Relocation: Key West

[sailingagain]

Ya know... so far I'm seeing a connection here... all the Floridians in here have the same common thread...

They all just up and left for Florida to improve/change their lives
Without a whole lot of forethought on the matter..

And everybody seems happy that they did.

[HsvParrothead]

Ya know... so far I'm seeing a connection here... all the Floridians in here have the same common thread...

They all just up and left for Florida to improve/change their lives
Without a whole lot of forethought on the matter..

And everybody seems happy that they did.

Good Enough For Me

[Quint]

how bout y'all come over here and keep me safe . .
I plan on fillin up the tub with ice . . gotta have my beer . .

In the words of the man himself.... "if ya gonna get blown away, it's best to be blown away while it's happenin"

and I bet he added . .

and do it with your phriends. .

Now what say I get the 4 and head over. We'll have to practice this hurricane survival you speak of.

[HsvParrothead]

Thanks Again for the link Quint... I think we found a couple of jobs...

Just gotta work on those "wino" skills to bring in more tips

And Did you know that the Conch Train Drivers have better benefit packages than my last two employers... how sad is that??
It's A Sign I Tell Ya!!!

[Quint]

If you can drive one of those babys down Duval during Fanasty Fest or MOTM you go for it dude. A little to much to handle for me.

[balcony girls]

how bout y'all come over here and keep me safe . .
I plan on fillin up the tub with ice . . gotta have my beer . .

In the words of the man himself.... "if ya gonna get blown away, it's best to be blown away while it's happenin"

and I bet he added . .

and do it with your phriends. .

Now what say I get the 4 and head over. We'll have to practice this hurricane survival you speak of.

HA! !

and this week all hurricane " supplies " are tax free . .

think they'll go for that when I buy 10 cases of Corona . . ? ?

[sailingagain]

And Did you know that the Conch Train Drivers have better benefit packages than my last two employers... how sad is that??
It's A Sign I Tell Ya!!!

Hey! I'll fight you for that job!!!

[Brown Eyed Girl]

Thanks Again for the link Quint... I think we found a couple of jobs...

Just gotta work on those "wino" skills to bring in more tips

And Did you know that the Conch Train Drivers have better benefit packages than my last two employers... how sad is that??
It's A Sign I Tell Ya!!!

Hey wait..I want that link! What did you say about winos?

[Quiet and Shy]

What a fascinating thread...and some great stories!!!

I up and left the big corporate gig a few months back (2 reorgs in 3 years, politics, no longer challenged, etc. -- life got to be too short) so I'm enjoying a "sabbatical" and trying to decide what to do next (other than travel -- which I've been doing a bunch of lately). So far, nothing job wise has jumped out or inspired me to any great degree.

As far as location goes, I grew up near Lake Michigan and was always near lakes until moving to Indiana; that's the biggest drawback -- I miss the water. But, I have some good friends here as well as a house and neighbors I like, etc. If I found another place where I really wanted to be, I'd pick up and move in a heartbeat and then look for work there. But I haven't figured the location part out yet either.

As far as Florida goes, it seems to be getting so crowded I'm afraid it will sink one day...but who knows? I don't think I'd do KW unless I could find something to keep me busy using my mind and have a halfway decent standard of living (real estate is really expensive and so many of the jobs pay only minimum wage). KW is a fun place to visit, though.

Ah, questions that bother me so....

(Beerman...good luck finding a Spanish speaking place with little American influence. On my travels through Latin America the big cities -- and many smaller ones -- have been Americanized more than you would believe. My favorite was about 12 years ago when a Taco Bell was opened in downtown Mexico City -- awful food relative to the real thing; it didn't last long. Then earlier this year people protested the opening of a new Wal-Mart in central Mexico -- within view of the pyramids at Teotihuacan. I also remember being in small city Brazil a few years back and looking out over a beautiful rural valley and seeing nothing in the distance -- but golden arches. Oh well. All of this said, there is still some very good and interesting Latin American culture, along with the Spanish, for your kids to learn. Good luck!!)

[Cubbie Bear]

I keep going back to an article in the Key West paper, when they opened the homeless village (camp ground for those without) last fall. There were many different stories, but they all boiled down to the same basic thing. Jobs, mostly minimum wage to $12.00 an hour and Studio apartments starting around $1500 a month. Do the math, unless you go with a job in hand or a big bank account, it just does not add up. The telling point was a quote from one woman resident of the camp who said, "God Damn Jimmy Buffett for making this place sound so wonderful."

[AlbatrossFlyer]

i don't like humidity

[Gulfbreeze]

Ya know... so far I'm seeing a connection here... all the Floridians in here have the same common thread...

They all just up and left for Florida to improve/change their lives
Without a whole lot of forethought on the matter..

