Key Lime Pie

Obviously, my Aunt Susan makes the best key lime pie. Period. End of Story. But I'd have to say that the pie at Pepe's Cafe ain't half bad either. Pepe's is this restaurant near the docks on Caroline Street that I had been curious about since I first noticed its paint-chipped facade and washed out sign that says "Open Under Old Management." Seriously, the building looks like it's seen way better days, which is understandable since it was built in the early 1900s.

Then, I read also read about Pepe's in a New York Times travel article about where to find the best key lime pie in the Keys, and our fate was sealed. Despite its crumbling exterior, the inside of the restaurant is unbelievably adorable. Little tables dotted the outdoor patio, with trees growing up through the floor, and the largest bougainvillea I've ever seen provided shade for a large chunk of the tables. Of course, in true Key West fashion, there was a gift section where you could buy t-shirts.

The pie was pretty dang scrumptious, and we spied this red-wing blackbird, who, like every other animal on the planet, refused to let me take its picture. This is the only not blurry shot I got.

Isn't this a massive bougainvillea?

I was trying to be artsy with this one.

I find that I force Vlad to do all kinds of touristy stuff. Key lime pie. Hemingway's bar. I even convinced him to do a circumnavigation of the island with me on our bicycles, which was super fun. But I had to use trickery to get him to go to Hemingway's House. He refused to pay the $12.50 per person admission fee, which I admit is highway robbery, but the place is chock full of six-toed cats! I mean, we had to go. Details and six-toed cat pictures to come.