The People of Duval

This essay first appeared here in August 2013 when I was training a new dispatcher during the day. I was getting up with an alarm clock and working Monday through Friday which I did not enjoy at all. But I did get out into town more often in sunlight. I liked the color and vibrancy of these summer pictures, so just because we have been rained up mercilesly lately they make a nice contrast for me, and most likely would for anyone under snow. In December.

I have said the streets of Key West tend to empty out in August after family summer vacations end, but that is not to say Duval Street is completely empty.

By winter standards when most people see this famous street these crowds are pretty thin. People have time and space to check street side menus and coming attraction boards:

Lunchtime in the Bull has seating to spare...

...and there's plenty of room on the sun drenched Conch Tour Trains:

I was intrigued by this couple taking their pictures with their backs to the iconic landmark. I actually posted this picture on Facebook where GarytheTourist immediately noted the irony.

I hear people say it's "too hot to ride" a phrase that fills me with wonder. Sometimes it's too hot to ridecomfortably but that is an entirely different thing.

Key West is where people ride two wheels to get around, usually rented wheels, bicycles or scooters, and they go home and resume maneuvering their tanks around town and forget the joy of freedom.

I have had a Young Person explain the concept of Coyote Ugly bars which started in New York where being rude is de rigeur because Coyote Ugly was where the schtick was for employees to be rude to patrons. It's surviving in Key West where it adds nothing much to my quality of life. Nor does it detract either.

People watching; I do it walking while some do it seated.

Water adventures on a 90 degree afternoon sound good.

Not too many people to watch just now.

Lots of time to pause and catch up. 23,000 people on a four mile island have lots to talk about.

Have you noticed how people attract people? One stops to look, which doubles and two are stationary then four and pretty soon Conchscooter is at the back craning to see what's what.

This is a permanent display offering raffle tickets for a classic car or a Harley Davidson I believe in an effort to somehow reduce drunk driving. The offer is real, one of my colleagues was once the proud winner of the motorcycle.

Sun worship has its side effects. I'm not sure the picture captures the full leathery effect. He looked like a turtle without its shell, God knows what it feels like to have skin like parchment.

Studying the map, rubbing over-heated feet, a typical day's walk on Duval in August.

I went back to work.

Dangerous Key West

Key West is in ferment -at least those people who have read and passed around this piece of nonsense are in an uproar around town. I have reproduced this piece of garbage masquerading as travel writing in full, from it's place on AOL where it was published in the dim dark recesses of 2010. Why it has popped up now I couldn't say but City Commissioner Clayton Lopez is incandescent with irritation saying the piece targets his constituents. However anyone with a  modicum of knowledge of Key West geography can see in a flash that the cretin who wrote this piece has no idea.

We had quite a lively debate in the 911 center trying to figure out where the country club is, and one of our dispatchers who recently bought a home at the Golf Course was quite surprised to learn she may just have become one Key West's "affluent residents."  That is if the oaf David Roberts mistook the golf course for a country club. As for crime, its true bicycle theft is rampant especially when people fail to lock their machines. The last murder in the city was in 2012 and most violent crime is  drunk people who know each other losing their heads. As readers of this page know I walk the city streets at night at all hours unarmed (except for my camera) and alone. So what this drivel is about...judge for yourself. The photos are mine, the words that making Key West crazy are all his, whoever he is. Try not to bust a gut laughing and if Bare Assets has moved to Truman and Whitehead please let us in the police dispatch center know before too long....

Safe and Dangerous Places in Key West by David Roberts, an AOL Travel Contributor

Posted Sep 14th 2010 03:22 PM

      Key West, Fla., is one of the most beautiful areas to visit in the country. Sitting on the beach watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean can only be surpassed by enjoying the view of the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico on the other side of the island. The locals are pleasant and the restaurants fabulous, but under the surface lies a secret that could obscure even the best vacation.

The fact is that some of the more dangerous places in Key West have three times the national average in crime rates. It's certainly nothing to obsess about, but it is wise to use caution and be aware of where you are and what is going on around you at all times when you're visiting.

Here are the safe areas and areas to avoid in Key West. 

