Getting There is a Lot of Fun, Actually

The entire trip started out with a burst of awesomeness when our cab driver was a half hour early to pick us up. Oh yeah! Allie and I are both into the planning, and we like for things to keep on schedule, so this was a good sign. We went to Reagan and checked my bag and were through security in plenty of time to make our 8:55am flight. Allie got a bagel, and I sat in the waiting area and listened to strangers' conversations. We boarded on time, at which point I started reading and Allie went to sleep immediately. The plane sat on the runway for about 20 minutes before taking off, because there was a weather system around Miami that they wanted to avoid. Bah!!! Anyway, we eventually got off the ground and flew to Miami with no drama, landing only a little late.

We walked the approximately 3 miles from the gate to the baggage claim and grabbed my suitcase (which was already off the plane), then headed out to wait for the rental car shuttle. Allie had booked the car through Expedia and it was with a company called Payless. The shuttle came in no time, and we were off. Our driver had the Hispanic rock station on and was bopping away as she drove us to the rental center, which I must say looked extremely, extremely sketchy from the outside. It was among the auto body shops and warehouses near the warehouse. However, the inside was a pleasant surprise. The woman at the counter was super nice and friendly, and we were in the car within minutes. Allie also learned a valuable lesson about the classes of rental cars: The cheapest compact economy size is, in fact, tiny, and it is the base model. Oh well, the car was nice and clean and new, so we were happy with it and were off in search of food.

Key lime pie count: 1.

We stopped at a Pollo Tropical, a Florida chicken chain. Man, I wish they had these in DC. There are plenty of chicken places at home, but this one has a drive-thru window. Excellent. We ate in the restaurant, though, because we had time. We are on vacation. Allie had fajitas and I had a Tropichop, which is chopped chicken on top of yellow rice. I also had a side order of corn, since anyone who knows me knows I have a special love for corn. Anyway, after the yummy chicken, we were on the road and headed south for the Keys.

We took Florida's Turnpike down to Route 1, which is the only major road in the Keys. On our way, we planned our day in Key West (which will be Sunday). I don't want to ruin it for you, but suffice it to say that it is going to be awesome. Allie also mentioned that she wanted to get some dive fins for herself. She wanted teal-colored ones to match her mask. We stopped at Divers Direct in Key Largo and no luck. I told her that we could stop at 5 more stores looking for the fins. We went to 2 more with no luck -- so 3 left to visit when we saw a sign for the flip-flop outlet. I said we could visit additional dive stores if we could go to the flip-flop outlet, and Allie said that was a good deal. We stopped and bought flip-flops (I got 2 new pairs and agreed to get rid of at least 3 of my old pairs) and were on our way. At the fifth dive store, Allie gave up on her quest for teal fins and got some pretty blue ones instead. After fin shopping was over, we headed to the grocery store to stock up on essentials (yogurt, granola bars, crackers, wine, and key lime pie) before going to our hotel to check in.

We were glad to be back at the Ocean Pointe suites -- we stayed here last year. We agreed that it is nice to come back to a place we know. We checked in and schlepped our stuff up to the room. Everything was as we remembered it, including the feral cats roaming the property. Awesome! We had the same type of room as last year, a 2-bedroom-2-bathroom condo (this is a place at which the owners rent the units when they're not here). There is also a full kitchen and a nice living room, plus balconies with a view of the ocean and the mangrove (buttonwood tree) forest between us and the ocean. Allie took a nap, and I read and ran a quick errand to the drugstore to get some bottled water and soda.

After we relaxed, we decided to head out for dinner. All of the diners around here are only open for breakfast and lunch, so we just drove south on Route 1 until we saw something that looked good. We ended up at the Island Grill on the ocean side of Islamorada. We ate outside on the dock, which was really nice because the breeze was blowing and the clouds from earlier today had moved off. We both had nice big salads that were really good. After dinner, we came back to the condo to watch the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. Tomorrow we are going scuba diving in the morning, and there are a few options for the afternoon, so we are going to bed early. Key lime pie count: 1.