friends.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s the gorgeous weather, or maybe it\u2019s the magic of that many gay<\/a> men<\/a> together, but whatever the impetus, this is the kind of place where all those maddening subcategories and Grindr tribes feel like they\u2019re falling away. From the moment of my arrival at Island House, I was striking up conversations with men<\/a> of all ages, shapes and backgrounds. There was a testicular cancer survivor who has turned his struggle into a fascinating photography project, a symphony clarinetist, a retired school teacher, lawyers, dancers, all laughing and chatting, sharing coming out stories or just thoughts on the latest RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> twist.<\/p>\n

By my second day on the island, I couldn\u2019t walk down the street without someone shouting my name to greet me.<\/p>\n

At night, the gay<\/a> bars down the town\u2019s main thoroughfare, Duval Street, come alive. Nestled between shops selling tacky tourist T-shirts, drag queens and go-go boys<\/a> hustle up business on the sidewalks, mingling with gay<\/a> and straight visitors without anyone batting an eye. The bars fill with familiar faces, now wearing only slightly more clothes than poolside hours earlier, and yet, the vibe is more Cheers<\/em> than Cruising<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Not that sex<\/a> is hard to come by, either. If you\u2019re looking, you\u2019ll easily find it late nights at the Island House. However, if that\u2019s not your thing, you can just as easily enjoy a nightcap at the 24-hour poolside bar and caf\u00e9, or hit the hay on the cloud-like beds. Like most everything in Key West, you\u2019re free to do what you want with little fuss or judgment.<\/p>\n

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Ernest Hemingway\u2019s writing room is a small space above the carriage house, but a worthy stop while touring the Hemingway Home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s tempting to spend the days lounging in the sun, but there\u2019s plenty to see. A trip to the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum<\/a>, a staggeringly beautiful house once occupied by the author of A Farewell to Arms<\/em>, The Old Man and the Sea<\/em> and more. A tour of the property takes less than hour, and it features several sightings of the famous polydactyl (extra-toed) cats, descendants of Hemingway\u2019s own pet.<\/p>\n

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Tear yourself away from soaking up the sun just long enough to peruse the easily-digestible Tennessee Williams Exhibit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s also worth venturing to the Tennessee Williams Key West Exhibit<\/a>, a small, but expertly curated space not far from the Hemingway House. The self-guided tour features lots of memorabilia, replicas and video<\/a> clips. It\u2019s the kind of cultural outing that\u2019s easily digestible, without the stress of elbowing through hordes of tourists.<\/p>\n

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Between boys<\/a>, booze and brunch, it\u2019s worth making room in your schedule for the butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory\u2019s enchanting garden path.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I was a bit surprised to find my favorite attraction was the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory<\/a>. As a grizzled New Yorker, I tend to prefer my paradises paved, so I had come into the space assuming it would be, at best, a fun spot for travelers with kids, perhaps. How wrong I was. The gorgeous gardens are home to the most striking creatures. Massive, saucer-sized blue morpho butterflies swoop through the air. A pair of flamingos, Rhett and Scarlett, preen and pose. Tiny quail scurry across the path. One begins to feel like a Disney princess.<\/p>\n

The only thing more charming than the blissful stroll through the Conservatory garden is chatting with one of its founders, George Fernandez. As the owner of one of the city\u2019s many gay<\/a> owned and operated businesses, the Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is just one example of the way the gay<\/a> community is woven so deeply into the character of Key West.<\/p>\n

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Need a Key West hangover cure? Order the lobster benedict and two mimosas at Banana Caf\u00e9, and call<\/a> me in the morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re planning a weekend trip, I recommend extending your stay through at least Monday, because Sundays are special on the island. First off, you\u2019re a fool if you miss brunch. The city boasts a bevy of stellar restaurants that could comfortably serve beside the best other cities have to offer. There\u2019s always some delicious seafood on the menu, whether it\u2019s the lobster benedict at Banana Caf\u00e9<\/a> or the can\u2019t-miss, house-cured smoked salmon benedict at Azur<\/a>. You won\u2019t have to worry about drinking alone, either. Even as I often booked tables for one, it was only a matter of time before I had befriended folks at the tables to either side. Brunch is always better with friends, after all.<\/p>\n

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At no point during my stay at Island House did I worry about tan lines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sunday afternoons get started at Island House with a killer pool party. Music plays, free (deadly delicious) shots make their way around the pool and a raffle commences. Again, it\u2019s a healthy mix of not just the resort guests, but local guys<\/a> as well. It\u2019s high-energy, but, like most things in Key West, very casual. No shirt, no shoes, (no shorts, no swimsuit), no problem.<\/p>\n

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Dancing shoes are a must for La Te Da\u2019s Sunday tea dance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The party appears to move en masse between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to La Te Da<\/a> for the weekly afternoon tea dance. A DJ spins classic disco tunes while patrons, spanning generations, shake their booties with reckless abandon. It\u2019s all the fun of the dancefloor without an ounce of attitude. Folks are breaking it down in swimsuits and cargo shorts, and everyone is throwing arms around one another, shouting every lyric.<\/p>\n

The relaxed atmosphere makes packing for a trip to Key West super easy. (If you\u2019re staying at Island House, you barely have to pack clothing.) However, the one thing to be sure to leave at home is pretense. Whether you\u2019re traveling from a small town or big city, Key West is the place to bring your friends and partners for a chance to leave societal pressures behind and connect with a friendly swath of the gay<\/a> community.<\/p>\n

But rest assured, even if, like me, you\u2019re traveling alone, you can always depend on the kindness of strangers.<\/p>\n

The post My Wild Weekend Uncovering the Simple Splendor of Key West: Gay Travel Diary<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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My Wild Weekend Uncovering the Simple Splendor of Key West: Gay Travel Diary<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n