The End Of The Line

 So Joelle and Kenny cruised over early, and we parked their car on the side, lest it interfere with the onslaught of millennial vehicles due over on Sunday. We headed to LOL for a hearty breakfast, and then were on the road -- headed to Key West.

I picked Card Sound Road, as I usually do, for the lovely view from the bridge. Kenny and  listened to Blues on the radio as the womenfolk slept, arising for a request for a pee stop in Marathon and another request that we change the sad music. We complied with both.

We rolled into Key West, and dropped our friends at the Marquesa, which was lovely. Wifey and I then drove to my old standby hotel, the Pier House, which was not.

We were greeted by a surly clerk who made me feel stupid for even THINKING I could check in before 4 pm. She took my cell phone and said she'd call when the room was ready. She never did, nor offer to store our bags. Overall, it was a $100 per night hotel experience that cost $750 per night. The Pier House and I are over, kaput, through. Even the Chart Room, where our foursome had some drinks, lacked any special spirit -- it was a dirty dive bar with mediocre cocktails. Oh well -- the Pier House was the only negative part of the trip, and thankfully only affected half of the participants.

We met at Bagatelle for lunch, and our inaugural drink, and then walked around a bit, stopping in at Gallery on Green, a store I always visit. We chatted with the amiable salesman, though the owner, Nance, was off at a dog show in Ocala.

Later, we Ubered to the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, on account of Wifey has a tough time walking distances these days. And it was fine -- dropped off right out front, in plenty of time to top off on some adult beverages.

The venue was awesome, and the feared rain never came. John Fogerty was terrific -- backed by his two sons and some really talented musicians. We sang and danced for hours. And our 4th row seats were great, too -- thanks to a presale whose code I learned from calling the theater and asking the hippie dude what it was: heytonightkw.

We walked out, through the luxury townhouses that used to be Navy housing, and were hungry. Kenny found a pizza place a few blocks away, down an alley off Duval. It was delicious --owned by Serbs. If there's a better meal than pizza after a concert of drinking, I don't know what it is, or didn't, until the following night.

Saturday we walked around a bit, and napped, and then Joelle called an audible -- made us last minute reservations at Lola. It was BYOB, and we were directed to a wine store where the proprietress knew the menu at Lola and suggested a couple of bottles. From there, we went across the street to my new favorite KW bar: the Roost. They had Stoli Elit happy hour drinks for $10. You NEVER see that. I had two, and achieved the perfect alcohol titration.

Afterwards, we made our way to Lola's Bistro. It was a top 5 meal -- delicious and perfectly prepared and served. We toasted Kenny's upcoming 60th, and Joelle's actual birthday -- that Sunday. It was a delightful time.

Sunday Wifey slept in, and I met the birthday couple for breakfast at SaraBeth's. There was a LOT of eating on this trip, and it continued with lunch in Key Largo at Lazy Lobster.

We arrived home, and D2 and Jonathan's Friendsgiving was in full swing -- including D1 and Joey and the grandson. It was lovely to catch up with their long time friends, and eat an arepa or two.

There's a short break from the over consumption, and it resumes Thursday. But as far as the birthday weekend -- it was mission accomplished.