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Transcript

Johnny In Key West · Johnny's World

• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: All right, welcome back to a brand new episode of the Johnny Swirl Podcast.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's Johnny here.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: My co-host BW is out today checking uh people's eyeballs at his at his clinic.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm doing this interview solo and uh super happy to have these guests on.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I've done an episode before about Key West.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm I love Key West.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Went there back again this summer, and uh some friends of mine in town are big Key West enthusiasts, and so we just love Key West.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: So this episode today is gonna be surrounded by Key West Talk.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna talk about what it's like living the island life in Florida.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: I got some people that live down there and work down there, and we want to hear all about it.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: I went down there this summer.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'll talk a little bit about that, and we're gonna hit on what to do for people that come to Key West, what what uh what it's like living down there.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, I'm gonna bring them on.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I got I got Vcash, Morgan, and Caroline.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, welcome to Johnny's World.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: So these guys, these people live in Key West, they work there and they promote it.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the way I got into following about them is I follow Mr.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Happy Hour on Instagram, and they post videos all the time about specials in Key West.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: And when I was down there this past uh June, uh I shot him a message on Instagram.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think he were out of town at the time when I was there, and uh and then I did Danger Charters two years ago, met Morgan in Caroline, and then went back to Danger Charters uh this year and did some snorkeling and and uh awesome, awesome experience.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Love them.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Highly recommend uh Danger Charters for coming down there.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, but let's just talk about Key West.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, all right, just let's dive into it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: What brought y'all to Key West?
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I want to know first.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: All right, well, I guess I'll start.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like the first of the three of us down here.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I I had worked with Chewy.com.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's what got me down to Florida, and then I was working there in category management um as an analyst and just got really burnt out during COVID.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And my cousin was a captain down here, and I was like, Hey, I kind of want to get out of this thing.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, come work on the boat.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, you know what?
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds kind of cool.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I just kind of came down here and didn't turn back.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I started working on a schooner after a corporate job as a part time.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Danger charters, danger charters, and now it's six years have gone by.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Six years.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, wow, that's that's uh that's amazing.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I I I I hear it's one of those plays like and I can feel it too.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I didn't want to go home when I left.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: When I went down there, like you don't want to leave, you know.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's uh it's addicting.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's addicting, yeah.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So Morgan Caroline, what about y'all, Store?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: How'd y'all get down there?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: So I actually we're sisters, and I followed Caroline.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: Caroline went to college at Charleston and she hated it.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: And she had uh childhood friends, parents who lived down here, and they basically asked her, Would you mind coming to like house sit and stay with us for a little bit?
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: She fell in love with it, started working at Danger, and then called my brother and myself.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: And we were both just graduating from Clemson University, and uh she was like, I got the best job on these schooners.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: You guys are going to absolutely love it.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: So we ripped it like a band-aid, and we followed Caroline down here two days later, signed a lease with her, and now it's been like four and a half years.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Four and a half years.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Have any of y'all have any of y'all ever worked on boats before or anything like that before?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: Not really.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: No experience at all.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: No experience at all.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they teach you a lot.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they teach you a lot.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's a it's intensive training.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's probably like five months before you're fully comfortable, know what you're doing, um, and like can kind of be on your own.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, it's definitely a lot, but a lot of people don't make it through training.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_03: I was actually just sitting at a bar the other day, and this girl who trained with me was like, I'm I didn't want to like say hi to you because I'm not making it through training.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like I just called the boss and uh put in like I can't finish training.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: It's just a long, long thing, but it weeds them out, you know?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, um, I I I was just amazed by because two years ago I did the uh did the sunset sale.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all were on that one, that was pretty cool.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, highly recommend that.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: That was awesome.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Views, best views ever.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I've been been promoting it to people, telling people to go down there, you got into the danger charter sunset.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So uh things awesome.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, so this year I wanted to do a little bit different one.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: It did the uh snorkel and kayak, and man, I I I totally understand what you're saying.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard work.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: I y'all got some muscle on y'all doing all that stuff bringing out all the kayaks, doing all that stuff, uh so uh yeah, I can understand uh about weeding it out because that's that's some hard work to get you.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: But but it was really cool.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, talk a little bit about what uh so do y'all do the what danger dog y'all do the uh sunset tours, kayak talk a little bit about that, all the different excursions people can do if you want to get in.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: We do a coarse wine tasting sunset sale, and uh with like charcuterie and cheese or derbs, it's amazing, super peaceful.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_03: We don't put that many people on the boat, it's usually like 20-ish people.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then yeah, uh just cruising around properly sailing as long as we can.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like if we have any wind, we're gonna put we're gonna be sailing.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, so that got number two sunset sail in all of North America by Coastal Living Magazine.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's just so romantic and peaceable.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: And then we also do the day trips that you were talking about.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_03: So we do two different ones.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: We do uh uh sail, snorkel kayak trip, and there's like beer and wine and snacks included, and then we do, and that's four and a half hours, and then we do a two-hour longer than that trip.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: So like six and a half hours-ish, um, where we'll sail, snorkel, and then um we serve a full lunch from a little local um deli restaurant down here or deli grocery store, I guess.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um and then yeah, and then we'll snorkel or then we'll kayak and go to a sandbar if we have time.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, kayak through the mangroves.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: What's like super cool about like the trip though?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like, so people don't realize they think of Key West, they think of that party, go out to the bar, get drunk every day.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: They don't realize that we have a 200-mile-long barrier reef right in the backyard here.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you have a gorgeous, not just like the reef itself, but the backcountry full of all the mangroves.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's so amazing back there.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: And people they miss out on that.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad you got to go out and experience some of that.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: You can tell people about it.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's like one of the coolest things about being down here.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And the mangroves, that was super cool.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And they took us in there.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: They uh that was really neat seeing seeing all that uh getting in the kayak.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, it's hard work getting out there and uh for sure.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely depending on the wind, too, like going against that wind, woo! But it feels a different world out there.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's true, it's so it's magical.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you gotta see it on a wild day because we have people that don't know how to kayak sometimes, and you're in 20 knots of wind, you have to like strap them around you, start towing them and stuff, start yelling, guys.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: You really need to paddle because you're gonna take us both out to sea.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, wow.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, what about uh I didn't see the sandbar?
