White Street Pier

Hurricane Ike produced tropical storm winds only along the south shores of the Lower Keys which brought enough turbulence to create some fairly spectacular waves in the normally placid waters of Hawk Channel. Waves, I'm told, broke with great effect over the end of the White Street Pier. But the week before Ike struck with such surprising ferocity the pier was as tranquil a spot as you could wish for: White Street Pier sticks out far enough to the south of the island that you get quite a decent view east and west. This is useful when you are looking for a spot to watch the sun rise or set and there are numbers of people who show up here to do just that, with and without their dogs. The pier itself is an all concrete structure that is, more or less an extension of White Street, which cuts right across the island:However access to the pier is blocked by the Aids Memorial, shown here looking north up White Street:The white bollards are supposed to keep traffic out of the memorial and from time to time they fail in their function and some half wit ends up crashing into the memorial. And all things considered it looks quite good. It's a horrendously long list of names with a stylized map of the Keys inscribed alongside:At night it looks quite different:To the south we have the sands of Higgs beach:WWhere, hidden behind the palm trees is the West Martello Tower, a 19th century brick fort currently used by the Garden Club. The structure got half demolished when it was used as a target for gunnery practice by the canons at Fort Zachary in the 19th century. These days it houses exotic plants on the inside and the residentially challenged in the portico on the outside.

Back at the pier, under sunny skies with an ocean breeze cooling the boiling sun, the shadeless pier actually makes for an inviting place to go for a troll. Walking the pier one expects to see anglers dipping their bait in the waters but naturally the afternoon I'm there there is no one out fishing. There are several out sleeping:

And I also came across lots of parents with their toddlers, for some reason:

I spotted a few sun and sea worshipers as well:But of anglers there were none. Not even at night:When I went out on my 3 am lunch break there was a cyclist taking a turn on the pier but no one was out fishing.

For myself, who does not enjoy the pursuit of fish, the pier offers glorious ocean views on a pleasant walk:

And the pier itself a is tough cement object which is just as well as the waves get quite gnarly out here in anything like bad weather. Ike was forcing waves, produced by these shallow waters over the end of the pier:

Oh and there is no diving off the pier:

And what would the pier be without a Bonneville in the neighborhood?

I've overheard the more inventive Conch Train Guides describe the White Street Pier as the former bridge over to Havana, dismantled when the embargo was put into effect. I hope lots of visitors believe it, because I'd like to too. I hope they rebuild it soon.