Spring Break has struck Key West, and during the day the hard studying students refresh themselves at Smathers Beach on the south side of the island. Parking is a monstrous problem, but all those lovely meters, and the associated fines help relieve the city's $1.2 million dollar budget shortfall projected for next fiscal year.
I am completely unsuited to the study of young people and their mating, drinking and recreational habits, so for me wandering along South Roosevelt Boulevard this time of year is an alien experience:
One is supposed to find these youthful exuberant teenagers objects of desire, lost youth, innocence, unbridled lust, the capacity to suck down alcohol and remain upright in the burning Florida sun. All attributes lost to a 50 year old man wandering the sidewalk in long pants, a motorcycle jacket and an attitude of bemusement:
Even when I was their age (I was once!) I found no joy in sitting around on a beach getting drunk and obnoxious, you can imagine that these days I'm even less inclined to spend my time in the company of those desperate to be cool. On the other hand even a curmudgeon has to be able to appreciate certain things, and Jack Riepe notwithstanding, I offer these simply as a counterpoint to the gray and overcast and cold they have fled Up North:
Smathers Beach doesn't strike me as the finest beach in the world to relax upon but it is the best Key West has to offer and the youngsters take full advantage of it:
This year it seems like there are more Spring Breakers in town than in recent years past. Perhaps the funky economy works in Key West's favor over further flung, more exotic locations in Central America or Mexico. The fact is, the city is packed with young people chasing around on scooters, and the Overseas Highway is lined with small cars filled with bodies chasing the sun south.
At work we've been busy with good old fashioned drunkenness on Duval street late at night, but there aren't the law enforcement support of years past, the special court at Old City Hall, roving patrols of State Alcohol enforcement types and such. I spotted a stretch of Smathers beach sidewalk that looked like it does much of the rest of the year, not crowded, and it was reminder of the rapid approach of summer:
Summer, is my favorite time of year, hot but not as hot as Arizona, humid but not too humid ( for me) and quiet. But not completely quiet. One has to hope Europeans will continue to visit despite the weakness of the Euro, last year 1:65 to the dollar, this year 1:25. But we have palm trees and a modicum of sand:
And lots of pictures, of which more tomorrow.
6 comments:
Conch:
Being an avid reader and fan of your blog, I have decided to do my part to assuage you, the consumate curmudgeon, of the misery that must be yours in photographically documenting the annual ritual known as Spring Break. To that end, I pledge that next year I myself will go down and take all the pictures of those nubile figures littering Smathers thereby giving you a much needed break from that drudgery... It's the least that I can do...
Tough job documenting those rituals, but somebody's got to do it.
Ride on,
Torch
Give me an empty alley any day of the week.
I concur with Conch. I must be getting old, but crowds don't thrill me anymore (except from a distance to people watch - voyeuristic I know).
be thankful for the tourists, without regard to age to bring in much needed revenue for the locals. We also dislike crowds and most of our vacation days find ourselves in the Outback of the PNW where we can experience trees and nature's beauty. I think I would also take to the alleys which I have done many times down on the East side of Vancouver
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Dear Sir:
This is not the first time my name has appeared in a sentence with the word "curmudgeon."
I too was never a fan of beaches nor of crowds. However, I am a devotee of hot, (semi) naked women regardless of the circumstances. I prefer to sit at a beachside bar, swathed in shade, the focus of a large fan, and with a Planters Punch in my hand. Thus situated, I can best study (sub) human nature.
I appreciate the effort you have made, with this latest installment of Key West Diary, to drag yourself out of the back alleys and show yourself in brutal daylight, to snap pictures of young adults, working off their excess hormones.
I figured there must be at least 50 spring-breakers for every hot tub in Key West. I can't tell you how disappointed I am to discover this is but one more myth.
Yet your post struck a chord, when you described yourself as a stalker on the sidewalk, wearing long pants and a motorcyle jacket. It reminded me that "moto" is a basic essence in everything we write.
So I am reaching out to take the pressure from you today... Today, Twisted Roads combines "moto" with women, who are looking at the camera in a way I wished they looked at me. This is my tribute to Spring Break.
By the way, Mexico is getting a rap for being a dangerous place these days. That and the economy may have something to do with an increase in college tourism at this time.
Thank you again. Your devotion to your readers has been duly noted. Pliticians should have your sense of dedication.
Fondest regards,
Jack Riepe
Twisted Roads
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