Key West has been nominated as the Sexiest Place on Earth! An esteemed panel of travel writers compiled their recommendations for the Trip Out Gay Travel Awards, and this little island earned an enviable nomination. Read about Key West here and vote.

With inhabitants like these "hot" Paris pretenders, its no wonder Key West was nominated the Sexiest Place on Earth.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, both for me and here on the island. Among other things, I traveled to Miami Beach and exhibited at the National LGBT Bar Association’s Lavender Law Conference. This was a huge event with practicing attorneys and recent graduates learning how to better serve the legal needs of our community. Several came to the Keys after the conference.

Then I zipped across the country for the 20th conference of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, joining several hundred members of the media from across North America. I learned about issues facing the LGBT print media, websites, blogging, and workplace rights. It humbles me to know that we live in such an accepting community; many gays do not have this level of comfort.

Speaking of comfort, Womenfest kicked off last night with a packed house at Big Ruby’s Guesthouse. Lenore Troia, renowned for entertaining LGBT and allied audiences with her American Caribbean sound, assembled a women’s five-member band. We indulged in three hours of fun jamming with these talented ladies while enjoying food samples from more than a dozen Key West restaurants. Women (and men) attended from across the U.S., the United Kingdom and Germany.

Sun, fun and a sizzling entertainment roster can only mean one thing: Womenfest in Key West!

This year’s Womenfest schedule is loaded with top entertainers including Emily Saliers of the Grammy-winning Indigo Girls, the rockers of Sister Funk, and singer/songwriter Christine Martucci. And do not miss the evening of comedy with Suzanne Westenhoefer at the historic San Carlos Institute.

Check the Womenfest website for a complete schedule. If you can’t be here this year, next year’s event will start the day after Labor Day. (The real treat is that the guys can attend most of the performances. We are truly One Human Family!)

This time of year, we try to take to the water for snorkeling and sunset sailing. The colors of the sea drift between lapis and emerald and the water is clear as gin. The Blu Q offers day trips for the guys while Venus Charters caters to the lesbian community with snorkeling, fishing, and dolphin watching. Sebago hosts a women-only sunset sail on Thursday afternoons and all-adventure days that include jet skiing and parasailing.

If you’re not into the water, stop by the gay-owned Fast Buck Freddie’s on Duval Street and lose yourself in their maze of great gifts, clothes, and toys.

Key West doesn't "clown around" when it comes to producing its flamboyant annual festival and its spectacular grand parade. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

We have now entered the jam-packed season leading to the crowning of the king and queen of the Fantasy Fest masking and costuming gala. The “royals” earn their crowns by raising needed money for AIDS Help, our community-based AIDS service organization, and there are events almost every day and evening. Recent years’ royal campaigns have raised as much as $400,000. Photos of the candidates and a list of events are available here.

There are still some rooms available for Fantasy Fest 2010, themed Habitat for Insanity. Check your calendar and treat yourself to a Key West escape during this outrageous weeklong party that starts October 22.

Can’t make it this year? Plan on attending next year’s event. The lavish Fantasy Fest parade is always held on the last Saturday of October, so calculate your timeframe from that.

Shortly I’ll be off to visit pride events in Saint Augustine, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta. Then I may take a much-needed vacation!

(Steve’s current American Airlines mileage ticker: 2,497,241 miles promoting Key West to the LGBT world. Divided by 450 miles per hour average, that means 5,549.4 hours in a can at 30,000 feet!)

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Key Largo sometimes has a strange and wonderful effect on boats.

For example, at the recent “Anything That Floats” regatta, even boats that looked about as seaworthy as cottage cheese stayed afloat in the nurturing Key Largo waters while their intrepid crews completed the course.

These party animals paddled to victory in Key Largo's recent "Anything That Floats" race. (Photo by Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Granted, several teams got “that sinking feeling” and anticipated saltwater baths when their craft began to crumble. But that’s hardly surprising — after all, the precarious vessels were cobbled together from materials like lawn furniture, pool noodles, PVC and duct tape.

No, the surprise was that they all somehow held together and made it to the finish line, with more than 700 spectators cheering so hard you’d think they were watching A-Rod hit his 600th homer.

Among the oddly sturdy entries was a vessel built from a converted kiddie pool and empty plastic gas cans. Its mast topped with a tipsy-looking “macaw” holding a margarita glass, the so-called boat actually won the half-mile regatta. This makes sense only when you realize that one of its competitors was composed primarily of a plastic shelving unit.

While these boats stayed afloat against all odds, the best-known vessel associated with Key Largo was intended to sink. In 2002 the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot retired Navy ship, was poised to become the largest ship ever intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef for divers.

