I’ve had the opportunity to see quite a few places. I’ve been to 46 states, most of the major Canadian cities, all of Europe, parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. I’ve been to Octoberfest in Munich, several ballgames at Wrigley Field, a four day safari in South Africa, and my favorite city, New York, at least 50 times. I’ve been pretty lucky – especially when you consider that much of my travel was paid for by my employers. When considering my favorite place, it’s not what you might expect. It’s not the beaches of Rio, or our honeymoon spot in Capri, or even the Grand Canyon. Nope, my favorite place, and I believe the greatest place on Earth, is a modest community that some of you haven’t heard of. Some might even call it dumpy. Not me. To me, this place is my grounding. It’s one of the few places that I can be still, and I don’t mean physically still. I’ve been here about a dozen times and every single time, regardless of age or purpose of visit, I’m overcome by perspective and appreciation.
About 80 miles north of Key West (north on US 1, not as the crow flies) is a community called Islamorada, the greatest place on Earth. Are you underwhelmed? That’s ok – that’s the charm of Islamorada. It’ll underwhelm you until you’re hooked. Why is this my favorite place? I’m not sure, but I’m going to attempt to explain…
I first visited Islamorada when I was a teenager with my friends Andy Williams and Kenny Botyos. For an entire week, we fished. Every single day, we fished. We ate what we caught. We snorkeled and tried to catch lobster since it was the season, but I wasn’t very good at it. I left swearing that I’d return every year of my life. Well, you know how those commitments turn out. A few years later I returned for spring break. No fishing that week, but the same grounding and appreciation. Another memorable trip was when my wife brought me here for my 40th birthday. I was just starting Vector Firm, the world was in the middle of the Great Recession, and I wasn’t in the best state of mind. However, when I left, I was again … grounded and grateful.
I’m sitting here right now, about three hours before this gets posted to my blog. My wife’s parents rented a house right on the water and I’m sitting on the porch watching the sun rise. When we arrived on Monday, I wasn’t stressed or unhappy or worried about the economy… or anything for that matter. I didn’t really need to be grounded this time … and then I smelled the Islamorada air. There is something about the combination of the humidity and salt air in this place that is perfect. Even though I was in a great place mentally when we left our home in Orlando, I sunk even deeper into gratitude and stillness when I arrived here.
My fondness for Islamorada can only be exceeded my mother-in-law’s. She grew up in Upstate New York and would save her money all year to visit her grandparents, who worked at the Cheeca Lodge during the winter months. I think the coolest memory of this trip will be the two of us sharing our favorite place with my three-year-old daughter. She doesn’t need to be reminded to be grateful or still right now – she’s just enjoying life and her discoveries every day. However, I selfishly hope she embraces Islamorada as a special place and we can grow memories here together throughout the years.
So, thanks for reading this far. I’m a subscriber to Travel & Leisure and realize how poorly written this piece is compared to their articles. However, just like Islamorada, I’m not going to try to modify it – I’m just going to let it be as it is and hope you appreciate it for its purity.
