Spring Breaks

In January and February the island is busy with part-time residents (I've heard 'snowbird' isn't really a nice term). There is definitely more traffic on the roads and the grocery store is more crowded, but this is a very civilized group of visitors. Polite, well dressed. We tend to get to church earlier on Sunday morning so we get a seat, and we rarely go to dinner in Old Town....reservations only during this busy time of year.

In March, we get the college students. Oh my. They take over Smathers Beach during the day and Duval Street at night. I saw large groups walking all over the island, coolers in tow, heading for the beach from their hotels. I also saw them at Publix....more of them than I wanted to, to be honest. This year there was a big contingent of 'let's go to the store with our bums hanging out' folks. Never good. They do sell bathing suit cover-ups at many local stores, just sayin'.

The third week of March is spring break for us locals. No school for an entire week. If my news feed on Facebook is any indication, the majority of local families head to Disney and Universal. Lots of camping and shopping on the mainland as well. We headed north to an area new to us, Aventura/Hallandale Beach, but one that we will definitely return to.

After five years of shopping excursions, I finally found my perfect source of all those those things we can't get in Key West. The Hampton Inn there is sparkly nice and quite posh for a hotel at that price range. Less than a half-mile up the road sits a huge Target (next to a Whole Foods Market, no less) and a large, clean Michael's craft store. Aventura Mall is the next right, with a ton of high-end stores and a Nordstrom that makes the big one in Tyson Corner, VA (my old stomping grounds) look like small potatoes.

Leave the hotel and head a short distance in the other direction and you'll see the Village at Gulfstream, upscale shopping and dining next to Gulfstream racetrack. West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and my personal fave, The Container Store. I was in shopping heaven for sure. It was fun, and I filled the back of the truck with stuff I've needed (ok....wanted), but all that consumerism had a downside.

Before we headed back to Key West, I insisted on a stop at Williams-Sonoma for Easter supplies. My girls, who had been just delightful during our short trip, kind of lost it. As they were grabbing fancy marshmallows, gourmet jellybeans, and expensive chocolate bunnies, Josie started crying. She wanted to eat them NOW, not wait until Easter. And then Mari joined in. I realized that they were completely overstimulated and just ready to head home, so we put everything back and found Route 1. I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we left the mainland. And we were all happy to hit Key West three hours later.

Yes, you can definitely have too much of a good thing. And jelly beans and chocolate bunnies from Publix will be just fine.