It was brought home to me recently in a couple of conversations that I have had that "Brigadoon" is no longer a cross generational metaphor. Three people under the age of forty that I spoke with had no idea what I meant when I said Key West is like Brigadoon, the mythical town where time stands still and no one can leave. The fact that the younger generation has never heard of Lerner and Lowe doesn't alter the fact that Key West is becoming, in my own mind at least, a mythical town where the normal rules don't seem to apply.
I find it embarrassing when I talk to people (older or younger) in other parts of the country and I hear tales of woe. The economy is the ubiquitous lament and I hear horror stories of lay offs and cut backs and unlikely hopes for improvement. How's Key West? they ask. And I am forced to say, fine, and the truth is it makes me feel slightly embarrassed. How is it that Key West, among all destinations in the Sunshine State is seeing higher than ever tourist counts? It's true, Key West remains a prime draw, despite the fearsome recession/depression sweeping the planet.
There is a lot of theorizing that goes into considerations for the whys and wherefores of Key West's success and my own belief is that as a destination Key West remains a great place to visit, the weather is mostly excellent and on top of those perennial draws Key West is also a safe reliable destination close enough to home with a touch of the exotic. Thus a habitual Caribbean traveler or a sun worshipper who might like the Seychelles can get some of that sunny beach pleasure here for a lot less money. Plus one can consider that for a Miami resident a car trip to Key West is a world away in less than a hundred and thirty miles. A weekend in Key West would cost a lot less than Madrid, or Rio or Cartagena de las Indias .
There is a lot of theorizing that goes into considerations for the whys and wherefores of Key West's success and my own belief is that as a destination Key West remains a great place to visit, the weather is mostly excellent and on top of those perennial draws Key West is also a safe reliable destination close enough to home with a touch of the exotic. Thus a habitual Caribbean traveler or a sun worshipper who might like the Seychelles can get some of that sunny beach pleasure here for a lot less money. Plus one can consider that for a Miami resident a car trip to Key West is a world away in less than a hundred and thirty miles. A weekend in Key West would cost a lot less than Madrid, or Rio or Cartagena de las Indias .
Whatever the reason they keep coming and bringing their money and Key West benefits from the attention. Which is not to say everything is perfect. Consider that had this recession followed a period of normal economic stability people would be feeling the pinch, but the last decade before the recession was a time of debt fueled boom so the depression today is a decided downer. There are homes in foreclosure and owned by the bank in these islands of course but not like the mainland. There are unemployed down here too, but many simply choose to leave the islands when they lose their jobs and go home to their families so statistics look unusually rosy. On the other hand Key West is a place that does have jobs, though housing remains exceptionally expensive, especially for renters. And the quality of places to rent isn't always great though frequently they are picturesque.
The peculiarities of life in a small insular town at the end of a long peninsula aren't easy to explain to people who have never lived here and I frequently hear how other places are very similar. Not so, in my opinion. Key West's isolation makes life here an especially complicated dance. Consider something as simple as dating. I'm married so I hear the horror stories from those less settled than I, but the reality is obvious. A bad date can have a huge impact on a social life in a town where paths are constantly crossing. Isolated communities require particularly adept social behavior because if one violates the mores isolation and rejection is complete. You cannot simply drive thirty minutes to a new town, fresh bars and be a stranger in an unknown social scene. There is nowhere else to go and if a newcomer makes a faux pas the repercussions will be endless. I frequently note that Key West seems to reject some people and welcome others, apparently at random and in defiance of how much someone may think they want to live here.
I feel lucky to live here, not least as the economy of our globally interconnected world crumbles. Contraction is the new social and economic order, not yet recognized by our leaders at large, and in Key West we seem to have a society uniquely adapted to our new circumstances. Social strata are poorly defined by status symbols here and a bicycle is as useful to a millionaire as to his residentially challenged neighbor. Key West's climate requires no heating oil, and vegetables grow in winter. It may be too hot sometimes for Cheyenne but for me endless sun and heat in an eternal summer is just what the doctor ordered.
So, in conclusion, how is life in Key West? The answer is, if you have a job you like, a motorcycle to ride year round, a partner you can rely on, and a few friends, life is awesome. Surprisingly awesome in fact. I'd recommend it whether or not a recession were mowing down the municipalities Up North. As it is perhaps Brigadoon's biggest drawback is that the legend doesn't allow one to leave. Ever. I'm lucky that for the first time in my life I am happy to be stuck in a job, in a routine, in a town with a healthy budget and no awareness at all of the misery sweeping much of the rest of the world.
Long may it last, and thank you very much for the two percent raise, city commissioners. I will endeavor to spend it locally, right here in Brigadoon.
The peculiarities of life in a small insular town at the end of a long peninsula aren't easy to explain to people who have never lived here and I frequently hear how other places are very similar. Not so, in my opinion. Key West's isolation makes life here an especially complicated dance. Consider something as simple as dating. I'm married so I hear the horror stories from those less settled than I, but the reality is obvious. A bad date can have a huge impact on a social life in a town where paths are constantly crossing. Isolated communities require particularly adept social behavior because if one violates the mores isolation and rejection is complete. You cannot simply drive thirty minutes to a new town, fresh bars and be a stranger in an unknown social scene. There is nowhere else to go and if a newcomer makes a faux pas the repercussions will be endless. I frequently note that Key West seems to reject some people and welcome others, apparently at random and in defiance of how much someone may think they want to live here.I feel lucky to live here, not least as the economy of our globally interconnected world crumbles. Contraction is the new social and economic order, not yet recognized by our leaders at large, and in Key West we seem to have a society uniquely adapted to our new circumstances. Social strata are poorly defined by status symbols here and a bicycle is as useful to a millionaire as to his residentially challenged neighbor. Key West's climate requires no heating oil, and vegetables grow in winter. It may be too hot sometimes for Cheyenne but for me endless sun and heat in an eternal summer is just what the doctor ordered.So, in conclusion, how is life in Key West? The answer is, if you have a job you like, a motorcycle to ride year round, a partner you can rely on, and a few friends, life is awesome. Surprisingly awesome in fact. I'd recommend it whether or not a recession were mowing down the municipalities Up North. As it is perhaps Brigadoon's biggest drawback is that the legend doesn't allow one to leave. Ever. I'm lucky that for the first time in my life I am happy to be stuck in a job, in a routine, in a town with a healthy budget and no awareness at all of the misery sweeping much of the rest of the world.
Long may it last, and thank you very much for the two percent raise, city commissioners. I will endeavor to spend it locally, right here in Brigadoon. 