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: How does that work?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Or they didn't take us to one of y'all have different places for that, or what?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: They uh it's a brand new trip um that we just started running.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, because we have shallow draft schooners, so the keel comes up so we can get into two feet of water.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: So, like out seven miles offshore.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, you have these beautiful sandbars formed by breaks in the reef, and you basically pull up there, serve people drinks, and there it looks like they're on their own private island, just like hanging out in the middle of nowhere.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's super cool.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: And that's like the the beautiful blue, clear water that you see in all the photos, you know, because the kitchen aren't the best year round.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: But um, that's what you see when people are advertising.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I think a lot of people that come down here like expect that at the beaches and disappointed.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: And we're like, no, you gotta get out on the water, you know?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it sounds like so.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Is that a that's a set is that a separate trip from the other ones?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: The sandbar one, yes.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_03: So that's a new one, but um, and that's only in the summertime we're gonna do that, but also in on the full day trips, so like the six and a half hour trips, we'll depending on the weather, we'll go stop at a sandbar there too.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: So that's what I was talking about.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: I forgot that we just started this trip um for the summer.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's on my list next time to do the sandbar one.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, yeah, I gotta do that next time.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um but uh yeah, you know, it's funny you talked about that.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: When I first went down there, I was thinking the beach, you know, everybody's gonna go in and hanging out at the beach and everything.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: And and I did end up going to the beach, went to uh to Higgs Beach, I believe, and and that was fun and everything.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: But but to get to really get the full Key West experience, like you said, you need to get on the water and do the do do the uh charters, do the excursions, and and uh that was I'm so glad to did that.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: So glad uh met y'all from that, and and uh and because it was that's the awesome way to to view it.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um now talk about you know, key west always everybody talks about the uh the party scene, you know.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: People are told me like get ready, it's like New Orleans at the beach or something like that.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I did kind of get that feel, but I love New Orleans, but it's just like different than New Orleans because it's it seems cleaner, cleaner cleaner.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Didn't have to worry about crime, people coming up mugging you or anything like that.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, talk about look living in Key West and what it's like.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Duvall Street's obviously the main spot.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: What are y'all's favorite spots to go?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And if someone's coming down to Key West, what do y'all recommend?
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: What are the must things to do down there?
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a two by four island, which is just crazy to think about because we have over 340 bars and restaurants on this island.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: So there's we've been here for years, and there are so many that we haven't even tried.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we could go to a you could hypothetically go to a different place almost every day and still try everything.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: The food here is insane.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, obviously, we're big foodies, you know, given Mr.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: Happy everything.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: But um, that's why I I mean a lot of people come down here for eating and drinking, but it definitely doesn't disappoint in either of those regards.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_03: So, what are our favorites?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's everything down here for pasta.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_03: We love manja manja.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you went there.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's my other job.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he also works there, but that's like I always recommend that.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's weird because you don't think of pasta in Key West, and they literally have someone there every day making fresh pasta.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've had several people from New York, New Jersey say it's the best pasta they've ever had.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: So that's like a pretty big compliment, like coming down to oh, we didn't expect to have good pasta down here in Key West, you know.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean too.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: So what's cool is like all of us like we're in that kind of working mindset.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: So we all work at Danger Charters, but we all have different service industry jobs.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like Morgan worked at Ramshead for a while.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: I have manja.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: Caroline works at Alonzo's Oyster Bar um like the patio out there.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just like one of those things.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you definitely have to work seven days a week to live down here.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of how Mr.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: Happy Hour came about because it is so expensive to eat here.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: And it makes sense logistically just to get stuff down to Key West.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you can either drive two and a half or three hours from Miami, all this food down, or basically have to boat it, ship it down, or fly it in, you know?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: So it is really expensive.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: And uh the food's so good.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: So they have to have happy hours.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: And almost every place down here has a happy hour, not like the nicer places, not the nicer.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: Some of the nicer places too, yeah.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, there's at least 60 spots here that have happy hour that includes food and drinks, which is awesome.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: And most, I would say most of them have just drinks if they don't have food and drinks.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so yeah, that's how Mr.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Happy Hour came about.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: Because we we're really, we want to get that good food, but it's like on a budget.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, on a budget, sure.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: So we just start trying them all out because there's new ones that come all the time.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, new restaurants are constantly opening.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's what, like probably three this year already opened.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't know.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_03: Did you go to the docks while you were here?
