Florida Keys

Whenever my husband and I travel, we pick one food from a particular region and attempt to find the best variety. Our next trip is to the Florida Keys and the obvious choice is Key lime pie. Are there any standouts that would help us get a head start on our mission? B.P., Chelsea The debate over who makes the best and most authentic slice of Key lime pie goes back to the late 19th century when the sweet and sour dessert was introduced. For the most part, it's a matter of preference -- graham cracker crust or pastry, meringue or whipped cream.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent Want a burger with your new year's eve celebration? Check out Postcard Inn Beach Resort and Marina at Holiday Isle, on Islamorada in the Florida Keys, where major renovations were scheduled to be done by the first week of December and the world's first Shula Burger, founded by famed football coach Don Shula, is located and scheduled to be open by Dec. 8. The resort is running a New Year's Eve special,...

When my nest went empty, I put a wrap on daily, detailed mothering. So, I’m going to blame my son’s pending 21st birthday for the powerful urge I got to be with him for a few days. I plotted a strategy that I hoped wouldn’t send him running. Like mothers everywhere, I picked up the phone. Mom: “Before you become an official adult I’m going to give you an order. You are going to spend a few days with me,’’ I say. “Somewhere great. No girlfriend. No Dad. No work excuse.

The final whale that was stranded off the Florida Keys in May is being transported to Orlando. The 1,100-pound, 12-foot-long female pilot whale calf was placed in a water-filled transport unit Sunday night for the nearly 300-mile trip from the Marine Mammal Conservancy in the Keys to SeaWorld. It's expected to arrive Monday morning. Marine mammal experts and a veterinarian are accompanying the whale. The whale is entering the rehabilitation facility because her injuries are too severe to withstand the rigors of the wild.

The final whale that was stranded off the Florida Keys in May is being transported to Orlando. The 1,100-pound, 12-foot-long female pilot whale calf was placed in a water-filled transport unit Sunday night for the nearly 300-mile trip from the Marine Mammal Conservancy in the Keys to SeaWorld. It's expected to arrive Monday morning. Marine mammal experts and a veterinarian are accompanying the whale. The whale is entering the rehabilitation facility because her injuries are too severe to withstand the rigors of the wild.

MIAMI -- Eleven Cubans trying to sail to Florida in a 1950s Buick converted into a tailfinned boat were intercepted at sea by the Coast Guard and will be sent back to their homeland, exile activists said yesterday. Marciel Basanta Lopez and Luis Grass Rodriguez, the two men who turned the classic car into a floating vessel, tried a similar stunt last summer and got caught: They set out for Florida in a 1951 Chevy pickup with pontoons made from empty 55-gallon drums and a propeller that pushed it at about 8 mph. On Monday, the men set out again, with four other adults and five children,...

- My husband, Jim, and I are heading to the "sport fishing capital of the world" for a weekend. It has always been his dream to hook a marlin - or any other big game fish - so he has suggested driving to the Florida Keys from our vacation base in Fort Lauderdale for a few days in Islamorada. The exotic name does sound intriguing. Only problem is, I get seasick on a pier and queasy at the sight of a doomed creature wiggling on a hook. So I say, "Sure, honey, let's go," and hope for the best.

MIAMI -- A federal judge suggested yesterday that the US government may have made an error this week when it sent back 15 Cubans who had landed on an abandoned bridge in the Florida Keys. US District Judge Federico Moreno said he would not rule immediately on the emergency lawsuit filed on the Cubans' behalf by an advocacy group that is seeking to bring them back to this country, but he questioned the government's reasoning. Under the government's longstanding "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, as it is generally called in the United States,...

KEY WEST, Fla. - Two years since a hurricane last lashed at Florida, many residents were taking a wait-and-see attitude yesterday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept across the Florida Keys and bore down on the Gulf Coast. While tourists caught the last flight out of town and headed out of the storm's path, residents in the carefree Florida Keys were putting up hurricane shutters and checking their generators, but not doing much more. "We're not worried about it. We've seen this movie before," said Willie Dykes, 58, who lives on a sailboat in...

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Residents boarded up windows yesterday and evacuated the low-lying Florida Keys as Tropical Storm Rita gathered strength in the Bahamas, threatening to grow into a hurricane with a potential 8-foot storm surge. In New Orleans, the mayor suspended his plan to start bringing residents back to the city after forecasters warned that Rita could charge through the Gulf of Mexico and affect the city's already weakened levees. Oil prices surged on the possibility that oil and gas production would be interrupted once again.