I suppose my destiny of Florida has a little different twist as it was not my first choice. To make a short story long, I was working for the Target Corp doing tech support out of the downtown Minneapolis headquarters...listening to KPOA FM out of Hawaii everyday, reading the West Hawaii paper online everyday and came across an article of a lady that was starting a program to train assistance dogs for the people of Hawaii. Only the second program that did this for all of the Islands. I called the editor of the paper that got me in contact with Elena, the trainer. I was making good money at the time and bartended as a hobby, so I started donating all of my tip money to the program, (which never got to its destination, but that gets my BP going and it's too early).

Anywho, seeing this person give everything she had to make a difference in someone elses life while asking for nothing in return, touched my heart and I wanted to be part of that. Revelation: Get rid of all my material things, move to the Kohala Coast, donate my free time to help with the program, work a little here and little there.

Plans were made, Elena had a cottage next to her house that she offered for a couple of weeks while I found a place to live. Things were going well, 2 week notice given, almost the end of the month and gave my notice at the apartment..."things" given way or donated, one-way plane ticket purchased, boxes packed to send via UPS, hotel booked for the first 3 days to get acquainted with the person I was hoping to work with and try make the program work, interview set up at Waikaloa Village...

BAM! Elena calls 4 days before my departure crying, wondering why she ever agreed to inviting a virtual "stranger" in to her home to help with her program...While I totally understood from her perspective, a little more notice would have been nice in that we had planned this for a couple of months..So..that Red Flag being tossed my way I'm thinking "this ain't good, no job, no place to live in a few days, 4 feet of snow on the ground and it's snowing again...this pretty much sucks".

Plan B: Crap...I don't have a Plan B!

Ok, maybe this will work...called the U-Haul place, got a trailer, packed up my motorcycle (which should have been stored at my sisters) and the "things" I had left and headed SE the day after Christmas, 2000. At the time I'm thinking "Hey, I was in Clearwater about 11 years ago for 4 days...it seemed pretty nice"...so that seemed to be where my vehicle should be headed. I landed a little further south...St. Pete Beach...

I knew absolutely no one here at the time, no friends, no family. I have no regrets about how this all transpired because I have met and made some of the closest friends that I have had my entire life here.

Bottom line: I took a risk...good intentions thrown a late curve...the spirit pointed me in another direction...I followed...and here I am. Thankful that I took a chance...although the end result wasn't quite what I had in mind at first...I think someone "up there" knew what was better for me in the long run. I'm happy.

Phew...that got a bit lengthy...sorry 'bout that.

[RinglingRingling]

Pretty funny you start this thread Kev... I'm one breakup away from heading off to somewhere on my own. My family is upstate and I ain't never going back up there. I've got nothing keeping me here in NYC except Steph.. When she finally wakes up and realizes what a friggin' idiot I am there will be nothing left here for me. Not sure about Key West but I will most certainly be fleeting off somewhere warm!

why is this a scary thought to contemplate?

[HockeyParrotHead]

with a little love and luck .... i should be able to add to this in about 48 hours......phins crossed

[Crazy Navy Flyer]

I lived there for 3 years, employed by the Navy at the time. I've lived in many places in my life but I always go back to KW. Only town I can walk down the street and sing "I have found me a home".

I'm going back full time, someday, live on my boat there, and wait to "Sail On".

I think I need to go back for a few days.....

[sailingagain]

Thanks for the story GulfBreeze. Very cool.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

I lived there for 3 years, employed by the Navy at the time. I've lived in many places in my life but I always go back to KW. Only town I can walk down the street and sing "I have found me a home".

I'm going back full time, someday, live on my boat there, and wait to "Sail On".

I think I need to go back for a few days.....

I could have lived my whole life without seeing that last part. But I understand where your heart is.


Bill....phins crossed for you....best of luck!

And thanks to all of you who are encouraging me to follow my dream. I'm anxious to get the ball rolling. I know I got thrown a couple curve balls too, but in a way this has made me realize just how little time we have to do the things we want. Penny pointed something out to me last night. I still have two legs, and I'm not in a wheelchair. I may be slower than I was and the prognosis yesterday wasn't the best, but I'm a fighter and I haven't been known to listen when someone tells me I can't do something. So I'll work my butt off in PT and when the pain gets to be too much I'll think of all I have ahead of me, and all the good friends who are helping me along the way. Damn, I'm one lucky PH!

So look out FL....I'm on my way!

[sailingagain]

So look out FL....I'm on my way!

SWEET!!!

[sonofabeach]

Ya know... so far I'm seeing a connection here... all the Floridians in here have the same common thread...

They all just up and left for Florida to improve/change their lives
Without a whole lot of forethought on the matter..

I was born here but both of my parents are from Tennessee, moved down here as children and then met....small world.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I'd be interested in living in Key West if Hawaii didn't exist...... but it does..... and that's where I want to be....

I even found a job out there that I'd love: watchstander at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Ah, minor detail that I don't qualify for that particular job.....

wouldn't it be nice to be 22 again and know all that we know now?

y'all that ARE still in your 20's, GO FOR IT! Go after your dreams. You may never get the chance later on.....