Mamajo, you said it all for me. My sister has lived in Key West for 25 years, and if it wasn't for her being there, I know I wouldn't bother going there (it's an eight hour drive for me). In the past 25 years it has gone from a funky little "anything goes" town that welcomed everyone to an overpriced "Welcome to Key West, now get the f--k out of here town. They hate the tourists yet can't make it without them. The scuba diving used to be great but now the reefs are ruined. My sister is finally ready to leave KW and personally, I can't wait. To me, it's the type of place most people would visit once and never return.

Well, it certainly looks like I'm in the minority when it comes to loving Key West. Your posts make me wish I would have started going there 20 or 30 years ago instead of the seven or eight since we started visiting.

Jean

Jean, the difference in Key West now and even the eary 90's is huge. I can remember going to Key West and the closest thing to a chain was the bar at the The Galleon Marina. In fact, when we used to go to Key West for Race Week to race, we were actually wanted by the locals.

KEY WEST is still beautiful , but is not the same from old times. With the Banana Republic and GAP and others..it looks different...
IT IS NOT LONGER A GAY OR SPRING BREAK DESTINATION AT ALL... SO THINGS HAVE CHANGED

Miguel, is there some reason you like to yell when you post? And are you sure KW is no longer a gay destination? Perhaps you're the authority here but I don't think you're right.

I'm pretty sure TG is correct. I haven't heard anything about it no longer being a gay destination and I know college kids around here still go there for Spring Break.

I think KW is perfect for a weekend getaway. Anything longer would be a strech, just not enough to do unless drinking at Fat Tuesdays and the Green Brier are your thing.

As far as the gay issue is concerned, that is their place and no doubt they feel comfortable there. Everyone should respect that and not make an issue out of it.

I'm headed to Key West in a few weeks and will report back on some of the things I have read here lately such as public nudity, less-than-welcoming locals, etc.

This will be my fourth visit over the last 13 years, and to my knowledge, the gay population has not decided to shun it. That wasn't the case the last time I was there a few years ago anyway.

I agree that it was less commercial in the 90's, but these times, they are a changin' everywhere.

I imagine the things that gays like about KW are the same things that everyone else who goes there and likes it (including me) does - the art galleries, the good dining, the dance clubs, the fun bars, the laid back funky vibe, the history and beauty of the old homes and historic building, and most of all - the lack of judgemental morons to be found.

Jor wrote: "I always find it odd that areas which rely on tourists (cruise ships) complain about the hand that feeds them. Tourists at cruise ship ports leave millions of dollars behind for the area."

It may well be true that cruise ship tourists leave millions of dollars behind in the ports they visit, but the only way they do so is by sheer volume. The average cruise ship visitor in Nassau spends about $25; likewise in Tortola. So, you need 40,000 of these not-so-free spenders deposited on your shores before even a million dollars is spent. That's an astoundingly large number of visitors for a place so small. They consume as much infrastructure and resources as someone who is paying $300/night for a hotel room, is renting a car, is patronizing dining establishments, etc., but they leave proportionately little benefit behind. Is it any wonder the locals are not so thrilled? Is it the locals who invited the cruise ships in? And do they share in the "wealth"? Or is it the local government collecting docking fees that benefits most?

My questions are rhetorical -- I certainly don't have the answers.

Incidentally, I am a fan of Key West (but I stay FAR away from the cruise ship offloading zone when a ship is around). It's a great destination for a long weekend, and to me is a cross between New Orleans and Annapolis, with a touch of the tropics thrown in. Good food, good fun, good shopping, lovely architecture, etc.

I didn't like Key West either, and I thought I was the only one on earth who had that opinion! We saw a bumper sticker on a local's car that pretty well summed it up: "Key West is a great party town with a tourist problem." No thanks.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse or anything, but we've never felt anything but warmly welcomed by the locals. Maybe it's the places we hang out at, I don't really know.

I know the cruise ship industry and it's supposed huge influx of cash is a sore subject for many ports. Cozumel has become absolutely overrun on some days. The delicate reefs just can't take that many people, no matter how careful they might be. And way too many tourists aren't very careful, standing on coral etc.

Off my soapbox and back to counting the days until we return. 15 and counting.

Jean

What do you mean yelling....
My opinion was based on articles published by The Miami Herald..
Too expensive for spring breakers..
Too commercialized for gay population..

Where are the gays and spring breakers going these days?

MIGUEL ISN'T YELLING, HE JUST ISN'T WEATING HIS READING GLASSES AND TYPES IN ALL CAPS TO SEE BETTER.

Key West? I remember it was a nice place, with or w/o the gays, college kids, greasers, cubanos, whatever.

Philadelphia was nice before the New World was "discovered". Just keep moving around the earth, looking for that special place, and then move on when everyone else follows you...

MIGUEL ISN'T YELLING, HE JUST ISN'T WEARING HIS READING GLASSES AND TYPES IN ALL CAPS TO SEE BETTER.

Key West? I remember it was a nice place, with or w/o the gays, college kids, greasers, cubanos, whatever.

Philadelphia was nice before the New World was "discovered". Just keep moving around the earth, looking for that special place, and then move on when everyone else follows you...

SEE WHAT TYPING IN ALL CAPS DOES TO YOU?

I think Key West is overpriced. The food is horrible, the expensive are not very impressive. When we went to the shops, the locals complain a lot about the tourists, so why don't they move, it only made for an unfriendly attmosphere. Love it or leave it....I'll leave it.

I've been going to the Keys since the mid'60s. I've seen it change a lot in 40 years. Some for the better; some for the worse.

I personally find the whole cruise ship thing to be a major problem, and not just in Key West. But that's just me.

I love the Keys. I will always love the Keys.
It is what it is. Nothing more. It's not Bermuda; it's not Hawaii. It's just a little slice of heaven. For me.
If you don't like Key West, that's fine with me.

JeanH,

I have been away to Hawaii for the past 10 days or I would have posted sooner to agree with you. My husband and I (late 30's) absolutely love Key West. It is our yearly trip to just relax. Our other trips are more active with sightseeing, hiking, etc. but as soon as we land in Key West, the tension melts away. Yes, much of Duval Street is very touristy but if you wander around a bit off Duval Street, you will find many wonderful surprises (some hidden gems await down the alley, such as Virgilio's). We love the seaport area (Schooners-we'll be back soon!). It is a wonderful place to wander, ride bikes, etc. We also feel a warm welcome from the locals whenever we visit. Friends have joined us on several trips and they also loved KW and have returned. We sometimes spend a few days in Islamorada too.

Fine with me if everyone doesn't go rushing down to Key West-we'll still be there every year (and maybe no one will be sitting in our favorite seats at Louie's and Conch Republic!).

Jean, have a wonderful trip! I wish we didn't have to wait until May 2005 to return...

kb

I'll leave key west. At least in Hawaii you can easily get away from the "touristy" stuff. Coming from the east coast, its much longer flight to Hawaii, but it's well worth it !