I don't know if they are still around after that/those hurricane(s) a few years back, but no trip to the Keys would be complete without picking up a pair of Kinos Sandals.

Sweet. They are affordable too!

I know nothing of Key West. Have fun!

You're going to start trying as soon as she goes off the pill? Aren't you supposed to wait like three months or something? (Is that obsolete or never-was-right?)

I got a pair of Kinos back in the early 1990's and I still wear them to this day. They are in FANTASTIC, FABULOUS condition. They will last you a lifetime. So worth 10 bucks.

dano, she really went off a few weeks ago, so we're already in the risk zone, but taking other precautions until we hit Key West. And, for the very reason you mention, we don't really expect to get preggers right away, especially on vacation. Nonetheless, I am anticipating lots of sex and nudity (the place we are staying has a private rooftop deck for sans suit sunning.

Yes, I am somewhat of a closet naturist. But only in the closet! :)

Cool. Good luck.

I had a great, great time in Key West at this time last year. The Hemingway House is awesome and a nice place to hang out for a while after your tour. Across the street from that is a neat historic site/park with great gardens and a lighthouse (I forget the name). A several blocks' walk away is a great bar that I think is called the Green Parrot -- in a hot lazy tropical way, it's the perfect place to while away the afternoon after a tour. The doors are wide open to the street, it's laid-back and scruffy and funky, and chickens wander in and out from the street.

I didn't get to go to the John James Audubon house, but would do so if I had another chance.

We discovered this great hotel, the Casa Caya Oueso. It was too pricey for us poor chumps to stay in, but they were running a special deal: $5 got you in to their gorgeous little oceanside pool and patio, all day long. You could laze on the lounges and patronize the poolside tiki bar for a mojito. Spending that $5 was a day's worth of feeling like a millionaire.

Plan to arrive early for the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. We missed a lot of it by waiting until actual sunset-- it's actually more of a pre-sunset celebration. But it's quite the scene -- street performers, preachers, jugglers, fire dancers, drummers, escape artists, people hawking tourist crap - wonderful.

Have fun!

tree, I have some tips for ya. Be back in a while, I'm off to dinner.

Are you driving down Route 1?

The Wreckers Museum is worth a couple hours of your time.

I haven't been to the Bull and Thistle, I'm intrigued.

I've been to Key West several times, but have never stayed there. We always stay around Islamorada or Marathon.

I liked the Key West tour on the open-air trolley thing. It's enjoyable and interesting.

Audubon House is fantastic.

If you're into plants check out the Nancy's Secret Garden. Go only if you like to look at plants, it's not worth much else. It's a jungle, we had the place to ourselves when we were there in 2005.

It's good that you're going out in the water. I love John Pennekamp state park, but you're so far away that it may not be practical. John Pennekamp has the best diving and snorkeling. We usually go out with Keys Diver if we don't have a boat.

I second Kino sandals and Mallory Square. The kinos factory is cool, but not literally. Some places in Key West don't have air conditioning so always carry a water bottle. I agree with goml, kinos are indestructible. The Mel Fisher museum comes to mind, it's hotter than hell in there, but it's worth checking out.

If you're feeling ambitious, you can take a high-speed vessel to the Dry Tortugas. I've always wanted to go. The last time we were there, in 2005, the kids were smaller and the Dry Tortugas weren't a good idea at that time. We're going in August for lobster season, so maybe I'll feel more ambitious.

The only restaurant recommendations I have are around Islamorada --Lorelei bar and restaurant and Morada Bay Cafe.

Again, north of Key West, but worth checking out if you have a car. Bahia Honda beach in Big Pine Key. It's gorgeous, but around 35 miles from Key West.

I hope the Royal Poinciana trees are in bloom when you're there, and the Pink Tabebuias. They're a sight to behold.

You'll have a great time in the Keys, it's beautiful down there. Have fun making a baby.

Key West was a lot of fun. We rented bikes for our stay and it was a great way to get around.

The butterfly museum is pretty nice, if you're into that.

Meals are expensive so we rented a place with a kitchen and ate many meals in to help keep costs down.

The Green Parent is a must, I have a family connection to the bar.

The Bull and Whistle is not that exciting. I went up to the naked bar on top once and uh, it was weird. Mostly because I grew up in Key West, so I was nervous about running into a teacher or the parents of kids I used to babysit.

