Off to Cayo Hueso

I had a fantastic trip to south Florida last week for performances in Key West and Coral Gables. Sometimes the places those little hunks of polyfoam take me are just too cool.

The first leg of the trip took me to Coconut Creek, Fla, near Ft. Lauderdale. On the way, I stopped for an unbelievable lunch at The Ga. Pig at the Jekyll Island exit on I-95. I don't eat a lot of meat, but I'm a sucker for some slow-cooked beef and their chopped beef sandwich was unbelievable. This place is classic. It was kind of hard to see inside because of all the smoke, so most folks ate outside at picnic tables strewn under the pine trees. The sandwich was perfect for eating in the truck as I continued on my way, it wasn't too sloppy and stayed within the perimeter of the cornmeal-dusted roll really nicely.



Then it was on to my puppeteer buddy Bob Nathanson's house to spend the night. We headed into Fort Lauderdale proper for dinner and to chat with fellow puppeteers Shana Zingman and Dave Goboff. Fun times!

The next day I took off for a leisurely drive down the Keys. Amazing! Not only the flora and the fauna, but the humans were fun to look at too. I slung it into The Wreck and Galley in Marathon for a pretty amazing Grouper BLT and watched the locals swilling beers at the bar, toasting one another on their days off.

I eased on down the Lower Keys into Key West. The vibe was awesome. I cruised Duval just to get a barometer reading. Folks in sleeveless shirts tottered down the strip, swilling from tall plastic cups while they fried in the relentless, equatorial sun. Bars were jammed, bicycle cabs whizzed by and the ubiquitous Conch Trains slunk here and there.

I headed to Glynn Archer School to meet my contact and sponsor, the super cool Phyllis Pope. She led me to the classic old school auditorium and I set up for an evening performance of "Salsa Cinderella."

With my set up complete, I follwed Phyllis to her home and she showed me their Guest House where I would spend the next two nights. It was awesome; outdoor shower, cistern turned swimming pool, giant banyan trees, perfect! I showered up and headed back to the school for the performance. It was a fine audience and we had a fine time!

I reset up for a performance of "Tangle of Tales" the next morning and then headed to Louie's Backyard to unwind. Jim the Bartender out at Louie's Afterdeck handed me a very cold Red Stripe, neatly tucked in a Louie's koozie. I relished the beer as I stared out at a choppy Hawk's Channel. Great way to end the night!

The next day before the show, I stopped at a little window counter on the street next to the school. A nice Cuban woman there made me an absolutely wonderful egg sandwich, pressed on super fresh Cuban bread. A double shot of Cuban Coffee completed the meal and got me all jacked up for the performance. It was a blast performing for the students! After the show, I reset "Salsa Cinderella" for an afternoon performance. A day of puppetry for these students, how cool is that!

After everything was ready, I walked down to El Siboney, which should be a "must do" on any one's trip to Key West. Really fantastic Cuban food at this place. Keeping the afternoon performance in mind, I decided to have a light lunch. A bowl of conch chowder and an order of crispy "tostones" were just perfect.

The afternoon performance was just as much fun as the morning show. I was amazed at how passionate both the students and faculty at Glynn Archer were. This school has a great energy to it!

After the show, I packed up and returned my truck to the Popes' house. I showered up and was free to roam Bone Island once again. My plan was to head to Blue Heaven for an obligatory beer but alas, they were closed for vacation. I changed course and headed towards Virgilio's and ran into the same problem there! What's going on? I changed course yet again and was headed to The Green Parrot when I decided to stop at Caroline's and re=energize myself. It was fine and my stool at the outdoor bar allowed for great people-watching. One last night cap at Louie's Afterdeck and I was done.

I ended my stay in Key West the next morning by joining Phyllis and her husband Tom for breakfast. It was Tom's birthday and they were heading to The Banana Cafe for crepes. Wow, it was super good.

By midday I was heading back north, on my way to Coral Gables and a performance at the really cool Lowe Art Museum on the campus of "The U," The University of Miami.

I missed my guest house accomodations as I checked into a really normal Holiday Inn. But it was fine. The next morning I arrived to set up for the performance of Salsa Cinderella at The Lowe. It was great! The Museum's Jodi Sypher did a fantastic job with the "family day" and packed the house. Too fun!

In the blink of an eye I was once again heading north, on my way back to Charlotte. It was a great trip; fun performances and obviously some fantastic food!