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This was the plan:

We never had a honeymoon and we never ever got to Key West. We planned the honeymoon escape for the cold, South Carolina winter of 2008; leaving right after our working tour on Long Island, NY. The route was as follows: Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, Hallendale, Miami, South Beach, the Keys, Key West, Marco island, Fort Myers, Sanabel / Captivia, Venice Beach, Clearwater, Orlando, Daytona, Tallahassie, Pensecola then over to Mrytle Beach and finally home. We intended to spend 3 months on the road.

This is what actually happened:

Our night at Jacksonville was second to none. We had been through Jacksonville more times than we can count, but never got to stop. It is a beautiful city. After a day's stay we moved on to Ft. Lauderdale, Joe's old stomping grounds during the early 1980's. We roomed at one of those $300 night Holiday Inns and got to loose a few bucks in the Hard Rock Cafe/Casino and the Seminole Casino. We used the Holiday Inn as a base and explored Hallendale, Miami and Miami's South Beach. Oh, what a lovely place South Beach is! After 3 days we moved on into the Keys. Key Largo and Marathon Key were very nice. Key West was terrible. The Holiday Inn was $50 over night over priced - even with a 3 month in-advance reservation. The bathroom had issues, the room had ZERO amenities and we had to listen to every car, truck and plane that came anywhere near the place - a major intersection as you first come on Key West. So, at first blush, we hated it. Especially since the Radisson right next door had room amenities, a Denny's in the lobby and a bar/grill in their parking lot - a a kick ass view of the harbor for $130 nightly. The island itself stinks. All it is a an island to host a long street named Duval Street. Duval street is nothing but a chain of rip-off tourists shops, a few eateries and so many bars that the bars spill over into the street itself. Don't bother to go near Key West.
We- as ever - enjoyed the Everglades. Cathy finally got a ride on an air boat. Marco Island is always the gem of Florida. We stayed three days at the Lakeside Resort and loved every second on Marco Island - then Joe's old dental work on is lower jaw failed. A series of implants failed and we got hit with highway robbery - a temp fix for $5,000.
We left Marco Island saddened that Florida is still the same old rip-off state it ever was, but determined to continue the fun filled honeymoon. Starting at Fort Myers. Ft. Myers is on of those seaside communities where everything is on the beach, really nice. Sanabel is just over the bridge from Ft. Myers and is our very favorite area outside of Orlando. But we skipped it due to foggy weather. We visited Venice Beach on our way to Clearwater.
Clearwater, as you likely know, is paradise on earth - and Wild Bill and Alice live there too (LOL.) We intended to spend just a day or two there then move along to Orlando to celebrate Cathy's birthday at Margaritaville over at Universal Studio's CityWalk. But we liked Clearwater so much, we lingered through her birthday - then everything fell apart. On Jan. 26, the day after the birthday, we get a phone call from home. Two of our rental units had frozen pipes and urgent and extreme plumbing needed to be done NOW!
And that was then end of our honeymoon.

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MARCO ISLAND BEACH

Jacksonville Beach from room at Marroit- 01-12-08