When my nest went empty, I put a wrap on daily, detailed mothering. So, I’m going to blame my son’s pending 21st birthday for the powerful urge I got to be with him for a few days. I plotted a strategy that I hoped wouldn’t send him running. Like mothers everywhere, I picked up the phone. Mom: “Before you become an official adult I’m going to give you an order. You are going to spend a few days with me,’’ I say. “Somewhere great. No girlfriend. No Dad. No work excuse.

KEY WEST, Fla. - Two years since a hurricane last lashed at Florida, many residents were taking a wait-and-see attitude yesterday as a strengthening Tropical Storm Fay swept across the Florida Keys and bore down on the Gulf Coast. While tourists caught the last flight out of town and headed out of the storm's path, residents in the carefree Florida Keys were putting up hurricane shutters and checking their generators, but not doing much more. "We're not worried about it. We've seen this movie before," said Willie Dykes, 58, who lives...

- My husband, Jim, and I are heading to the "sport fishing capital of the world" for a weekend. It has always been his dream to hook a marlin - or any other big game fish - so he has suggested driving to the Florida Keys from our vacation base in Fort Lauderdale for a few days in Islamorada. The exotic name does sound intriguing. Only problem is, I get seasick on a pier and queasy at the sight of a doomed creature wiggling on a hook. So I say, "Sure, honey, let's go," and hope for the best.

Whenever my husband and I travel, we pick one food from a particular region and attempt to find the best variety. Our next trip is to the Florida Keys and the obvious choice is Key lime pie. Are there any standouts that would help us get a head start on our mission? B.P., Chelsea The debate over who makes the best and most authentic slice of Key lime pie goes back to the late 19th century when the sweet and sour dessert was introduced. For the most part, it's a matter of preference -- graham cracker crust or pastry, meringue...

Depending upon where you travel in the Sunshine State, you find the historical Florida, the glittering Florida, the natural Florida, the beachy Florida, and, of course, the theme park Florida. Let's hopscotch the state and look at an offering or two from each. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, bills itself as America's Oldest City and retains much of the look given it by Spanish settlers so long ago. For those who want to add a little romance to the history, the Victorian House , a bed-and-breakfast inn, features a Romance Package that...

MIAMI -- A federal judge suggested yesterday that the US government may have made an error this week when it sent back 15 Cubans who had landed on an abandoned bridge in the Florida Keys. US District Judge Federico Moreno said he would not rule immediately on the emergency lawsuit filed on the Cubans' behalf by an advocacy group that is seeking to bring them back to this country, but he questioned the government's reasoning. Under the government's longstanding "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, as it is generally called in the...

KEY WEST, Fla. -- In an all-too-familiar drill, Floridians got out of town or boarded up their windows and stocked up on canned food yesterday as Hurricane Ivan threatened the state with its third thrashing in a month. Business owners in the Florida Keys faced another bad weekend; tourists and residents fleeing the storm crowded the lone highway to the mainland. Around the state, meanwhile, more than three-quarters of a million victims of last weekend's Hurricane Frances were still without electricity in the almost 90-degree heat and high humidity, and thousands had to cope with sewage...

Depending upon where you travel in the Sunshine State, you find the historical Florida, the glittering Florida, the natural Florida, the beachy Florida, and, of course, the theme park Florida. Let's hopscotch the state and look at an offering or two from each. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, bills itself as America's Oldest City and retains much of the look given it by Spanish settlers so long ago. For those who want to add a little romance to the history, the Victorian House , a bed-and-breakfast inn, features a Romance Package that includes iced champagne in your room...

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Residents boarded up windows yesterday and evacuated the low-lying Florida Keys as Tropical Storm Rita gathered strength in the Bahamas, threatening to grow into a hurricane with a potential 8-foot storm surge. In New Orleans, the mayor suspended his plan to start bringing residents back to the city after forecasters warned that Rita could charge through the Gulf of Mexico and affect the city's already weakened levees. Oil prices surged on the possibility that oil and gas production would be interrupted once again.

KEY WEST, Fla. -- In an all-too-familiar drill, Floridians got out of town or boarded up their windows and stocked up on canned food yesterday as Hurricane Ivan threatened the state with its third thrashing in a month. Business owners in the Florida Keys faced another bad weekend; tourists and residents fleeing the storm crowded the lone highway to the mainland. Around the state, meanwhile, more than three-quarters of a million victims of last weekend's Hurricane Frances were still without electricity in the almost 90-degree heat and high humidity, and thousands had to cope...