Shortly before its planned scuttling, the Spiegel Grove sank prematurely and rolled over. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

On May 17, 2002, at the site of its planned scuttling off Key Largo (and just hours before the event), the Spiegel Grove unexpectedly sank on its own and flipped over. Crowds of supporters reacted in stunned disbelief.

It wound up on its starboard side in 130 feet of water. And though the sinking went badly wrong, shortly afterward the ship began to attract marine life — large groupers, busy schools of smaller fish, vivid-hued tropicals and more.

For the next three years divers flocked to explore the vessel, not realizing that it (and Key Largo) still had a major surprise in store for them.

In 2005, after Hurricane Dennis skirted the Florida Keys, diver Bob Snyder headed for the ocean floor to check on the Spiegel Grove. What he found was so bizarre that he wondered if he might be suffering from nitrogen narcosis, a condition that makes divers feel giddy or intoxicated.

Shifted upright by nature, the Spiegel Grove (bow shown here) draws dive aficionados from all over the world.

No longer resting on its side, the Spiegel Grove was standing upright on the ocean floor.

Wave action from the passing storm had shifted the vessel into the picture-perfect position originally intended by the sink team. In the deep waters off Key Largo, nature had accomplished what man couldn’t — and today the Spiegel Grove is a “must-dive” site for underwater aficionados from all over the world.

So why does Key Largo have such an unusual effect on boats? Nobody seems to know, but it’s even drawn such venerable vessels as the riverboat from the classic 1951 film “The African Queen.” Navigated on screen by Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, the “Queen” has spent its twilight years sheltered beside a Key Largo hotel.

Topics: Environment, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key Largo, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

If your summer seems steamier than usual, consider escaping to the Keys — where there’s nearly always a breeze and less humidity than mainland Florida. (Obscure fact: some orchid fanciers prefer growing their darlings in Miami instead of the Keys because orchids flourish in Miami’s “steam-room” humidity.)

There's no better way to beat summer heat than by slipping into the cool, clear water that surrounds the Florida Keys. (Photo by Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Unlike most other areas of summertime America, the Keys are surrounded by the perfect antidote for oppressive heat — the refreshing waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Wherever you find yourself along the island chain, you’re never very far from cool, clear saltwater.

For some hard-to-resist summer activities in, on and beside Keys waters, read on.

First, if you’re a diver, dive into adventure with the new Wreck Trek Passport Program — an incredible way to discover the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail.

How does it work? Basically, it charts a course for certified divers to explore nine shipwrecks from Key Largo to Key West — the Spiegel Grove, Duane, Bibb, Eagle, Thunderbolt, Adolphus Busch Sr., Cayman Salvager, Joe’s Tug and Vandenberg (the trail’s southernmost and most recently scuttled vessel).

The 327-foot former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Duane, a Wreck Trek highlight, is located in 120 feet of water off Key Largo. (Photo by Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau).

When you book a dive at a participating Keys dive shop, you’ll receive a “passport” or log book for recording your dives — and once you’ve completed at least one plunge in each of the Keys’ five districts, you’ll earn a prize.

Complete all nine wreck dives, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for one of several grand prizes including dive-and-stay lodging packages. The program runs through New Year’s Day, 2012, so there’s plenty of time for a late-summer dive trip or two (or more!).

If you prefer your adventures ON the water instead of UNDER it, check out the popular kiteboarding scene in the Middle Keys — and particularly the Kiteboarding Shop at Hawks Cay Resort. (For those of you who don’t know Hawks Cay, it’s a VERY enticing resort “village,” complete with cozy rental villas, nestled on the 60-acre island of Duck Key just north of Marathon.)

Kiteboarding blends windsurfing, wakeboarding and kite flying — and the Keys climate is warm year-round so the ’boarding season never ends. (Photo by Richard Hallman/Hawks Cay Resort)

Kiteboarding in the area is amazing — buoyed by balmy weather year-round, ever-present breezes and shallow-water flats with seemingly miles of room to ride. Whether you’re a total novice or have some boarding experience, you’ll find courses, equipment rentals and excursions that suit your style at the Hawks Cay emporium.

Want to slip into cool water off a sandy beach? Then indulge yourself at one of the top beaches in America: the pristine sandy expanse at Bahia Honda State Park, ranked the number-two beach in the country in 2009 by TripAdvisor. The highly-rated beach (it has also earned “best beach” raves in a flurry of travel studies, plus kudos from “The New York Times”) is located on Bahia Honda Key in the Lower Keys.

