Cruise Ship Revival

My plan was a good one, to go downtown and wander early on a morning when there was no cruise ship in town, I could meander and photograph the sordid underbelly of the tourist areas.However the best laid plans of mice and men go haywire when there is unexpected weather in the Caribbean.Cruise ships get diverted when there is a chance of rough weather, this is high season for such events which is why tickets cost less now, and one such ship was unexpectedly in town.Imagine my surprise when I saw all the tourist shops starting to open and the trolleys and trains lining up.This place was closed at the early hour......but this guy was delivering bread anyway under the interested gaze of a bum perched nearby.
The rest of downtown looked pretty quiet. This city worker grinned when I said: "Keeping the city pretty for the visitors..."The pigeons crouched on the roof saying not much at all. The culprit:

An unscheduled stop brings the city a lot of extra money in port and landing fees. Mallory Square never quite seems to be free of people mooching around. Or people staring at the sea. Or of people trying to catch fish.

I liked this image of a rooster behind bars- it wasn't really, it was just lurking behind a municipal bike rack.

Cheyenne waited impatiently while I went to the loo. I have read some unfavorable comments about the public toilets at Mallory Square. Either I was lucky or early or something because they seemed fine to me.

The sculpture garden filled with heads of Very Important People. It's known locally as the Pez Garden. (Obvious enough if you know what a Pez candy dispenser looks like).

Finally a few tourists started to appear from the ship,wandering distractedly as they tried to make the most of their precious time ashore.

When my wife and I took a cruise to the Western Caribbean from Miami our ship stopped in Key West. I came ashore to buy a newspaper (my besetting vice is the desire for the day's printed paper) and then we took advantage of an empty ship to enjoy the adult pool for ourselves.

Lots of lovely people coming to town to spend lots of lovely money.

Some people argue they only benefit Lower Duval, the area closest to the dock.

Which does not negate their benefit overall I think, to a city whose economy is based on tourism and repeat visits.

I liked this shot of a rider on the trolley blocking her ears to lock out the commentary. I wondered why she spent her money to take a ride?

Eco Discovery Center

It's been a while but it was time to head back. Florida Monthly Magazine rates the "best" attractions in the state by some means not made clear and half of Key West seems to win a category in their readers' poll. http://www.floridamagazine.com/bestof2010.html The Eco Discovery center won "Best Nature Center" a win they are touting. Fair enough I suppose, a win is a win in our crazily competitive society, but the list looks suspiciously weighted in favor of South Florida and the Keys in particular.The walkway into the center is paved with donor plaques. Once inside, and entrance is free, the center puts on a good show.Weather in the Keys involves some discussion of waterspouts and hurricanes.Dioramas display flora and fauna.

I think this is it:

I really enjoy wandering the place and taking it all in.

You can dive without getting wet:

And the undersea lab notwithstanding there are tanks filled with actually water. And coral.This was the main reason for my visit.

I had heard on the radio (when the "Best of..." award was also discussed) that a live Lion fish had been donated. It looked like an aggressive little bastard, sitting and staring out of it's aquarium:A staff member clued me in on the fish which has become imported to these waters by accident and has no natural predators except for the Blue Wrasse that likes to eat it's eggs. Which is a good thing as each Lion fish can produce hundreds of thousands of eggs. The Lion fish is aggressive and eats anything it can kill. It's spines are poisonous but apparently it's meat is delicious, like Hog fish. Also delicious to some people is the Queen Conch sitting in solitary splendor in it's own tank. This is a native mollusk eaten almost to extinction in these waters and is now imported from Central America to feed Key West.

Standing inside the center one can look out and see the harbor just a stone's throw away.An air conditioned refuge from the world outside.

My friend Robert's favorite marker in the walkway, his favorite saying really:

And here he is caught in a pensive moment as we strolled out together.I can't remember why I don't come back more often.

