For years I've wanted to stay at White Gate Court in Islamorada. The idea of a dog-friendly — truly dog-friendly, as in, "we love dogs everywhere on our property" — appealed to me. So, this May, we piled the hellhounds in the Xterra and forced them to enjoy themselves in the Keys. It worked out well for all of us and, it turns out, even though dogs matter more than humans at White Gate Court, it's still a pretty awesome place for people. Also, Calypso has a boyfriend. I wrote more about this for Creative Loafing Tampa back in May; here's the link.
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Poppo’s Taqueria: Wild Pig, Fresh Tacos, Florida Vibes
Whenever I take a road trip, I look for local food. This is not exactly born of some grand desire to "eat local" (although I do heartily endorse locavorism, something made easy by living in one of the best places in the world for fresh citrus, seafood, and free-range beef). No, I seek out the local food because how different regions of Florida (and the United States, and the world) eat fascinates me. Florida food historian Andy Huse told me once, "if you want to know about a culture, look at what they ate" and I've learned he's quite right.
Whenever I read of an eatery that catches my interest, I note in a Florida Bucket List reminder list I created on my iPhone specifically so I can see everything in Florida. It's driving me crazy because I can't recall how I heard about this place. All I know is that I've...
Detours & Diversions – The Other Side of Tampa Bay: Paradise in the Sand
“Anna Maria Key, lying to the south of Tampa Bay and separated from the mainland by Sarasota Pass, one of the many sand and shell islands bordering the west coast. It rises but a few feet above sea level and is covered with mangrove swamps, palm savannahs, salt flats, cacti thickets, and buttonwood trees. Anna Maria, a resort at the northern extremity of Anna Maria Key, consists of many cottages in a jungle setting.” –The WPA Guide to the Southernmost State, 1939
WHAT: Much has changed on Anna Maria Island since 1937. The palm savannahs surrendered to beach cottages, and while the island itself rises but a few feet above the warm, turquoise Gulf, bungalows at Anna Maria’s edge prop themselves like mangroves, resting just out of reach of salt and waves.