The Bobby Shop

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I need to head over to the Bobby Shop and sit in the chair for Liz. She's a wiz with color and my strands are looking pretty drained.

The big question is, of course...

Pink......




                    .....or

.....purple?






I probably won't be able to decide till I'm in the chair. If you find yourself in need of a cut or color, the shop is just off the corner of Whitehead and Southard. They're cash only, but there's a small grocery next door with an ATM.

I'd recommend calling the shop before you head over. There's a slim chance that you'll find Bobby, Scott, or one of the other stylists hanging at the table out front, playing cards and waiting for a customer, but don't count on it.

When you make your appointment, it doesn't matter who you get. I have yet to see a bad cut come out of this place.

You can reach the shop at 305-292-6999

Now, I have to get back to deciding. Pink....or.... purple.

Fantasy Fest Masquerade March 2013 - partial nudity

 

I was really looking forward to Fantasy Fest this year. I had a list of must do event, including the Zombie bike ride, which coincides with the festival. And then I got knocked down with a case of vertigo that lasted most of October. Finally, on the 25th, I'd had enough. I loaded up on Dramamine, pulled on my sneakers and headed out for the second to last event, the Masquerade March.

This event is as favorite and I can see why. Revelers meet up at the cemetery and party their way to a point on Duval Street. Two routes are offered, to avoid congestion, and along the way, guest houses offer out jello shots, drinks and beads.

The festival theme this year was Super Heroes, Villains and Beyond, and the home made costumes in the crowd didn't disappoint. Masks, capes and political statement were everywhere.

I wish I'd had the energy for the closing party the next night, but after walking two miles and standing for several hours, I was exhausted.

The costumes for this event were definitely tamer than anything you'd see during the closing parade or in the streets after the evening's parties let out.  Not all was family friendly. A few women are topless, with pasties or body paint, so be warned, in case that might not be appropriate for your workplace.

Cruella and her Dalmatians. They stopped now and then and danced to who let the dogs out. 

Is it me, or does her dog look pink? 

Diane Nyad, made a recent historical swim from Cuba to Key West. 

I have a lot of shots with people shuffling along tapping away on their phones. A few could have used spotters. 

There were a lot of ladies dressed up like the girl on the right. I'm not sure who that is. I need to get out more I suppose. 

This guy's costume got a lot of cheers. Here's a shot of the screen

I wanna know where Mr. Greenjeans is. 

More pirates. 

This wasn't the only creepy puppet baby. I'm guessing it's from a movie that I missed. 

Look at those heels! How do you walk in those things? 

My favorite group shot. 

These guys wore the same thing last year!

She looks so familiar. I bet I have a picture of her, somewhere in my files, from last years end parade. 

This guy was my favorite. 

Key West just voted on whether or not to fund a study to look into dredging the channel to allow larger cruise ships into port. It was resoundingly defeated. 

Construction started on the main road that surrounds the island about a year and a half ago forcing long stretches to one way only.  It's a bone of contention for the locals and feels like it will never end. Two way traffic finally opened back up on Oct 12th. Until then you had to drive all the way around the island to get back to a missed turn. I know, it's an island, but still. It was a pain in the ass to go anywhere in a car. 

Several groups in the parade had kegs or blenders and would stop to share with the crowds watching.

I think this is an homage to the Sharknado movie. The girls were all running around attacking bystanders. (The gloves on her arms are teeth)

Fingers crossed that I'm healthy for Fantasy Fest 2014!

The Most Interesting Bar in Key West

Your long distance, but faithful correspondent, Mark is back.  This post is a bit long but I think you'll understand.

With apologies to Sloppy Joe's and every other place near Duval Street, for pure character, I think Capt Tony's is the unquestioned leader of the pack. Where else do you get pirates, hangings, tombstones, Jimmy Buffet and Hemingway on one package?  It bills itself as the "Original Location of Sloppy Joe's" but it's way more than that.

It's easy to find.  It's a big yellow building just a half block west of Sloppy Joe's on Greene Street and barely off Duval.  There is a big ole Goliath Grouper out front as part of it's sign. Definitely hard to miss.  After you've had some Pirate Punch, go outside, stand with your back to the fish and try to throw a coin in it's mouth.

This building truly was the original location for Sloppy Joe's and where Hemingway spent much of his time from 1933-1937. But all good things must get screwed up. In 1937, in a dispute over the rent, Joe Russell moved his place just down the street to it's current location.  In 1958, this old bar was bought by a Key West icon, Tony Tarracino. He was a boat captain, gun runner and former Mayor.  Hence, the current name.  Tony ran for office on the platform that he intended to drink, gamble and chase women until the day he died.  He also declared himself the most honest politician in America.  He was elected.  Classic Key West.

When you first enter the door closest to Duval, you'll immediately notice a large tree growing through the floor.  Back in the day, it was deemed perfect for hanging pirates.

Unfortunately, when they began to construct the building, they found that dead pirates didn't get much of a burial.  They apparently dragged them a short distance away and dropped them in shallow graves.

Today, beneath the pool tables lie the remains of a whole bunch of them.  Don't worry, if you look around the base of the wall, you'll see the bottles of holy water that keep their spirits quiet. Go ahead and enjoy your game.

By now, you have certainly noticed that the ceiling is covered in signed bras, dollar bills and business cards.  If you want to add yours, just ask the bar tender for the staple gun.



 The bar stools are painted with the names of famous people who have sat on them and, in many cases, were frequent patrons.  The biggest names, are actually on stools now hanging from the pool room ceiling.

If you come in the door just a little farther east of Duval, there is, almost always, a singer playing guitar for the folks. On this day, it was a talented fellow named, Gary. That is exactly where Jimmy Buffet got his start.  As a matter of fact, if you go into the Men's Room, you can see where he penned the chorus to "Last Mango in Paris." I wonder what he was doing at the time?

Yes, Ladies, women go in there all the time.  Guys, if it's a late Friday or Saturday, they don't always knock.

If you thought this was enough, you are sooo wrong.  It's time to tell you about the two tombstones you'll find.  Over near the pool tables, there is a tombstone in the floor (hell, it's apart of the floor) that belongs to a girl named Elvira.

She once worked in the kitchen and was married to an older guy who drank wildly and elevated carousing and philandering to new heights, even while she was in back.  One day, she had enough and came out and slit his throat. Although they didn't see any recourse to hanging her (especially after she killed her kids, too), they liked her well enough to keep her close.  I guess, true friends are forever. Today, she haunts the place as "the Lady in Blue."

The second stone is at the base of the tree but no one is buried under it. (Didn't expect that, did you?) The stone belongs to an old girlfriend of Tony's. Supposedly, when she passed away, her husband found old love letters between her and Tony.  He got angry, ripped up the stone, drove it to Key West and threw it down outside the bar. He yelled in the door, "If you want her so bad, you can have her!"  Unfazed, Tony had the stone brought in and protected in case the husband changed his mind but he never came back.

Now, there is no way you will ever go to Key West and not visit Tony's, is there?

“All you need in this life is a tremendous sex drive and a great ego, brains don’t mean a shit,”  Capt Tony.