1500 Mile Iron Butt Update

It was not entirely easy, much much harder than the 1,000 mile Saddle Sore ride last year but I arrived in Binghamton New York under cloudy skies on a 55 degree morning with 20 minutes to spare. I got my forms witnessed at the local Jail, had a massive breakfast served by a delightfully stereotypically surly New York waitress, and mailed off my paperwork to the Iron Butt people in Illinois... Story and pictures to follow. Suffice it to say the Triumph was perfect, the Catskill Mountains were great fun to ride, and as I was no longer Iron Butting I thoroughly enjoyed being let loose on the road without having to document anything further.

In a few hours Jack riepe will be letting his dogs loose on me and that is of far greater concern than the meth fuelled truck drivers of Interstate 81. And they were truly terrible. That I am able to see my breath tells me I am far too far north far too late in the year. Despite the changing leaves extravaganza and the fine riding through the Catskills, I hope theykeep my place in the Keys for when I get back Friday.

Practical Cycling

I start this essay on cycling in Key West with a picture of a man taking his ease in Bayview Park.

His bicycle laden with belongings was just out of the frame. Bicycles in Key West are basic transportation, for workers, professionals, tourists and even the unemployed homeless.I like to photograph the cyclists around town from time to time as a reminder that this town is the eco-delight that promoters of cyclists envision when they stand before city councils and commissions across the land to promote urban cycling. Not as recreation, but as daily transportation. High cost brand name cycles are the rarity rather than the norm around here. Willie Ward Park has some rather pleasant shelters to hang out under as you while away your day waiting for the soup kitchen to open on Flagler Avenue.Tourists use bicycles as a fun break from their daily reality at home. Too bad they can't imagine getting used to cycling when they do get back to their daily grind.I have noticed a different kind of pedi cab rider lately in Key West. It used to be the preserve of East European young men pedaling energetically. Now I am hearing more Americans talking to their passengers as they pedal. Perhaps the world of pedicabs could be promoted as part of the political agenda currently sweeping the land to get Americans into jobs held by immigrants? A bicycle, a basket and Old Town is your oyster. I noticed these three vans (how could I not?) jamming Southard Street at Whitehead. The minivan as billboard. It takes a bicycle to get past these heffalumps blocking the road.When I was between dogs I used to bring my bicycle into town on a bike rack on the car, park the car at work and take off around town on two wheels. A bike rack is a great thing. Now all we have to do is persuade the nutters who run the Lower Keys Bus Shuttle to put bike racks back on the buses. They took them off when they were too successful.A gentle pedal on Georgia Street is a fine way to spend a morning.Cruising the Southernmost Point.

Backwards and forward at Whitehead and South Streets. Bicycle laws are being enforced by people like Officer Lovette in response to complaints around town about bicycles riding without lights at night, running traffic lights and cycling the wrong was on one way streets.There is a city commission looking into improving cycling conditions in Key West. Some people want more dedicated bike paths but it seems to me that in Old Town you'd need to make streets one way to accommodate a bike path and I can't see motorists agreeing to that.Riding and not texting. What a concept!

Tricycle, bicycle and shopping cart. Key West's basic means of hauling your crap around.Not riding side by side. These must be well mannered visitors.Hotels and guest houses frequently have bikes for guests to use. The size of the collection at Eden House on Fleming Street always boggles my mind.This deocratif motif was painted by Chuck's daughter.I watched this woman cycling in front of my car southbound on White Street, here seen imperturbable as two other laden cyclists pull out abruptly from Olivia Street in front of her.She stops appropriately at White Street at the red light.Traffic eases and off she goes risking a ticket if Officer Lovette or one of his cohorts were around to see her.I'll bet she'd have been pissed if she got a ticket for that stunt. Tourists here on Truman checking their directions. Riding on sidewalks is permitted in Florida as long as you a) yield to pedestrians and b) have an audible means of approach (not specified).

For $9 a day one of these beauties could be yours to cruise around town.

Like I said, practical transportation.

Unhappily my forward motion in the car messed up the focus but you get the idea. Helmets (rare in Key West) and swimsuits. Whatever works.Me? I wouldn't mind a Genuine Buddy from the Yamaha shop to get around town. Seen on College Road, quite a likely a student pedaling to the...College with the typical backpack.The Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island my be five miles from Duval Street but considering how flat the terrain Key West and Stock Island are ideal cycling territory.