John James Audubon actually never had anything to do with the Audubon House itself, but they have pretty cool stuff in there.

Try not to get too invested in the information you hear on the Conch Tour Train or Trolley, some will be true, some will be very very wrong.

Please don't rent scooters. If you must rent them, please don't use the horn indiscriminantly. Whatever you're driving, drive slow.

The Dry Tortugas is awesome. I've camped there without a tent (that's just me bragging) and in high school one of our volunteer options was riding out on the Stars and Stripes with Captain Don and his great crew (they volunteered the boat for the whole day) and cleaning Boca Grande, which is a mangrove island. I forget how many tons of trash we collected, but it's a good time for me to remind you to not drop your cigaretter butts or water bottles or paper napkins on the street. Most of that stuff makes it to the water and it's nasty.

They've taken many of the Australian Pines out of Fort Zachary Taylor, so it's not the shady retreat it used to be. Even so it's the best beach on the island. We used to call Smathers Beach "The Shittiest Beach in Town" when I was a kid. Nearly every year the government fined the town for having too much fecal coliform in the water at Smathers. The town says it's "probably bird poop."

The trees at Ft. Zach are invasive and they're rehabbing the beach to include native species that can't live in the soil created by those particular pine needles. Huge controversy in town, you'll see bumper stickers about that. While you're infusing yourself in the local color, grab a copy of the mullet wrapper (The Citizen) and have a laugh at the Citizen's Voice column.

For Restaurants, see Chowhound.com/boards/10 making sure to search for the terms Key West. Please do not ask a new question, the island is small and despite how much I complain whenever I go home, not much changes. You must, however, go to Five Brothers, Waterfront Market (I started the juice bar upstairs!) and 915 (on Duval) for dinner .

Bahia Honda; if you go, avoid the concession area and hang a left to walk to Sandspur where it's quiet. At the concession beach you will be tormented by seagulls. At Sandspur you'll want to have a few cold bottles of water and a few snacks and a good book.

I don't know what will be playing at the Tropic Cinema but it was fun to be around when they were showing the films in the San Carlos to get money to build the new cinema, and now there it is. Real.

One last thing, at the Southernmost Point be aware of a few things. 1)It's not actually the real southernmost point, as you're facing the water the real thing is to your right, somewhere on Navy property, behind a fence. 2) It's an upside down manhole that's been painted. 3) That is an active street. Do not stand in the street to take photographs, you will anger drivers that are paying attention. You may get injured by the drivers who are more interested in the landmark than the driving. 4) The town repaints the manhole often, do not add your graffito. It will not be eternal, and you might get caught.

Have fun.

Oh for real, the last thing...

Do Not Buy Tee Shirts on Duval Street.

Ramona's Shirt Put On made the shirts for our high school teams and events. It's small and truly local, good quality shirts. Some of the places on Duval might be locally owned, but the best advice is to just not go into those shops. They have a reputation for all sorts of scams.

You are all awesome. Thanks so much.

We are driving down Route 1 from Miami. We're splurging on a convertible Sebring, and luckily our "cottage" has a kitchen so we're planning on making a lot of our own meals to save dinero.

We were going to rent scooters, but now I'm thinking bikes. Besides, who wants to be in a hurry?

Again, thanks to all. We're both so excited we can barely contain ourselves!

I second the idea of a trip to the Dry Tortugas... it's one of the coolest places I've ever been. (The remoteness is something we rarely get to experience in this country.)

Also, the open-cockpit biplane tours over the island and surrounding shipwrecks is a BLAST. Highly, highly recommended.

I'm glad to hear you're driving down US 1... it's so much fun leaving the mainland and just driving away towards the edge of the world. I love that trip.

Definitely bikes! It's flat as a pancake, and the lazy pace is part of the appeal.

There's a fun, kinda cheesy fried-seafood restaurant as you go through Marathon Key, right on 1. The nice thing is that it's one big outdoor deck. It's not the best seafood you'll have in the keys, and it preys on tourists, but when you're cruising down Route 1, an hour from the airport,and then you stop there for sweet tea and a cold (cheap!) beer and some food, you know you're not in Kansas any more.

Oh, have a great time!! Just enjoy being together, and the beautiful area, and come back tanned and relaxed. You'll need those memories when your baby is screaming and throwing food at you. ;^)

LOL redvixen!