Safest areas

One of the top three safe places in Key West is one of the first areas you will come to as you cross the Overseas Highway, or Highway 1, on the west side of the highway. The Key West Country Club and some residential areas are statistically the safest areas on the Key. This is the area where the more influential Key West citizens reside. As such, the security is handled by both the Key West Police Department and local security firms. Feel totally at ease as you play a round of golf at the club, with sounds of the beach lulling you into a false sense of competency for the game.

The second safe area in Key West is right across the highway from the first. It's the area around Stock Island, where the most affluent folks store their yachts. This is the only area in the Keys where you would be as safe in a tent as you would in a locked house. Boyd's Key West Campground is tucked away into a quiet area, and the owners are about as friendly as it gets. The tent lots are rather small, but the pool and other amenities more than make up for it. There are also some RV spaces here, which are occupied by year-round residents, so introduce yourself if you stay as a visitor.

Boyd's Key West Campground
6401 Maloney Avenue
(305) 294-1465

The third well-known Key West safe place is located south on Highway 1 in a two-mile radius around the Southern Keys Cemetery. This is a lovely area to stroll on a nice day, but it is important to note that while this area is one of the safest, its proximity to the most dangerous area is a matter of just one or two blocks. Crossing over Windsor Lane into the area surrounding the Ernest Hemingway Museum puts you right into an area where the crime rate is three times the state per capita rate. These first three "safe" areas will have their incidents as any area in a city would, but at least the statistics are heavily on your side.

Ernest Hemingway Museum
907 Whitehead Street
(305) 294-1136
Hours: Daily 9AM-5PM
Admission: $12 for adults, $6 for children, free for children 5 and under

Areas to avoid

In Key West, drug trafficking is a serious problem, as the area represents an easy route into south Florida. Crossing Windsor Lane south of the Southern Keys Cemetery will put you in an area that looks remarkably like anyone's home town.

Tucked away into the recesses of the mobile home parks and back streets are the main source of Key West's crime problems, the drug trade. Some of the crimes here are dealer-on-dealer or dealer-on-addict crimes, which may account for the increase. For example, in the United States, rapes occur at a rate of 0.32 per 1,000. In this area, rapes occur at a rate of 0.79 per 1,000. The crime index measures the rate of crimes in any area on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the safest areas. This area earns a two on that scale. In other words, 98 percent of areas in the country are safer than this one, making it the most dangerous area in Key West and one of the most dangerous in the nation. Ready to pack yet?

The second area to avoid in Key West is located in the South Street and Reynolds Street neighborhood. This area is situated at the farthest point from both police stations on the Key, and the residents (and bad guys) know it. The police do a great job of patrolling, but it's a pretty big area for them to cover efficiently.

In daylight, this area resembles a quaint, small town with a tropical theme. It "looks" safe. Unfortunately, many of the victims of crimes in this area are visitors. 

This is due to the fact that it's a small island and criminals do not want to be identified, so they prefer to attack those they know will be leaving soon. This area also earns a two on the crime index scale.

The third area to avoid is found around Whitehead Street and Truman Avenue. This area is also a two on the crime index scale. At the center of this area is the Bare Assets nude bar.

If that is your kind of entertainment, park close to the door and remember where you are when you leave at 4AM. There is debate as to whether these types of establishments attract crime, or if they just build in crime-ridden areas. Either way, exercise caution here, especially at night. It is interesting to note that the majority of bars and liquor stores are not located in these "two-rated" areas; they are in the safer areas of town where tourists are generally safe and comfortable.

Bare Assets
1029 Truman Avenue
(305) 296-3979
Hours: Daily 4PM-4AM

All in all, Key West is quite the luxury getaway - as long as you know where you are. Pay attention to your surroundings and take note of these safe places and areas to avoid in Key West, and your vacation will be fun and worry free!

Dangerous Hitchhiker

Meet Samson Ramos  a bass player heard around Key West as part of a group he calls Cool Breeze.  

I met him at about two in the morning in the middle of a massive thunderstorm about half a mile out of Stock Island. It was raining cats and dogs so I had decided it was wet enough to justify driving the car to work for my overtime shift. I figured I would suffer unduly if I got a wet collar or wet socks on the ride in and had to sit for eight hours in damp clothes...anyway that was why I was on Highway One in the Fusion and not on the motorcycle in the rain. And which is why I met Samson. 

