We just got back from sunny, beautiful, freezing Florida. We were looking forward to getting away to somewhere warm and since my friend was so generous in lending us her condo in Key Largo, off we went in search of the warm sun. Unfortunately we hit the most unlikely historic weather in the Keys with a full week of temperatures in the 40's and 50's. One day we did get to lie by the pool when it hit about 60 degrees, it was downright balmy. We had a good time anyway though, lots to see and do in the Keys. There's a wonderful bird sanctuary with rescued hawks and egrets and every day they 
have a pelican feeding by the water. But since it was so cold, there weren't many pelicans around and the few there didn't seem too interested in eating, maybe they were just chilly. There's lots of dolphin research centers which I'm torn about. I love to see the dolphins up close and I know we can learn alot from them, but some of these centers border on entertainment as a way to get funds and that I don't agree with. We also visited a turtle hospital ( http://www.turtlehospital.org/) hoping to go on a program tour. The poor sea turtles were freezing in the cold waters and were being rescued and brought in by the hundreds. I couldn't decide who to donate to first once we got home, the turtle hospital or to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. So I did both. The poor fish were also dying in the cold water, some swimming upside down and some already gone. It was so sad but inspiring to see so many people doing what they can to help the animals. Some people were bringing animals home to try to warm them. Iguanas were falling from the trees frozen but we were told they go into a cold hibernation and sometimes as their bodies warm, they come back to life. Although the Keys are beautiful and full of things to do, it is very difficult to find much vegetarian fare. We were fortunate to have a full kitchen at our condo so we did our food shopping at the local Publix and were happy to find they were stocked with tempeh, tofu and the new Gardein mock chicken products which are our new favorite. We actually wound up eating home pretty much every meal and saved lots of money that way! We really enjoy cooking while we are away since you don't have to worry about all the other household chores you usually do at home- cleaning, laundry, changing kitty litter pans, etc. (But I do miss my kitties when we're away!) So back to any veggie options...we did find the usual pasta and salads and even one place The Sundowner in Key Largo had a separate vegetarian menu but we were disappointed to see that all it really contained was pasta, vegetables and salad. We had hoped for a tofu stir fry or something else creative. We went down to Key West one day and they have plenty of options there- Help Yourself-Fleming St, Green Republic- Fleming St, The Cafe- Southard St and Sugar Apple on Simonton St. but at the end of the day after freezing out in the elements watching the required sunset and all the festivities that go with it, we opted for a comfort food veggie burger at Margaritaville on the famous Duval St. Back in Islamorada, we did find the Midway Cafe which is a cute cafe that had a tofu wrap on their menu in addition to some veggie wraps and hummus wraps. That of course was the day we had PB&J's packed so we didn't indulge but were happy to at least see those options. The cafe also tries to be as green as possible, using recyclable plates and cups and using green cleaning products. Basically you're surrounded by fish restaurants in the Keys but I can't blame them too much. The biggest tourist attraction there is fishing and every 2 feet along the Overseas Highway (Rt 1) you can pull over and fish and launch a boat but I just wish restaurants would have at least one option on a menu for us veg folks other than pasta (that was probably cooked with chicken broth). Oh yeah, while we were there, a fugitive who shot members of his family on Thanksgiving day was caught in a small motel in the keys. Thanks to the America's Most Wanted show, the motel owners were tipped off by a picture of the guy and the authorities raided his room and took him in to custody. We hear the Keys are a place where all sorts of funky folks hide out though. It really is a tropical paradise with beautiful blue green waters everywhere, palm trees, lovely sunsets from almost anywhere and oh I almost forgot the little Key deer. They are only found on Big Pine Key which is towards the end of the line of Keys (from Cayo in Spanish meaning "small island") 
and we've never had the pleasure of actually seeing them until this visit. We drove over on to No Name Key right near the No Name Pub and there they were walking around in residents' yards. They are smaller than our deer in NJ but oh so cute. They are very protected there and sadly there are usually almost 100 killed each year by car accidents. They think there are only about 700-800 left in the area.