Forget the freezer -- head for a refreshing summer spot like Bahia Honda State Park. (Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau)

One of the island chain’s most popular camping and recreation areas, Bahia Honda offers deep near-shore waters for swimming and snorkeling. You’ll also find camping, picnicking, watersports, a marina and rental cabins — and a stroll along the Old Bahia Honda Bridge, a historic span that was once part of the fabled Overseas Railroad, reveals an incredible panorama of sea and sky.

*****

I have a slightly demented friend on the Florida mainland who, whenever he can’t stand the summer heat and humidity any more, marches into his kitchen, opens the freezer door and sticks his head inside.

Besides its detrimental effect on his ice cream and frozen food, this practice doesn’t seem to be good for his brain cells (note “slightly demented” above).

Therefore, based on personal observation, I don’t recommend his approach. Instead, save your brain cells — and head for a late-summer break in the Florida Keys.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Local Color, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

San Diego Pride was two days of nonstop fun and Chicago’s Market Days event was outrageously busy. Lots of Key West vacationers stopped by my booth to tell me their fun vacation stories. They talked of amazing snorkel trips, great dinners, new friends, trips to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, and of their plans to return for another visit.

Historic Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park, lying nearly 70 miles west of Key West, draw visitors eager to snorkel and swim in the cool, clear surrounding waters. (Photo by Rob O'Neal)

I answered so many questions about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Many people thought that, if oil had hit anywhere in Florida, it was here in the Keys — but it has not had any physical impact on the state except in the far northwestern Panhandle region, which is hundreds of miles from our clear Keys waters. We are truly blessed that we’ve been out of harm’s way.

Back in Key West, the recent Bone Island Bare It All Weekend was a great event for our naturist men friends. The pool parties were jammed tight, the Equator’s toga party would have made Rome blush, and adult film stars performed with drag queens — it was a sight to see. Bone Island Weekend’s naked shoppers left with bags of clothing (I guess they can’t be naked all the time!).

Pool parties are a prime attraction at Key West's sizzling annual Tropical Heat festivities.

This event will be staged again the first weekend in December, so pack your bags (or your small carry-on, ‘cause you don’t need a wardrobe for this party).

Tropical Heat always takes place on the third weekend of August, and this year it was over the top. (Make your plans for next year soon, since the gay properties are generally packed.) This year’s Tropical Heat kicked off at the Island House with an all-male party featuring adult entertainers, an open bar and food.

Other events included a midnight skinny-dipping pool party at the Bourbon Street Pub Garden Bar with a live DJ, and daytime pool parties at Big Ruby’s, Alexander’s and the Island House. Next year’s event will be even bigger.

Keys fishermen harvest large numbers of lobsters, some of them startlingly big, from local waters. (Photo by Steve Panariello/Florida Keys News Bureau)

It’s been busy on our weekends here with block street parties, nighttime ghost tours, snorkel trips, and a full moon just before “mini lobster season” in late July.  We have eaten our fill of fresh locally caught lobster … fruits of the sea!  I prefer the Keys’ yellowtail snapper myself, but gee, I won’t turn down a couple of lobster tails.

Speaking of tails, Womenfest starts the day after Labor Day. Great entertainment includes pool parties, snorkeling and dolphin watching, jet skiing and island adventures. Among the headlining performers are Sister Funk, Emily Saliers from the Grammy-winning Indigo Girls, and comedienne Suzanne Westenhoefer.

After Womenfest comes Key West Bear Fest. Bears, cubs, otters, and fans will gather for a honey-filled weekend. Click here to find out about all the activities.

Womenfest headliners include singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Saliers of the popular Indigo Girls.

It’s time for me to take a break, so I’m heading to the National LGBT Bar Association’s annual “Lavender Law” Career Fair and Conference in Miami Beach. Then it’s off to San Francisco for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association’s 20th annual conference. If you plan to be at either event, stop by my exhibit — I’d love to see you and say hi!

(Steve’s current American Airlines mileage ticker: 2,483,787 miles promoting Key West to the LGBT world. Divided by 450 miles an hour, that means 5,520 hours in a can at 30,000 feet!)

Topics: Festivals, Key West, LGBT, Voices Main Archive

Attention, fellow crustacean fans: our favorite time of year has arrived. That’s right, August 6 marks the start of the eagerly anticipated Florida Keys lobster season.

Each year, Keys lobster lovers celebrate the start of the Florida lobster season. (All photos by Steve Panariello/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, the Keys are a paradise for lovers of fish and seafood — and the word “paradise” is not an exaggeration.

Imagine a place where you can wander into virtually any restaurant and order plump pink steamed shrimp, fish and chips made with mahi-mahi so fresh it’s practically still swimming, or chilled stone crab claws with creamy mustard sauce. (Your mouth is watering, isn’t it? That’s what I mean by “paradise.”)

