Here’s Looking At You Kid

We had it all
Just like Bogie and Bacall
Starring in our own late, late show
Sailing away to Key Largo

The day was bright and sweating. US 1 stretched ahead, Miami already a memory behind us — traffic thinning, buildings giving way to scrub palms and bait shops with hand-painted signs.

Somewhere south of Homestead, Tri re-tuned the wavering radio signal. It snapped back into focus — "We had it all…" Bertie Higgins crooning into the heat haze, a corny soft-rock ghost haunting the highway. A perfect fit.

Key Largo drifted into view without ceremony. No grand signs, no big reveal. Shell shops and pastel-painted motels lined the roadside, still half-asleep. A sun-faded sign promised World Famous Key Lime Pie. Another offered the same, just half a mile on. We knew where we were headed. Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, a roadside institution in Key Largo, the kind of place that feels like it's always been there, because it basically has, at least since the mid-seventies. It's as classic Keys as you can get: weathered signs, license plates covering the walls, Formica tables, no frills, no fuss — just damn good food served with a smile and maybe a story.

Locals held court at the counter — weathered faces, sun-creased eyes, slow to speak but quick with a look. Tan arms rested on worn wood, coffee mugs in hand, plates stacked with eggs and attitude.

Our server moved like someone who didn't waste steps. Faded tee tucked into cutoffs. "Coffee?" she asked, already pouring. Her voice was like gravel and honey. She took our order with the efficiency that says she's been working breakfast shifts since before smartphones and doesn't care who knows it. No notepad, knew the menu in every detail.

Key Largo isn't slick. It's not trying to impress. That's the beauty. It's a memory on loop — warm wind, honest food, someone humming along to a song they won't admit they love.

We weren't staying. Just passing through. Key West lay 100 miles ahead of us. But already we knew — on the way back, we'd stop longer. Let it hold us a little tighter, make us feel like we really did have it all.