The Keys are definitely a unique place and I highly recommend a visit there. Just plan to pack your food if you're a fellow veggie!
have a pelican feeding by the water. But since it was so cold, there weren't many pelicans around and the few there didn't seem too interested in eating, maybe they were just chilly. There's lots of dolphin research centers which I'm torn about. I love to see the dolphins up close and I know we can learn alot from them, but some of these centers border on entertainment as a way to get funds and that I don't agree with. We also visited a turtle hospital ( http://www.turtlehospital.org/) hoping to go on a program tour. The poor sea turtles were freezing in the cold waters and were being rescued and brought in by the hundreds. I couldn't decide who to donate to first once we got home, the turtle hospital or to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. So I did both. The poor fish were also dying in the cold water, some swimming upside down and some already gone. It was so sad but inspiring to see so many people doing what they can to help the animals. Some people were bringing animals home to try to warm them. Iguanas were falling from the trees frozen but we were told they go into a cold hibernation and sometimes as their bodies warm, they come back to life. Although the Keys are beautiful and full of things to do, it is very difficult to find much vegetarian fare. We were fortunate to have a full kitchen at our condo so we did our food shopping at the local Publix and were happy to find they were stocked with tempeh, tofu and the new Gardein mock chicken products which are our new favorite. We actually wound up eating home pretty much every meal and saved lots of money that way! We really enjoy cooking while we are away since you don't have to worry about all the other household chores you usually do at home- cleaning, laundry, changing kitty litter pans, etc. (But I do miss my kitties when we're away!) So back to any veggie options...we did find the usual pasta and salads and even one place The Sundowner in Key Largo had a separate vegetarian menu but we were disappointed to see that all it really contained was pasta, vegetables and salad. We had hoped for a tofu stir fry or something else creative. We went down to Key West one day and they have plenty of options there- Help Yourself-Fleming St, Green Republic- Fleming St, The Cafe- Southard St and Sugar Apple on Simonton St. but at the end of the day after freezing out in the elements watching the required sunset and all the festivities that go with it, we opted for a comfort food veggie burger at Margaritaville on the famous Duval St. Back in Islamorada, we did find the Midway Cafe which is a cute cafe that had a tofu wrap on their menu in addition to some veggie wraps and hummus wraps. That of course was the day we had PB&J's packed so we didn't indulge but were happy to at least see those options. The cafe also tries to be as green as possible, using recyclable plates and cups and using green cleaning products. Basically you're surrounded by fish restaurants in the Keys but I can't blame them too much. The biggest tourist attraction there is fishing and every 2 feet along the Overseas Highway (Rt 1) you can pull over and fish and launch a boat but I just wish restaurants would have at least one option on a menu for us veg folks other than pasta (that was probably cooked with chicken broth). Oh yeah, while we were there, a fugitive who shot members of his family on Thanksgiving day was caught in a small motel in the keys. Thanks to the America's Most Wanted show, the motel owners were tipped off by a picture of the guy and the authorities raided his room and took him in to custody. We hear the Keys are a place where all sorts of funky folks hide out though. It really is a tropical paradise with beautiful blue green waters everywhere, palm trees, lovely sunsets from almost anywhere and oh I almost forgot the little Key deer. They are only found on Big Pine Key which is towards the end of the line of Keys (from Cayo in Spanish meaning "small island") 
and we've never had the pleasure of actually seeing them until this visit. We drove over on to No Name Key right near the No Name Pub and there they were walking around in residents' yards. They are smaller than our deer in NJ but oh so cute. They are very protected there and sadly there are usually almost 100 killed each year by car accidents. They think there are only about 700-800 left in the area.The Keys are definitely a unique place and I highly recommend a visit there. Just plan to pack your food if you're a fellow veggie!
