They call this place the Conch Republic, a cheerful self deprecating place but really it could be called the Green Republic for it's walking/biking friendly size and the number and size of it's trees.
However the Green Republic, formerly on Southard at Bahama Streets is gone.
There was an eco-restaurant thing going on for a while there in the Southard and Fleming corridor with the venerable Cafe holding it's own splendidly then joined by the Help Yourself venture now apparently firmly established at Fleming and Margaret. Then Green Republic appeared and now has disappeared. The notice in their window said "Corporate" had made a decision and thus I learned this place I always meant to try but never got around to, was a chain store.
They come, they go and perhaps with a photo or two I could have done a better job of recording their passage. The underlying structure of key West seems to remain fixed but at the surface where new arrivals show up in town all starry eyed and dreamy the chances of the Keys accepting and making them welcome seem completely arbitrary.
Some businesses come and stay, and if you want an expensive lap dance I have no doubt Living Dolls can provide just the blond blue eyed thing from Latvia or Lithuania or Ukraine or some other not-quite-First-World-economy but across the street organic sandwiches cannot hold their own against corporate need. I'd take the sandwich, even though I have never yet patronized the Living Doll emporium either and have no direct knowledge of it.
My decks at home are not near so picturesque as the one shown above but I like to think I spend more time observing the salt ponds west of my home of an evening than I have ever seen anyone sitting on this lovely balcony observing the comings and goings below. That other fact of Key West life is that for many people it takes not two but three jobs to maintain a life, which leaves precious little time for playing Juliet upstairs.
However the Green Republic, formerly on Southard at Bahama Streets is gone.There was an eco-restaurant thing going on for a while there in the Southard and Fleming corridor with the venerable Cafe holding it's own splendidly then joined by the Help Yourself venture now apparently firmly established at Fleming and Margaret. Then Green Republic appeared and now has disappeared. The notice in their window said "Corporate" had made a decision and thus I learned this place I always meant to try but never got around to, was a chain store.They come, they go and perhaps with a photo or two I could have done a better job of recording their passage. The underlying structure of key West seems to remain fixed but at the surface where new arrivals show up in town all starry eyed and dreamy the chances of the Keys accepting and making them welcome seem completely arbitrary.
Some businesses come and stay, and if you want an expensive lap dance I have no doubt Living Dolls can provide just the blond blue eyed thing from Latvia or Lithuania or Ukraine or some other not-quite-First-World-economy but across the street organic sandwiches cannot hold their own against corporate need. I'd take the sandwich, even though I have never yet patronized the Living Doll emporium either and have no direct knowledge of it.My decks at home are not near so picturesque as the one shown above but I like to think I spend more time observing the salt ponds west of my home of an evening than I have ever seen anyone sitting on this lovely balcony observing the comings and goings below. That other fact of Key West life is that for many people it takes not two but three jobs to maintain a life, which leaves precious little time for playing Juliet upstairs.
A small apartment, with balcony, a couple of jobs neither of which is too onerous and a pink bicycle with basket. Life in Key West would be complete.
The picture above is not pilfered from a Spanish Tour Book. It is the autumnal appearance of parched trees dropping their leaves into the courtyard in back of the San Carlos Theater (the former and possibly future Cuban Consulate, land claimed by Cuba but retained by the exile community of South Florida). The picture below is of a building that went through a rather curious recent past. It became briefly a night club called Zu which, to much local whispering, encouraged people to come and watch others having sex. If you had any doubt we are over stimulated as a species ask yourself what life would be like without advertising where every single object of desire or utility is presented as a sexual enhancement. I believe someone somewhere hoped to make a lot of money from this club. It would be too much to hope to make similar sums from manufacturing widgets that might actually be useful for the promotion of human happiness.
Billy Appelrouth was a store owner who sold useful things on Duval Street in what was known I think as a dry good store. He lived well and died a respected member of the community and is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in the middle of the city. Today he would have been steam rollered into oblivion by Wal Mart, or bought out by Zu, God help us. 
The Strand Cinema was a staple of early 20th century social life but had deteriorated by the time I first came to Key West but for most of the 20th century the Carbonell family brought reels of the outside world to Key West here. It soldiered on as a night club and then faded by way of Ripley's'. That it has become a chain pharmacy is just the way of our world. Sometimes change isn't completely awful, sometimes it is for the better, but change is happening all the time.
The water is quite warm and the sun is positively hot though I am ashamed to admit it, but I must: I found the steady south east breeze quite chilly on my wet skin when I waded out to deep water to swim. The dogs found the heat quite sufficient and they were delighted after some running and swimming and exploring to sit in the shade next to us.
We spent some time on the beach and off, wading swimming and talking and watching the dogs run back and forth but in the fullness of time we waded back out to the anchored boat and lifted the dogs on board. My 85 pound puppy was left to me to lift and she submitted to the indignity with great fortitude, while I grunted and heaved to get her waving limbs into the boat above my head. Happily we failed to take any pictures of that operation as no one of us came out looking very dignified. 
It was a 20 minute ride home and Cheyenne took full advantage sprawling under the open hatch of the cabin to enjoy the flow of cool air, forcing Tootie and Zuzu to huddle as best they could. 
There have been plans mooted for a while to renovate the building but so far nothing has come of it. 
The ghost seen in the window was me large as life and entirely human. The sketch was quite brilliant though inanimate.
Behind the sign there lurks a lonely sea captain if I recall correctly and knock me down with a feather if I don't know someone who's seen him!
My colleague Kristi has joined a group of friends who go ghost hunting from time to time and she got a picture of a shadowy sea captain looking dude out here one night almost a year ago under the trees.
In the photo above we see a large strip of black asphalt showing more city paving recently completed. We have elections coming up in Key West because the city has it's own election schedule and this year three districts, 2,4, and 5 are open and Barry Gibson wants to quit to run for the county office running elections. Mayor Cates ran in 2009 saying he wanted only one term but now he wants to get the new city hall built to his specifications so he's in for a second term.
In the photo above we see the recently completed sidewalks on Flagler Avenue which caused a lot of people to groan as they coped with the change. I didn't see it as a big deal but I guess I was missing something as I find the cut outs easy to navigate (I ride sober which must help!). I did an essay on this hot topic: 