SXSE 2011 trip to Key West on Saturday, July 16th through Sunday, July 17, 2011.

Our good friend and veteran writer/blogger, Maria de los Angeles, sets up and runs a social media retreat every year called South by Southeast (SXSE). This year it took place in Key West and gave us a way to rationalize a mini-vacation, since it was technically “working”.

In addition, she got Chevrolet/GM Southeast to hook us up with a cool Chevy Equinox (dubbed the “Soulmobile” for the weekend). It is a very nice vehicle and made the drive much more enjoyable.

A big shoutout goes to our host hotel, the Eden House. What a fun, quaint place. It has a very historic, homey feel and some nice amenities (like the “serve yourself” library). A wonderful place to relax.

On the way down, we decided to stop at a small place called Evelyn’s for breakfast. True homestyle cooking in Key Largo. If you aren’t looking, you’ll miss it, but it is definitely worth a try.

The main event of the SXSE was the Saturday night Pub Crawl. Maria had set us up at the The Rum Barrel to start, then at the Green Parrot with a performance by PALO! for the ending of the evening. A stop by Mallory Square for sunset is always mandatory.

Sunday, the Soulmobile made a run over to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. This is one of our favorite places in Key West. It has the best beach (though that is only relative to other Key West beaches), a great cafe, nice nature trails, decent (though not spectacular), easy and cheap snorkeling, and the cool, historic fort.

On the way home, we stopped by Porky’s for lunch. Then it was on to Rum Runners for drinks and waiting out the storm.

A great time was had by all. SXSE truly puts the SOCIAL back in Social Media! Hope to see you all next year.

For additional images and commentary, be sure to check out the SXSE Facebook Page. Follow SXSE on Twitter. Find more photos on the SXSE Flickr. And we hope to see you next year!

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