I’m back—and I promised you that things were gonna get interesting
Sloppy Joes
on the left on the far corner of Greene St.
here you will find probably the most famous bar in Key West and if you’re not real familiar with Key West you might no know that to the right down Greene St. is another bar (Captain Tony’s) which is forever linked to Sloppy’s and made famous by a writer who looms above most in the legends of this town.
Joe (Sloppy) Russell owned a bar called —you guessed it Sloppy Joe’s, which was originally in a building which was in another life, an ice house and a morgue. At this bar in the 1930’s was a larger than life writer who ended up here in Key West accidentally and decided to stay. The writer of course was Ernest Hemingway, and
he helped Russell move his bar when the rent was raised at the Greene Street building. They moved everything less than a block to Duval. Here the bar has set or over 70 years and is a landmark.
Russel was a member of Hemingway’s group of friends in Key West and legend has it that he was made immortal by Hemingway as the character (played by Bogart in the scene from the movie by the same name) To Have and Have Not,
Harry Morgan is based on Russel..It is Hemingway’s only novel based in the US. Joe’s body rests in the Key West cemetery—another place with a real Key West atmosphere.
Hemingway enjoyed the island for many years and his former home, provided by his wife’s wealthy relatives is now a tourist attraction (well worth a visit). At the house he wrote in the mornings and then spent the rest of day drinking, fishing, sparring with various sparring partnrs and drinking late into the night with friends. He met his thrid wife at Sloppy’s and later left Key West and his second wife—she stayed in Key West and he went on with the new model to Cuba. He eventually committed suicide, like his father in the 1950’s.
On Sept. 14, 2020
Go a few more feet and you will come to other areas of interest.
An Irish pub on your left has loud college humor-type entertainment, but the staff and bar is good. While Rick’s on your right is a complex of bars including The Red Garter (topless). This is th bar in whch a few years ago 4 patrons/staff were killed in a postal-type action by a former employee. Now days the bars here are usually full and hopping
(That was in the 90’s—Now: Rick’s eight-bars-in-one concept is more of an entertainment complex than a straight-up bar. Rick’s, the flagship, is a typical tavern with late-night karaoke; Durty Harry’s is a live rock music venue with a beer-and-shots sports-pub vibe. Rick’s Loft goes the swanky cocktail bar route, while Rick’s Tree Bar—a rooftop venue—does fruity cocktails with bird’s-eye views of Duval Street below. You could come here every night of the week and have a totally different experience. Of course, there are quieter and more intimate venues in the whole of Key West (not to mention, wilder ones), but that’s not why you’re here. It’s a good fit for a larger group: think, a guys’ weekend or a bachelorette party. Conde Nast Traveler)
Along the street you probably notice an increase in people which denotes that you’re in the main section of Duval. Here you’re within a close walk to the cruise ship docks and they swam the area like disturbed ants into this area from their mound like ships.
Along the street you will find artsy shops, restaurants, bars and dozens of t-shirt shops. There is the Woman”s Club with a bricked in yard and a playhouse–one of several in Key West
Now we’re at Caroline Street. Here on the left is a stately house with a large front yard that’s now a courtyard restaurant and bar. On the right is a 3 level establishment—the Bull and the Whistle in a building that use t be a grocery store and owner’s residence.
The first floor is the Bull. This is an old looking bar with murals of the Keys, including Fantasy Fest celebrants. You use to be able to set at tables at the windows. Now there’s a long bar affair with stools to allow you to watch the Duval people parade go by.
On the second floor is the Whistle. This mostly locals in the evening and is largely deserted on most hours during the working day. The high light of this smaller bar area is the porch which runs along Duval Street and Caroline. This is another great spot to observe the action below—-almost no long looks up.
Finally there’s the third floor–The Garden of Eden which is a bar on the roof which provides lounge chairs for clothing optional sun bathing..
Behind the main building and down
Caroline Street is a Liquor Store which is connected with the bar and part of their complex–The Lost Weekend. You order at the door of this tiny establishment.
and across Caroline Street there is……
A large lovely house with a Mansard roof
where Dr. Porter, a famous Florida Public Health doctor used to reside. For a good look at his life and times in Key West read
“Conch Smiles” by his granddaughter. The house now includes shops and is flanked along Duval with art shops and behind by a small complex of shops and a restaurant.
Next stop on your right is
Fast Buck Freddy’s--Key West’s locally owned department store with a wide variety of clothes, household goods and tapes of former
Fantasy Fests.Across the street is hug ole church. This is the last of many such building on this site all of which were churches and most of which met their fate by rain, wind or fire.