Topping the list of superlative Keys seafood is our native lobster, often called spiny lobster. I’m not obsessive about many things (okay, maybe Springsteen music and calico cats) — except, that is, Florida Keys lobster.

Keys spiny lobster tails are often served grilled, with each bite dipped into melted butter.

For fanatics like me, August 6 each year is a holiday to rival Christmas. We regard the local fishermen who harvest our clawless crustaceans much like kids regard St. Nick.

For those interested in statistics, the annual Florida lobster harvest is pretty impressive — and the Keys’ annual catch is even more so. In 2009, Florida’s commercial fishermen harvested some 4.2 million pounds of spiny lobster. The vast majority of it, about 3.9 million pounds, came from Keys waters.

As previously noted, Keys lobsters are clawless. But unless diners are clueless, once they bite into the sweet and tender meat of the tail, they won’t pine for the pincers.

The most popular way to serve our luscious lobster is grilled with melted butter — or, like its Maine cousin, steamed or boiled. While traditional northern trimmings might include boiled potatoes and corn on the cob, it’s not unusual to find Keys lobster paired with Cuban black beans and yellow rice.

For maximum enjoyment, eat it in one of our waterside seafood shacks or gourmet emporiums, while watching an orange-red sunset and sipping something tall and cool.

But if you’re not lucky enough to be in the Keys right now, try having spiny lobster shipped from an area fish market and savor the flavor at home — while plotting your next island escape.

Here’s my favorite recipe that, hopefully, will allow you to do just that.

Grilled Lobster Tails (Serves 4)

Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 tablespoon Key lime juice • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 4 spiny lobster tails (about 8 ounces each)

Keys fish markets offer lobster fresh off the boats, ready for grilling and savoring with melted butter.

Preparation: Make the marinade four hours before grilling by combining the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cut the lobster tails lengthwise through the meat but not the shell. Open each shell to expose the meat. Add tails to the marinade and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for two to three hours.

To grill, remove the tails from the marinade. Insert a metal skewer through each tail lengthwise to keep it from curling. Grill over high heat, three to four inches from the heat source, for five minutes per side — or until the shell is red and the meat is opaque white.

Remove the tail from the skewer. Use a knife or meat scissor to cut the tail in half lengthwise through the shell. Serve with melted butter — and, for an additional island touch, add a generous spritz of Key lime juice to the butter.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Food, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

“Welcome to the trolley of the doomed,” intoned the veiled woman in elaborate black widow’s weeds.

Despite her misgivings upon meeting the ticket-taker, Kathy prepares to board the "trolley of the doomed." (Photo by Penn Alexander)

Oddly enough, that wasn’t my first clue that our upcoming tour wouldn’t be an ordinary sightseeing expedition. No, my first clue was the dried “blood” adorning the ticket-taker’s face, and his wolfish purple-lipped grin as he ushered us aboard the trolley.

Settling into my seat beside companions Penn, David and Kathy, I uneasily pondered the words on the vehicle’s side: “We’ll drive you to an early grave.”

Admittedly, the excursion was my idea. A fan of “Bones” reruns and other disturbing delights, I yearned to discover the spooky side of Key West on Old Town Trolley’s Ghosts & Gravestones “Frightseeing” Tour.

It was spooky indeed. We traveled past sites ranging from haunted 19th-century homes to saloons with resident specters while our “ghost hostess” recounted their histories — filled with tragedies, murders, burials, curses and other eerie events — in a sepulchural voice.

The trolley carries passengers through the darkening streets of Key West, which bears the lighthearted nickname of "Island of the Bones." (Photo courtesy of Historic Tours of America)

Kathy was particularly unsettled by the tale of Enriquetta Marrero, who loved her house so much that even death couldn’t drive her away.

Enriquetta lived with her husband, cigar baron Francisco Marrero, in a gracious Victorian home now called Marrero’s Guest Mansion. Unfortunately, Francisco also had a wife in Cuba — who, after he died suddenly, inherited the property and threw out Enriquetta and her children.

Enriquetta vowed that, despite the physical eviction, she would remain in spirit. Recent sightings by Marrero’s guests suggest she’s done just that.

As the trolley traveled through the darkening streets, our ghostly guide pointed out a grotto with protective power, related the secret past of a popular bar and, with grisly relish, discussed the dead children haunting a top tourist attraction.