 All I saw was a figure in white hauling a huge black guitar on the shoulder so I stopped and he piled in full of gratitude and off we went. He was going to Sarasota (!) for a gig that night and his Key West ride had let him down, no surprise there I suppose. It seemed to me, as rain lashed the car that a ride to Cudjoe wasn't much good so I figured I'd take him to Big Pine but pretty soon I realized I had to get him across the Seven Mile Bridge. Big Pine at 2:30 in the morning has nothing to offer a hitch hiker and in Marathon he had a chance of getting to Florida City to make his back up connection to Sarasota. So off we went.

 It was a hell of a ride in the pouring rain, Samson filling the time with his stories of life on the road, making a living with a guitar, raising children, and grandchildren and chasing the gigs wherever they are, across the US or Europe. 

Yeah man he said, as we prepared to part ways at the Tom Thumb in Marathon shortly after three in the morning. I'm going to be back at Schooner Wharf in a few days, and then the Sunset Grille in Marathon and on and on. I plan to meet up again with him in the New Year.  

The ride home was an empty half hour by comparison, I listened to the BBC droning on the radio and watched lightning light up the western sky over the Seven Mile Bridge making night as day. 

A gypsy, a troubadour, a dangerous independent minded man doing his thing and making the world better one song at a time. No wonder they say picking up hitch hikers is dangerous: they are full of subversive ideas.

Harbor Walk

A pretty little cottage, relatively recently built in the Key West style:

I have no botanical knowledge but I did like the look of these trumpets enjoying the recent rains:

The Ferry terminal built to handle traffic to Fort Myers and Miami ( which latter didn't work) may also be pressed into service to get people too and from Havana. There have been noises about starting Ferry Service from Marathon and I guess Key West can't have that so now the competition is on. The biggest hurdle it turns out is accommodating customs and immigration services. Apparently they need offices in the million dollar range before Ferry service can even be contemplated which I find rather odd as cruise ships show up here from abroad with thousands of passengers and the customs folks walk down the dock to handle the flow on the ships. But there we are, and one day we can only hope things will change. I am hoping for vehicle transport as well so I can go for weekend rides in the Sierra Maestra. That would transform life in these flat islands.. 

A huge storm rolled into the keys last week out of the west bringing honking winds and slashing drenching rain. It was so bad I actually drove the car to work one night.

Beautification in progress all around Caroline Street. New paving landscaping and striping:

And Cheyenne goes and finds a corner of old Key West tucked away out of tourist sight:

She doesn't walk as much anymore but she likes a nice lie down to watch the world go by.

Sash Mill Cinema

I have been debating dropping my disc account at Netflix, because my wife has an Amazon Prime account so we get Amazon's free TV and movie service in addition to streaming Netflix. But I am having trouble dumping the compact disc delivery service as they have tons of stuff there and old movies are my pleasure at the moment. Afternoons when my wife is at work I exercise in front of the screen as I don't enjoy exercise and watching Bogart or Peck or Heston strutting about makes the medicine of weights and  stuff go down much more easily. I learned to enjoy old movies in my young adulthood in Santa Cruz California.

The Nickelodeon Theater was the mainstay of the University crowd when I lived there in the 80s and today the independent theater has grown to three outlets across Santa Cruz County. I was moved to reminisce about my young movie habits when I learned that "The Nick" has been sold to a southern California chain which promises to change nothing. 45 years of local ownership was a long run...And in those days the Nick as it was known had bought another little theater called the Sash Mill. I have hunted everywhere for a picture of the theater but I have none and neither does the Web apparently. I think the year of it's closure came well before the Internet so all I have left of the Sash Mill is memories. Nowadays it's a bunch of shops. Lots of University towns around the US had these repertory theaters changing films every couple of days, re-playing lots of them as we were barely learning about video tapes in those days which seemed miraculous but it took a while for Truffaut and Fellini to find their way into video stores. Besides we valued the full screen dark theater experience. It was at the Sash Mill I got my movie education and it was glorious.

