ANOTHER Perfect Day in Paradise: 18 Hours in Key West

8am Hop on your bike and head down to Duval!

Treat yourself to a café and pastry at Croissants du France (816 Duval Street), then walk down Front Street, to the Sculpture Garden, where brass busts honor the eccentric and energetic entrepreneurs who turned Cayo Hueso into the town we now know and love!

You can also wander waterside to check out the 1 or 2 mammoth cruiseships at dock,

9:30am The Custom House (the stern 1891 brick building with the Seward Johnson’s dance sculpture out front) opens with a history museum, an art collection, and a gift shop. Here’s a link with all the details:

http://www.kwahs.com/customhouse.htm

11am Beach it in Fort Zachary Taylor State Park!

Take burgers, rolls, chips, salsa, and cold drinks (no alcohol, please), and don’t forget the charcoal, lighter fluid, and match! (or run back to Eaton's Seafood for more of those ready-to-go stone crab claws! see last week's writeup)

Set up under the airy grove of native palms and pines. Grab a picnic table (or throw your quilt on the sand) for a game of dominoes or scrabble, or swim in the calm waters off the beach. The rock piles make excellent snorkeling spots, and rentals are available at the concession further north on the beach.

There’s a free ranger-led tour of Ft Taylor at noon and 2, and, just outside the park at the Eco-Center, a free 20-minute film all about the reef system of the Florida Keys.

Entrance to the park: $2.50 per bike

4pm Charter your private boat AND CHEF (for 6 people max)

on Captain Alex’s 33' Motor Yacht. Drop anchor over in Man O War cove for a sunset view through the masts and a custom 4-course excellent meal, complete with flan flambé (bring your own alcohol)

8pm Subject yourself to the spooky tales of the Keys, on the Ghost Tour, departing from La Concha Hotel.

Did the guy really dig up and marry his dead sweetheart’s corpse? Does Robert the Doll still demand respect at the Martello Museum? Better find out!

10pm The Climax? Go to Better Than Sex,

a dessert-only bordello-style restaurant on Pretoria.

You can choose from Better Than Sex, their flagship dessert, served hot or body temperature… or try the Cookie Nookie or Jungle Fever. Get a milk, with a “rim job”… just like this:

Or go for a cocktail, like “Kelly’s Climax”, a berry sparkling wine served in a white-chocolate-dipped flute! See sidebar for more shots!