Parking Conundrum

Parking is always a hassle in Key West and for people who need access to their property parking can also gum things up. You can sense the exhaustion and irritation of the person who put up all these dire warnings:

Private parking lots help get cars off the streets but as you can ell there is no great compulsion to make the experience pleasant or even tidy:

 Fifteen dollars to park in a  mud hole might seem steep but consider how much a  ticket will cost in a  town where an hour on the meter is four  dollars!

These lots fill up in winter. If you can find a place to park on the streets during your vacation you would be wise to park the car and forget it. Except that a vehicle left in the same spot for 72 hours is subject to getting a  tow notice. Parking woes are so intense in town everyone seems to manage to get pissed off at everyone over parking.

 It's  hassle unless you are ready willing and able to walk a few blocks to your final destination.

Or ride a bike as the old timers will tell you with a sniff of disapproval. They don't hold with new fangled inventions like internal combustion or traveling out of town..;

Truman Waterfront

Dawn at Truman Waterfront Park:

Harbor Condos, former Navy Officer Housing:

A cruise ship growing out of the woods...

Or growing into the woods at the front end:

Conch Republic and State of Florida flags on the Ingham museum coast guard ship.

Zombie Bike Ride 2019

Over the years the Zombie Bike Ride has become one of the most popular events associated with Fantasy Fest. This is despite the fact the ride is organized as an independent advance event, similar to Goombay, before the main carnival party called Fantasy Fest really kicks off. 

To approach the route after work required me to trail groups of costumes pedalling toward the south side of Key West. Originally the ride originated at the Stock Island bike shop Recycle, which organized the event. That soon proved to be a bad idea  when thousands of riders showed up, 7500 last year according to people who count such things. Crossing the only bridge into and out of Key West with an immense slow moving line of bicycles proved impractical. Not to mention the pre-ride gathering at the side of the Overseas Highway...Something had to be done.

So they moved the kick off location to Pines Park next to the East Martello Tower on South Roosevelt Boulevard. The ride sets off shortly before sunset  with police closing the roads as they go and eventually, in the fullness of time the bicycles and their costumed riders have a street party on Lower Duval where the bars are centered.

This year  I took up a position where I could park my scooter easily as I came straight from work and road closures prevented easy access to the start line where I would usually hang around for a little while. As it was I caught bicycles going "the wrong way" toward South Roosevelt to join the crowd departing from the proper spot. 

As you can see from this long line of pictures the costumes are the thing and this is an entirely child friendly event.

Well let me rephrase that, I saw tons of kids  riding as well as spectating so people who actually have children seem to think this event is child friendly. Good enough for me what has no children or experience with them..

 Cars prohibited. Once can only imagine the driver's astonishment at being so ill informed about the wifdely publicized event that actually closed a main road for a while...