Winter Chill in Key West

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Key West, FL -
February is the height of winter; reports from up North are full of frightening images of millions without power. Frozen scenes of icy roads, cars skidding into snow banks. Newscasters shivering inside furry parkas exhaling in great plumes.

The great thing about Key West winters is they are only a few days long. And those days are not usually consecutive, so your winter trip to our fair island will not be spoiled by cold weather.

It dipped below 55 degrees today in Key West. We can't deal with it. Very few homes have heat, so Key Westers have to be creative to keep warm… turning our ovens on, pots of boiling water on the stove, dicey old space heaters caked with dust. Invariably one of these will start a fire. On cold days here in the tropics, you always hear a fire engine or two rushing to extinguish someone's attempt to warm their abode. I love to just cook something; today I have a crock-pot full of chicken breasts onions and celery slowly cooking into a hearty soup.

The great thing about Key West winters is they are only a few days long. And those days are not usually consecutive, so your winter trip to our fair island will not be spoiled by cold weather. If you do experience a short cold spell while you're here, take a cool weather tanning tip from the long time locals - go to Higgs beach and put your towel down by the wall at Martello Towers. It's always toasty warm there. The sun heats the old stone wall and the wall itself protects you from the wind. Super place for reading a book or taking a catnap.

How to amuse yourself on a cold afternoon in Key West? Take a walk through Old Town with a sketch pad and take home your own drawings of the different gingerbread that graces so many old town homes. Take time to really look and notice the details of everything around you. I walk every morning and have for many years; I honestly see something new everyday. Have lunch at Louie's Backyard. Take in a show at one of our many theaters - they never disappoint. One piece of advice…wear some clothes. The tourists are the only ones not wearing a sweater!