KEY WEST, Fla. — Time exists in Key West, Fla. It just doesn't matter.
"I had traveled a lot," said Mike Eden, owner of Eden House, the oldest hotel on the island of Key West.
And then he quotes a friend on the subject, "We don't waste time; we kill it."
In fact, at the Eden House, there is a noticeable absence of timepieces.
"As a rule, we like to keep clocks away from the rooms," Eden said with a little laugh.
All of this anti-schedule sentiment explained the clock above the Jacuzzi.
I was sitting in the Jacuzzi with some friends and a couple who visits Key West several times a year and always stays at Eden House. They saw me staring at the clock and obviously figured out that I was trying to decide if it was just a trick of my tired eyes, or if, in fact, the numbers on the clock were ...
"It's backward," the gentleman said, hoping to ease my mind. "It threw me the first time I saw it, too."
By the time I noticed the clock, the energy of Key West had changed me. More accurately, it had mellowed me. That's because my mini vacation in the island paradise of Jimmy Buffett and Ernest Hemingway was very much unplanned.
And at first, it was very unwelcome.
I was in Key West, the southernmost place in the U.S., not because I sought reprieve from the breakneck pace of my life. It just happened to be where the Key West Ragnar Relay finished. So after running and biking from Miami to Key West, I found out my flight home had been canceled due to severe winter weather conditions pretty much everywhere but Key West.
After the initial panic about not being able to resume my very busy life washed over me, I put on my swimsuit and flip-flops, borrowed a bike from Eden House and headed down to the beach.
As I rode, I felt the easy joy of this place. Getting around on foot or on a bike is the preferred method of travel. I even saw a fellow moving a mattress for a friend on his bike.
Once I got to the beach, I deliberately tried to forget all the things on my to-do list that would be unfinished for two days while I "suffered" in the sand. After a few minutes, I even fell asleep. And then I swam. And finally, I bought a soda and a piece of pie and soaked up the final moments of the day.
I watched the sunset without even thinking of taking a picture. I had accepted my fate to spend two more days in a place where time didn't exactly stand still, but it certainly slowed to the speed of a meandering bicyclist with no particular destination in mind.
Part of a great vacation is getting lucky. I knew nothing about Key West, other than it is where Hemingway once lived and played, and that it was mighty close to Cuba.
So it was my desire to meet up with friends who happened to be staying at Eden House and lured me away from what would have been a couple of days at a very lovely hotel chain.
And while I am sure my experience would have been wonderful if I'd stayed on the beach at the chain hotel, I think I gained a little more insight into the soul of the island by staying in the heart of Old Town at Eden House.
"About 50 to 60 percent of our crowd is the same," he said. "They know each other, and they come at the same time each year. But more and more people are finding us via the Internet."
Eden House is unique in its energy and offerings. The rooms range from small and semiprivate to apartments. Guests can have lunch delivered from a local restaurant or walk to any one of the eateries nearby. Everything, including the beach, is within walking distance, although the hotel does rent bicycles (complete with baskets).
"We're just not your traditional hotel," he said. "Some people walk in and they'd rather see a polyester shirt with a name tag. We want you to feel a part of our family. To me, the other end of the island (where the resorts are located) is really far removed from Key West."
Eden first found Key West during spring break in 1971. The Michigan native persuaded a friend to drive from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Key West. When he arrived, it was a very sleepy fishing town.
It is still a place people go to fish, but it has evolved into many things for many very diverse kinds of people. They all have one thing in common: the desire to leave the world behind.
Eden said a woman named Effie Roberts Perez, who lived next door to Eden House in the 70s, summed it up best.
"What is this feeling that Key West has? Sand in your shoes," he recalled. "If you get it, you'll be back. In six months or 60 years, you'll be back."
It was true for Eden, who bought and renovated Eden House in 1975, and it was true of just about everybody with whom I came in contact. From my taxi driver to restaurant owners, a visit to Key West turned into a move because the lure of the island was overpowering.
While I was there, I hitched a ride from Eden House manager Elizabeth Ross to Recycle, a company that offers a range of bikes (depending on the goal) and will deliver them wherever a guest is staying. Chris Needham owns the company and gave me some awesome tips on what to do with my newfound days off.
I started by heading over to the Lazy Dog Paddle Shack that is right next door and picking up a paddleboard. While they offer kayak tours and yoga on the paddleboards, I just grabbed a map and took off on my own. I paddled through the mangroves so leisurely I contemplated taking a nap on my board. Instead, I took pictures of the many birds and just "killed time."
I made my way to the Atlantic Ocean, but if I'd had the urge, I could have gone under the bridge and headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. Just the beaches in Key West are worth the trip.
After I finished paddling for a couple of hours, I got back on my bike and rode the entire perimeter of the island. I stopped long enough to lounge on the beach and just let the pleasure of doing nothing consume any worries.
I was invited to dinner with friends but found they were leaving and I was still in swimwear and board shorts. That, I found out, doesn't matter. Beach attire is appropriate dress for just about every restaurant and business in Key West.
We went to the Thai Life, which is a floating restaurant on a boat in the marina. The couple who own the restaurant moved to Key West after the tsunami of 2006 in Indonesia swept away their lives.
The variety of food in Key West is unreal. Every meal I ate came from a different part of the world: Cuban, Spanish and French. Of course, I also had seafood. The Roof Top Cafe and Old Town Bakery were two of my favorites. Best Key lime pie definitely goes to Roof Top, although Kermit's chocolate-dipped Key lime pie on a stick was pretty awesome, too.
And then there was DJ's.
I saw DJ's Clam Shack right after my race, but my teammates refused to eat seafood that came in a paper container.
It was on my bike ride that next day that I found DJ's and finally persuaded a friend to give it a try. It was there I ate the best sandwich I have ever eaten: a Maine lobster roll.
Who knew you could buy paradise for $12.95?
And who knew a tiny island could offer so much? From the a surprisingly large and fascinating historic district (including Hemingway's house and hundreds of cats), to the quirky people and the funky offerings, Key West is a place, an energy that stays with you long after you've left the island.
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Email: adonaldson@desnews.com