Infact Key West has an interesting history of all three.
That rain and wind that comes from storms and
especiallyit was set up by a nun who formerly resided here and is to protect the island from damages from the huge storms that wreck havoc in the area in Florida and often transverse the Florida Straights n their way to the Gulf and Beyond (like Elsa did a few hours ago—and as the Cam at Sloppy Joe’s shows—-other than a bit of rain and breeze the island is operating as usual.
Some are more inclined to give credit to any relief to the coral reef that runs along this area and is the USA’s only reef in direct contact with the USA. Whatever has helped, the fact that the low (about 4′ at it’s highest and very small —a perfect place for these tropical storms to cause a disaster.
Fire is the other disaster that has visited here. In the late 1880’s a huge fire ravaged much of the island (and is the reason most of the houses date from this time), added to the island’s plight was the fact that their only fire engine was in New York City for repairs.
Much of the town, including this church went up in you know what.
Any way back the here and now: This church:
is striking among the glitz and gaudy that is Duval during Fantasy Fest—-I remember when I was walking down this way during one of the Fests I attended and the member stood on the steps during the day and sang the crowds—to rescue the wayward revelers I guess.
Just down the street from Fast Buck’s is
Jimmy Buffett put Key West on the map for many people. Jimmy came to Key West in the 60’s and found a place to write his songs. He performed here (At Captain Tony’s and what is now a popular Mexican restaurant on Stock Island to name a few. Here the seeds of Caribbean Soul took root and Buffet is now a very wealthy man who occasionally returns to Key West.
The block of buildings belonged to the man himself. Seems like a few years ago when everybody was suffering from regular rent-raises Buffet handled the situation by buying the building to stop the high cost of living for Freddy’s and Margaritaville.
Margarita bar/restaurant features live entertainment at night and great chilli cheese fries all the time. There’s also fake palms and Buffett stuff everywhere. We use to set in the front window (watched the crowds, of course) but now we can’t unless we have more people so we usually just skip stopping all together.
on down the road is Key West’s sky scraper–La Concha. this 1920’s high rise (at last for Key West) is the tallest in the city and has been proteted by law–no new building this tall is ever to grace the city skyline again. This is a 20’s hotel which has a posh restaurant and a roof top view of the city that of course is unequaled and sunsets from here are are devine.. There’s also a nice gift shop which is a great place to take stuff home for those who didn’t make the trip.
Our group usually turns right at the clock to the Green Parrot, Beyond the clock is the main grouping of art galleries, butter fy exhibits, guesthouses and the majority of the gay bars and resorts along this famous thru way.
Among the artists are the Key West Guild, a group of artists who organised, provided the art to be sold, and who even man the counters and cash registers. Here is a large selection, price are reasonableand the art on display often is as funky as the town we’re visiting. Tis is a fun shop that won’t, like a lot of other galleries make you look out of place.
Another place to see is Key West Towel–this is a pricey little shop offering towels and robes of multi-hues. You could try the newsstand that offers a large variety of used books, even some first editions.
There are a lot more residences as you get nearer the Atlantic, as well as bed and breakfasts and guest houses.
La Te Da
801 is a gay bar and La Te Da a gay Legend which also offers a guest house and award winning restaurant Alice’s. During Fantasy Fest their decorations are notorious and their tea dances outrageously entertaining.
Then there’s the Chicken Shop—this deals with all sort of chicken themed items and a chicken lady who is trying to save the chickens.
Let me explain, the chicken angle. Chickens have been around the island probably as long as their human cohabitants. In Key West they’re considered domestic animals. You see them all over. Bahama Village and even on Duval strutting, clucking and especially crowing.
The crowing has become a major issue in Key Wet. Many of the people here work in bars and other late night venues. So when the sun comes up they try to sleep something that is difficult with the constant crowing of fowl. There have been rumors of dead birds and many feuds have developed around this fowl problem.
Duval even has its own Denny’s (at US 1- Truman Ave) which is all spruced up for Key West. The end of the road is marked by a beach–an item relatively rare in Key West and usually man made. On the right is the Southernmost House.
This great pink Victorian House stand out along with the Curry House as the grande dames of Key West homes. Now open to the public for tours, as well as a pricey bed and Breakfast, it is no longer really the southernmost as two more dwellings have been built beyond it since it was originally constructed.
And so with the end of Duval Street I’ll end my ramblings both verbally and feet wise of the main street of Key Weird…try it some time you’ll like it.
Concrete marker near the “Southernmost point in the continental United States” located in Key West, Florida, at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets
