This Week on the Island 10/18/2009

'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 picture this week (click to enlarge) is ‘ Pepe’s’. This is a restaurant on Caroline Street about one block from our house. Pepe’s uses gas to cook and therefore is open when everything else on the island is out of electricity (like after hurricanes.) I have tourist asking for ‘Pep-Pays’. The French never owned the island, but the Spanish owned it for about 300 years.

Weather: The temperature Friday was 91 degrees and set a new heat record. The temperature Sunday night is supposed to be 65 degrees. The skies are bright and sunny.

No book this week.

Things Tourist Say: Every Christmas we have the ‘Lighted Boat Parade’. A lady asked ‘What street is the lighted boat parade on?’ It is a boat parade, it is in the water.

Not much happening the last couple of weeks. We are all waiting on ‘Goombay’ and ‘Fantasy Fest’ at the end of the month. It is the quite before the storm.

Hurricane season is almost over for the year. We have not been hit by a hurricane since Katrina and Wilma. This week we celebrate 100 years since the hurricane of October 1909. Nearly every building on the island was either destroyed or damaged. That was before hurricanes were named or were measured by category.

Sam, my next door neighbor died on Good Friday. His house has been sold and the new owners have painted it a bright white with green ceilings over the porches.

The El Rancho Motel on Truman Ave has been demolished to make way for another hotel.

A building burned across from Sandy’s Café on White Street. The lot has been cleared and loads of sand has been dumped. Someone is making interesting sculptures in the sand.

The Half Shell Raw Bar at the Key West Bight on the end of Margaret Street was tented this week. They were gassing for termites. There are two types of buildings in Key West. Those that are tented and those that have termites.

‘As Seem on TV’ was a store on Eaton Street just off Duval. It only lasted a short time before going out of business. “In the tropics they come and they go”, Jimmy Buffett.

Conch Republic Cigars on Green Street near Sloppy Joes has closed. The building appears to be getting converted into another bar/restaurant.

US #1, runs from Maine to Key West. Parts from Key Largo to Key West were built on the old ‘Over Seas Railroad’ that Flagler built and was called the ‘Over Seas Highway’. It was renamed ‘A Florida Scenic Highway’ in 2001 and now is an ‘All American Highway’. There are only 30 in the US.

Interested in moving to Key West, try http://www.searchkeywestmls.com/search.php?type=1&beds=1&baths=&min=&max=300000&area= to find a house in your price range. Remember that 1000 sq ft is considered the average size house in Key West. Also remember that in most parts of the country a house is measured in ‘heated’ square footage. In Key West houses are measured in ‘living space’ square footage. That means that a small house with a large deck and pool may be a 1,500 sq ft property.


Key West, You have got to love it
'Living the life that others dream'
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.55967N, Long 81.80169W

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Sassi dancing to Schooner Wharf Bar Dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_l9kgPmuQ