Won't You Be My Neighbor?--Part 2

I thought I would share some pics I took this morning of some of the sites near my house in the Casa Marina area. (Turn OFF your pop-up blocker. Click any photo to see a larger version.) Since my neighborhood does not have any commercial activity itself, I had to ride my bike about 3 blocks to the White Street corridor. White runs from the Atlantic Ocean to Eaton Street. About one mile. The US Navy and US Coast Guard own the small strip of land on the other side of Eaton that ends at the Gulf of Mexico.

But the area nearest my neighborhood stretches a whopping 3 blocks. CLICK highlighted name to see photos of the sites I am describing. One of the first scenes from the 1950 Tennessee William's movie The Rose Tattoo was shot from the old Key West High School that is now the Glen Archer School on United and White. The road back then was dirt. Today the road is paved and the front of the school is landscaped. The tiger is a favorite photo-op for tourists. Across the street is the new National Weather Service station for Key West. And across the street to the north is Dairy Queen.

Down one block on White and Catherine is my gym Island Gym. I wrote about it in January--when I was heavy. Lost it! Across the street are several small shops, art galleries, and eateries. Page's Paint is where I buy my paint. The guy's are great and you get a local's discount too. (I'm serious. I wonder how many tourists shop there for paint to take back home.) Mo's is a French Restaurant, but not the kind you would expect. Try it sometime for a meal you remember. But don't blame me if you don't like it. Not that the food is bad. It is just very strange.

Faustos grocery is across the street. It's a landmark. Everybody goes there even though the produce is usually older than St. Louis. The meat is top rate, however. And the Lotto line is always busy with Key West characters. Gotta go there for sure.

On the corner of White and Virginia you have Faustos parking lot, Dog 30 ( a new dog store--they don't sell dogs but do sell dog things.) Next door is Island City Tile one of two tile stores within the same block. The M&M Laundry and Sandy's walk-up coffee bar and sandwich shop are always busy. (I often stop at Sandy's to buy my customers coffee when we are driving around looking at homes.) And across the street is The Wave Gallery. There corner building is always a delight.

Down at the corner of White and United are two landmarks: The Chevron Station and across the street DION'S QUICK MART. Dion's is also a gas station and chicken station. Best chicken on the island.

I wonder if the guy who left the front loader in the street next to DION's knows something I don't...

So that's a part of my neighborhood. I'll post more pics later of some of the homes in the area.

If you live in Key West you already know how wonderful a place it is to call home. If you are thinking about buying, checkout the mls listings by CLICKING HERE and then please give me a call at 305-766-2642. Prices are down and there is a good selection in all Key West neighborhoods.

Please won't you be my neighbor?

Please won't you be my neighbor? That's the last line of the Won't You Be My Neighbor, Mr. Roger's theme song. The first line goes "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood" and that makes me think of why I love Key West so much: it's neighborhoods.

Tourists come and go and most only see Old Town or areas visited by the Conch Train or perhaps a sojurn to the Overseas Market or Searstown. I know that when I am taking prospective buyers around looking at houses many often ask about where we buy groceries or clothes or lumber. Some just see Old Town as the center of the tiny universe that is Key West and wonder how we manage to live here. And many dream of being able to live here.

I have previously mentioned that I live in the Casa Marina area which is located onthe Atlantic Ocean side of the island. Old Town is located at the west and north side of the island. Then there is mid town located, naturally, midway between Old Town and New Town at the east end of the island. But each of these areas has its own separate neighborhoods. And that makes life here so interesting.

Take the area at the intersection of Southard and Grinnell Streets where the Five Brothers Grocery is located. Five Brothers is an institution where locals go every morning for coffee con leche and gossip. It's like Starbucks without the attitude. You will see cops and lawyers and contractors and city government workers hanging out on the street corner in the shade dishing the dish on everything Key West. Contractors meet to talk about what they are doing and where. And Key West politics is alaways the dish du jour. That little building is the anchor of that couple of block section of Key West.

A few blocks away on a not so nice location is the Blossom's Grocery. There you buyer the daily special which is advertised for everyone to see on a sign posted out front--just next to the chicken crossing sign. The area has several gay guesthouses and many apartments. The Sunbeam Grocery is located exactly one block to the south. And it has a totally different clientel and distinctly unfriendly vibe--in my opinion.

These neighborhood groceries harken back to the era before big supermarkets where locals would buy there food supplies at the corner grocery. And like I mentioned earlier, those grocery stores are the anchor for that neighborhood.

But there are other neighborhood hangouts as well. Take Page's Paint on upper White Street. If you spend 30 minutes in the store you will get a good idea about how busy the construction business is by listening to the painters buying paint and the guys in the store telling stories. Paulie, a 60-something Conch who is a paint mixologist, will give you a quick lesson in Key West history at the drop of the hat. I was there yesterday and learned about a city sewer project being constructed on Duncan Street and how much two houses recently sold for. (I previously wrote about everybody in Key West knowing everything about each other's property values.)

You may see people in a store, on a bike, walking their dog, driving in their car talking on a cellphone on a daily basis. You may not know their name, but you know their face. And you know they are your neighbors. You learn not to be rude or pushy, if you ever were either, when dealing with your neighbor. We all live on a tiny little island in the middle of the ocean. And it is a great place to live. Please won't you be my neighbor?

If you are thinking about buying a place in Key West, now is an excellent time to start looking. Prices have dropped, there is a good selection of properties in all price ranges. The remodeling business has slowed, so you may be able to engage a contractor at a better price as well. Give me a call and I can help you find your little piece of Paradise. 1-305-766-2642. Thanks.

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