This Week on the Island 09/05/2004
'This week on the Island' is written by Doug Bennett and is an update to friends about happenings in Key West last week. Everything is true except for those parts that are lies.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson have reopened. The eye of Hurricane Charley did some damage out there, so they have been closed since Aug 13th. They reopened on Sept 1. Charley missed Key West by about 60 miles.
Labor Day week end is our last big week end of the summer. After that things slow down until Fantasy Fest .This town is nearly deserted due to Hurricane Frances. Thursday some stores and residences started boarding up. Most places remained open, but had almost no business. Friday a cruise ship was at the Hilton Pier so Duval Street had some business. The weather is hot, sunny and beautiful. Our airport is full of airplanes from other parts of Florida trying to escape Frances. We have lots of really big yachts in our harbors also. Saturday night and Sunday morning we finally got some effect from the hurricane. It will be windy and rainy today, but should clear by Monday.
Wyland, the artist that painted the mural on the side of the Fresh Market on the Key West Bight, had an art show. It was located in the city parking lot on the corner of Williams and Caroline. Almost no one came. It could be the hurricane.
I had a tourist ask me on Thursday, what I thought Hurricane Francis would do. I told him that living here on the island has taught us not to try and out guess a hurricane. He said he was from New York and they get hurricanes all the time. I wanted to say that by the time they got that far north they were nothing more than a tropical storm. I decided that 'to argue with stupidity you must lower yourself to that same level', so I let it go.
Key West, you have got to love it.
Doug Bennett
PS
Two weeks ago I sent out a picture of Key West, 1838, when Duval Street was a salt pond. Last week I sent out a picture of Sloppy Joe Russell's saloon, 1940's, (currently Capt Tony's). This week I have attached a picture of the corner of Duval Street and Green Street (turn of the century). The two story house in the middle of the picture is across Green Street from Sloppy Joe's. The little house in the right hand corner sits where Sloppy Joe's is now.
The Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson have reopened. The eye of Hurricane Charley did some damage out there, so they have been closed since Aug 13th. They reopened on Sept 1. Charley missed Key West by about 60 miles.
Labor Day week end is our last big week end of the summer. After that things slow down until Fantasy Fest .This town is nearly deserted due to Hurricane Frances. Thursday some stores and residences started boarding up. Most places remained open, but had almost no business. Friday a cruise ship was at the Hilton Pier so Duval Street had some business. The weather is hot, sunny and beautiful. Our airport is full of airplanes from other parts of Florida trying to escape Frances. We have lots of really big yachts in our harbors also. Saturday night and Sunday morning we finally got some effect from the hurricane. It will be windy and rainy today, but should clear by Monday.
Wyland, the artist that painted the mural on the side of the Fresh Market on the Key West Bight, had an art show. It was located in the city parking lot on the corner of Williams and Caroline. Almost no one came. It could be the hurricane.
I had a tourist ask me on Thursday, what I thought Hurricane Francis would do. I told him that living here on the island has taught us not to try and out guess a hurricane. He said he was from New York and they get hurricanes all the time. I wanted to say that by the time they got that far north they were nothing more than a tropical storm. I decided that 'to argue with stupidity you must lower yourself to that same level', so I let it go.
Key West, you have got to love it.
Doug Bennett
PS
Two weeks ago I sent out a picture of Key West, 1838, when Duval Street was a salt pond. Last week I sent out a picture of Sloppy Joe Russell's saloon, 1940's, (currently Capt Tony's). This week I have attached a picture of the corner of Duval Street and Green Street (turn of the century). The two story house in the middle of the picture is across Green Street from Sloppy Joe's. The little house in the right hand corner sits where Sloppy Joe's is now.
posted by Doug Bennett at 12:56 PM
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