Our black-garbed "ghost hostess" recounted horrible happenings with grisly relish. (Photo courtesy of Historic Tours of America)

We also heard a tale so bizarre that it made Penn shudder — that of Count Carl von Cosel, whose love for a dying Cuban girl in 1930s Key West had a grave-robbing twist. Penn was not happy to discover he shared a birthday with the count’s doomed darling.

(The well-documented von Cosel case spawned a book, “Undying Love,” written by local musician/attorney Ben Harrison. Believe it or not, he also composed a lively musical on the same subject.)

Yet even that saga wasn’t the evening’s weirdest. No, that honor goes to the creepy chronicle of Robert the Doll, and our “meeting” with him in an otherwise deserted Civil War-era fort.

The tale unfolded as we arrived at Fort East Martello Museum, a massive brick structure looming against the night sky.

This devilish-looking century-old doll has become a "paranormal pop star" who mystifies ghost- hunters even today. (Photo by Kathy Koontz)

Robert, whose “home” is a gloomy interior corridor near an authentic hearse, was given to local artist Robert “Gene” Otto, when Gene was a boy in 1904 (some say by a voodoo-practicing nanny or family maid).

Throughout his childhood, Gene blamed the doll for mischievous acts and bad behavior — and Robert remained his alter ego even when Gene grew up.

Naturally, the three-foot-tall straw-stuffed toy gained a reputation for eerie deeds — a reputation that increased exponentially when Robert moved to a secure glass case at the fort, where he’s rumored to ruin visitors’ photographs and cause unexplained events.

Called “a paranormal pop star” by our guide, Robert mystifies ghost-hunters and has appeared on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel among others. He also starred at a recent paranormal convention, and even has his own very popular blog.

David's grin betrays his uneasiness as he and Kathy bid farewell to Robert. (Photo by Penn Alexander)

And Robert is one devilish-looking doll. His unblinking eyes seem to hold unnatural secrets, and his primitive face appears somehow malevolent. As we circled his glass case, Kathy and I were glad he was safely confined. Even Penn and David seemed pleased to re-board the “trolley of the doomed” for our homeward journey.

As it turns out, the four of us weren’t doomed (or driven to an early grave) after all. But thanks to our spine-tingling tour, we have a whole new perspective on Key West — and the reasons its longtime nickname is “Island of the Bones.”

Topics: Highlights, History, Key West, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

Twenty-four years ago, on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, my boyfriend and I left our home in central Florida, drove all night, and arrived at the end of U.S. Highway 1 just as the sun rose.

Key West resident Steve Smith, who has enjoyed the island's magic for more than 20 years, will share insights and adventures with blog readers.

Putting the top down on our car, I wondered what I smelled in the air. It was like a blend of flower blossoms and fresh fruit — sweet, delicious, but hard to identify. Later I discovered that it was a combination of frangipani, mangoes, and royal Poinciana blossoms.

Had I, a fourth-generation Floridian who had never been farther south than Islamorada, discovered a paradise? Well, six months later, with the help of my parents, we loaded a huge rental van and I drove to the island city I would call my home.

Now, 23 and one-half years later, I am just as much in love with Key West as I was that first day. Bicycling to my office I see the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the most delightful mixture of locals and visitors one could ever imagine.

Inga, an elegant "ambassador" for the funky and fabulous island of Key West, sports some delicious rainbow finery.

How does a person define where he or she lives? Over the years I have had rich conversations with men and women who have made Key West their escape for decades. The common denominator they’ve found is the easy welcoming lifestyle, being on an island far away from the real world, and being welcome everywhere they go.

What makes this island so intoxicating? I will try to share my thoughts with you as we travel together. There is magic here … the same magic that was here in the 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s remains today. This is a place where it does not matter who or what you are, where you live or work, or who you sleep with.

I’m a lucky guy. My job takes me across the world promoting Key West to the LGBT market, encouraging gay men and women to visit our island, enjoy our hospitality, make new friends, and plan their next visit to our little piece of paradise.

I’m the ultimate brochure fairy — I fly all over the world telling my new friends how special our island is and how important it is to visit us.

Traveling with Steve, readers will discover the offbeat magic that characterizes Key West.

Recently I was at San Diego Pride, held in Balboa Park. What a great group of California and Arizona people I met. (Yes, Arizona — they say San Diego is Phoenix’s beach!?! Who would have known?)

I do my best to share my experiences with gay men and women around the world. Now I will be sharing my stories with you, the readers of our blog. Join me in my journeys and you can be part of the magic that makes Key West so special.

Next time I write you, I want to tell you about Bone Island Bare It All weekend, Market Days in Chicago and the upcoming fun events in Key West, my home — and I hope, soon to be your home away from home.                      – Steve

Topics: Key West, LGBT, Voices Main Archive