Anyone in KW to do the Duval crawl with Bubba?

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Saw this in the Citizen and had to pass it along. OK, he did'nt really do the Duval Crawl. Just wondering if anyone was in KW when he was.


Bill Clinton strolls Duval, draws crowds of admirers

BY CHELSEA SOLMO

Citizen Staff

KEY WEST — The nation's 42nd president strolled Duval Street Saturday morning, looking like just another tourist with his magenta polo shirt and tropical woven bracelet — despite the imposing team of bodyguards that surrounded him.

Many on Key West's busiest street were taken by surprise by Clinton's visit. Excited customers and store owners and numerous tourists lined up on Duval for the opportunity to shake hands with the former president.

Clinton answered questions, posed for pictures, shook hands and admired shop windows.

Four months after his bypass surgery, Clinton was in town accompanying his wife, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and attending several fund-raising events. While in town, they stayed at the Harry S Truman Little White House Museum, which served as a favorite winter getaway for an earlier Democratic president.

"The Truman White House is fantastic," Clinton said. "It is very well preserved and the historical aspects are fascinating."

Clinton was quickly assimilated into the Key West way of life after a lunch catered by Mangoes and a trip to the Mel





Fisher Museum.

"I have never been here before," Clinton said. "So far I've been walking all over. It's really great to see people from all over the country, all over the world. Key West is so relaxing but it is a really high energy place."

For young people aspiring to be politicians, Clinton advised, "get to know different types of people and learn what makes them tick, to get to know people with different religious backgrounds and political backgrounds. It is important to read a lot and learn a lot, to expand your mind as much as you can, to learn how to think like an individual. If you want to be a politician, I would advise working on a campaign as soon as you can because the experience will be invaluable."

Key West resident Kelly Castellanos, a hair stylist at Secrets hair salon, was among the many to meet Clinton.

"I was very nervous and excited when we saw him," said Castellanos. "When we all rushed out to meet him I thought, 'He is going to think we are a bunch of crazies running out just to catch a glimpse of him.'"

Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley said so many people were eager to get a glimpse of Clinton that the crowd filled the street outside the Oldest House, forcing police to close the part of Duval Street. The museum was the site of a $250-per-person fund-raising lunch for Hillary Clinton's Senate re-election campaign.

Hillary Clinton came to Key West for a fund-raiser last spring, but this was Bill Clinton's first trip to the island.

"Both of them really enjoyed Key West," said Weekley, an active Democrat who attended last year's party convention. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were seen here again."

Chelsea Solmo is a junior at Key West High School and an editor of the school newspaper, The Snapper.

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I was in KW on Sat. No Bubba sightings (either Bubba), but it was the talk of the town and front page on the Citizen the next day with a picture of the former Pres under the Margaritaville sign.