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Key West Withdrawl
Posted: November 15, 2007 7:57 am
by dredge
After spending 10 days in KW at the MOTM and other unscheduled events, I truley need to live down there! There must be a way I can pull this off. I'ts been 30 years since my last visit and although it's a bit touristy, it still has that magic to me. Maybe I could get a job on a shrimp boat...
Re: Key West Withdrawl
Posted: November 15, 2007 8:00 am
by drunkpirate66
dredge wrote: After spending 10 days in KW at the MOTM and other unscheduled events, I truley need to live down there! There must be a way I can pull this off. I'ts been 30 years since my last visit and although it's a bit touristy, it still has that magic to me. Maybe I could get a job on a shrimp boat...
there is always the United States Military. that is how I got to live down there for about a year.
Those 1$ Yuneglings at Pepe's aren't going to drink themselves!
Posted: November 15, 2007 9:42 am
by surfpirate
I know what you are saying. In the '90s, my wife and I were fortunate enough to have this great "housesitting" gig every year for 8 years in a row. We had friends who live in Old Town on William Street between Eaton and Caroline Streets. Great house. Perfect location. Pool in the back yard - heart of Old Town .... walking distance to Duval, Mallory Square ... everything. All we had to do was collect the mail, feed the cat, skim the leaves from the pool and put a chlorine tablet in every other day. Twice a year they would ask us to house sit .... once in the spring usually for a week .... and again in the summer usually for about 2 weeks. Not that I needed it much, but they even left a car for us to use in their driveway.
We spent so much time there that decade that we began to get treated like locals all over town. We knew all of the neighbors; bar tabs were mysteriously low; I was called in frequently to be emergency shortstop on the Margaritaville Cafe softball team if they didn't have enough players for their summer bar league games (vs. arch rival "Sloppy Seconds" from Sloppy Joes).
They sold the house in 2002 (for mega $$ I imagine) and moved to Homestead, FL. No more free vacations in the Keys. I haven't been back since 2001 and I am still having serious withdrawl pains.
~~~~ surfpirate
Posted: November 15, 2007 10:48 am
by CapnK
keep reminding yourself that vacationing there and living there are 2 different things....yeah, whatever.
Posted: November 15, 2007 5:51 pm
by ScarletB
I live in a resort destination (albeit in a COLD place but still people always say they want to live here) and when you live here you still have to go to the grocery store, the post office, have a job etc. People think I ski all winter and spend my summers sailing ( I WISH!) Yes, my surroundings are beautiful (did I mention its a COLD place?) and I've never lost the awe I feel when I look at the mountains in all their seasonal glory. But it's still day to day life, not one long vacation as people imagine.
Having said all that I'm having serious KW withdrawl every time someone new posts their MOTM pictures. But I think some of the magic would be lost if I were to live there all year. So for now I visit when I can and look forward to the next time.
Posted: November 15, 2007 10:23 pm
by tryin' to reason
ScarletB wrote:I live in a resort destination (albeit in a COLD place but still people always say they want to live here) and when you live here you still have to go to the grocery store, the post office, have a job etc. People think I ski all winter and spend my summers sailing ( I WISH!) Yes, my surroundings are beautiful (did I mention its a COLD place?) and I've never lost the awe I feel when I look at the mountains in all their seasonal glory. But it's still day to day life, not one long vacation as people imagine.
Having said all that I'm having serious KW withdrawl every time someone new posts their MOTM pictures.
But I think some of the magic would be lost if I were to live there all year. So for now I visit when I can and look forward to the next time.
It's a little like religion, and a lot like sex,
You should never know when you're gonna get it next!
Posted: November 16, 2007 8:54 am
by barefoot gecko
It's not as easy as you may think. I have lived here for some time and I pay more in rent then I ever did on any house I owned. Today, gas is $3.33 per gallon. EVERYYTHING is more expensive, except for drinks when you get to know you local bartenders.
Today is cold-71 this morning-Yea, I know, but it's cold to me! (I wore a jacket to work.)
But, having said all that, I wouldn't trade living here! I will die here! Yes, it has changed over the years, not always for the better. But, I'm surrounded by water, can walk anywhere and feel safe and enjoy my friends. You make TRUE friends here, who will help you when you need it and don't expect anything in return. I say if you can afford to move here, do it-but do your research first!
Posted: November 16, 2007 9:06 am
by RinglingRingling
barefoot gecko wrote:It's not as easy as you may think. I have lived here for some time and I pay more in rent then I ever did on any house I owned. Today, gas is $3.33 per gallon. EVERYYTHING is more expensive, except for drinks when you get to know you local bartenders.
Today is cold-71 this morning-Yea, I know, but it's cold to me! (I wore a jacket to work.)
But, having said all that, I wouldn't trade living here! I will die here! Yes, it has changed over the years, not always for the better.
But, I'm surrounded by water, can walk anywhere and feel safe and enjoy my friends. You make TRUE friends here, who will help you when you need it and don't expect anything in return. I say if you can afford to move here, do it-but do your research first!
when I left a week ago last Monday, they were talking about wintery temps of 75... figured that if it was like that year-round, and rent wasn't such that you need 3 jobs and roommates...
and that surrounded by water has a couple drawbacks.
Posted: November 16, 2007 10:01 am
by Carolinadreamin'
barefoot gecko wrote:It's not as easy as you may think. I have lived here for some time and I pay more in rent then I ever did on any house I owned. Today, gas is $3.33 per gallon. EVERYYTHING is more expensive, except for drinks when you get to know you local bartenders.
Today is cold-71 this morning-Yea, I know, but it's cold to me! (I wore a jacket to work.)
But, having said all that, I wouldn't trade living here! I will die here! Yes, it has changed over the years, not always for the better. But, I'm surrounded by water, can walk anywhere and feel safe and enjoy my friends. You make TRUE friends here, who will help you when you need it and don't expect anything in return. I say if you can afford to move here, do it-but do your research first!
It's better than where I live...NOVA. I could do $3.33 for gas in a place where I wouldn't have an hour commute each way every day. It's $3.01 here.
It was 34 degrees here today.
I have looked at the weather and B&B's in KW everyday since got back. I could so run one and live in paradise! Maybe someday I will....