The Sash Mill was as eclectic as its audience, though by the time I got there in 1982, enthralled by the silver screen, things had settled down a bit more than Marshall Motz remembers in the memoir titled The Cosmic Lady Was Right I had learned to enjoy movies at my English boarding school which had weekly showings of alternative movies (some slight nudity!) and black and white films too, but in Santa Cruz I got to see them all, as much as I wanted. My buddy Bill got me in for free often times, and sometimes as he ran the Sash Mill we would take beer and pizza and give ourselves late night shows watching films with just the two of us in the auditorium, or perhaps a couple of other friends. I got to see all the classics, Thin Man, Katherine Hepburn, Carey Grant, comedies, adventures, thrillers and film noire. It was an education.

Winters in Northern California I hated. And I still do, with lots of rain and temperatures down to the forties or worse. Lots of people thought I was crazy as they had emigrated from the Upper Mid West where winters meant snow and darkness for months on end. I found this picture of The Nick on a wet winter's night on the Web, and seeing the shiny slick sidewalk reminds me of those frigid nights taking refuge from the confines of my boat cabin where I lived by watching a  movie, or two.

Eventually Bill got me a job as a janitor and suddenly all the movie houses of Santa Cruz county were available to me for free. I had no TV on my boat, nor did I want it but now I could see anything anywhere anytime and I did. It was a great time, and i didn't limit myself to movies like Erendira, a gloomy Spanish film about loneliness and despair as only Garcia Marquez could write it. I cleaned the Nickelodeon which had four screening theaters, but my first love was the Sash Mill where the old movies went to be seen and enhjoyed by a younger generation.

I moved up in the world of theater janitoring and became a relief projectionist though I did not get into the union before running projectors became part time work thanks to automation. I found a segment of a book Aphrodite in Jeans which describes in some detail how to operate the old fashioned projector booths, a job I graduated to as relief projectionist at the independent Capitola Theater a few miles up the coast. I went through the same shenanigans switching projectors and so forth with the same satisfaction. Here's a picture of me in the mid 80's showing probably the Jewel of the Nile which came out in 1985 and which I saw half a hundred times:

I enjoyed the Capitola Theater where the booth was lined with steel to prevent the original nitrite films in the 1930s from burning down the theater when they frequently caught fire. The booth had a door onto the flat roof and in between 18 minute reel changes I could go out and stand on the roof and look at the fog descending on the chilly waters of the Pacific Ocean and I could hear the crash of the surf on the beach, even over the traffic and party sounds of the small seaside town. But it wasn't the Sash Mill where I learned about movies. and which I miss to this day as I exercise and watch my Netflix discs, for which I am grateful -but they aren't the same. 

Key West Mobility

Wandering around downtown I was thinking about how people get around in Key West. Years ago I was getting on my scooter on Duval Street and some  loud person was telling out of town friends that all you need to get around in Key West is a scooter. Which strictly speaking is not true if you have any desire to go anywhere out of town...but there are lots of them parked everywhere and for free, so they are a good deal.

There are some people who pack their life onto a bicycle or onto a trailer and tow it with a bicycle. Bicycles are popular too of course on a flat island and as you can see pretty much ignore the traffic rules as often as they can.

There are bike racks all over the place and they are often filled with bicycles that to all intents and purposes appear abandoned, rusty, flat  tires, missing seats and stuff like that. And some sport fancy luggage racks, fresh from the winery:

I noticed fancy new street painting in front of the Half Shell Raw bar. Cheyenne seemed intent on inspecting it but that's just how she walks:

The other way to get around, nit surprisingly is by dinghy. For people who live across the water from Key West the dinghy docks at Key West Bight near Turtle Kraals are indispensable. They pay a small fee by the day week or month and have a relatively safe place to leave their boats:

Some people park them behind the mother ship:

Re-cycling at Key West Bight, a play on words when taking pictures of cycles...

Another Key West recycler, not as efficient as Cheyenne but still:

Like I said the bike racks get pretty disheveled in daily use:

Don't do what locals do, is what I keep telling visitors, as you never know what privileges they have that you don't. Case in point:

And if all else fails walk around key West and when at Publix you can get one of these oddities as you walk round the grocery store:

Frankly I think walking is one of the best ways to get around town as you will see more and be truly free of traffic constraints.