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_03: Docks on Stock Island?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: Did you go up the Keys at all?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: So the first time I went to Key West two years ago, uh, I flew straight into Key West.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: This time someone told me you gotta do the drive.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I flew to I flew to Fort Lauderdale this time and then got a rental car and drove down to the Keys, which was awesome.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Stopped along the way, went to uh someone told me you gotta hit up uh Alabama Jacks in Key Largo.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Went to that.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Have y'all been to Alabama Jacks before?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I haven't.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Have y'all heard of the Florida Bama?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's a big spot.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: It reminds me so much of the Florida Bama laid-back atmosphere.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's outside, it's on like some river, and uh like you can feed the fish out there, uh, live music, a bar, and uh real cool atmosphere.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it's in Key Largo, I believe.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And uh really cool spot.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then uh drove on down and and uh it was super cool, you know.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: You had seven mile bridge, you see the water on both sides.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Love, love the drive doing that.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I went down there that way.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but no, I have not been to that place uh that you just talked about.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'll have to hit that up.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, the touristy spots, you know, uh hit those up the first time I went, went back again, you know, sloppy joe's, Captain Tony's, and all that sort of stuff.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Great story.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to this, y'all will appreciate this.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the way I got involved in Key West, how much uh uh reason why I love it so much.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: We had at I go, um I live in Starville, Mississippi, which is if you ever heard of Mississippi State University, that's our school that we that's where I went.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, MSU right here.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so we we uh we had a football coach there that was well known.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if y'all keep up with college football, but uh his name was Mike Leach, and he was a famous football coach.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: He unfortunately passed away in 2022 on it on unexpectedly, but he lived in Key West when he wasn't coaching and he loved Key West.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like that was his thing.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Super laid back.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: You'll just have to, if you don't know who this guy is, you need to Google him when we finish this called Mike Mike Leach.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: He told the most random, like the most unconventional football coach ever, told the most random stories all the time in press conferences, just a very unique individual, never been anybody like it before.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So he had gotten to Key West.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: So after he passed away, I was like, I gotta experience what he loved so much about Key West and go down there.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: So went down there.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: He was good friends with Captain Tony, the guy that had Captain Tony's bar.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: So the cool thing about that is so when I went down there, I was like, all right, you gotta go to Captain Tony's.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: He always talked about Captain Tony's.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Went in there, and uh, you know, when you go, y'all been to Captain Tony's, obviously, right?
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, you know, you know the bar stools have people's names on it, right?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: We sit down.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, he had his own name.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: It said Mike Leach.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: He had his own name, and and when he passed away, if you walk into Captain Tony's, you go to the right for the pool table, is there's hanging up the retired bar stools.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's like uh Hemingway, JFK, and um who were the other ones?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Truman, and then look up, and there's Mike Leach.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: They retired his bar stool, and he has it hanging up from the from the top of Captain Tony's.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: So that's amazing.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: That's so cool.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: That was really cool.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sitting there at the at the bar at Captain Tony's, and they told me to come in there, wear like Mississippi State stuff in case, in case the owner, there's somebody there, you can talk about they'll tell all these Mike Leach stories.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I I did, and of course, uh, he didn't he wasn't there that day, but some guy and his girlfriend were sitting at a bar and they recognized my stuff and he said uh something like Mike Leach.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, turn out, yeah.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Turns out the guy's from uh from Kentucky and he knew about the SEC football and all this sort of stuff.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: And his good friend was one of the assistant basketball coaches at Mississippi State.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: So he ends up coming to Starbucks to hang out with me for our big weekend last year, Super Bowl weekend, all because I met him in Key West.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: So uh oh, that's amazing.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: And we always said we don't know who you're gonna sit next to in Key West, like at a bar because it is everyone.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it could be some random, like I don't even know, hobo, or you could be sitting next to like a billionaire, like everybody may look the exact same.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like Key West is just they call it one human family, like everyone is the same here, and it's just very unpretentious in the best, best, best possible way.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_03: There's nothing like it.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I did go uh someone, my my good friend from around here is a huge uh Jimmy Buffett fan, like that hard Jimmy Buffett fan.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: So he was like, You gotta hit up the chart room.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, What's the chart room?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we went to the chart room this time.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: What a hidden gym that place is.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that was really cool.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Spot.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so he has a bar in Starbucks uh called uh called um Hobies.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's his name, Hobie Hobar.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he I told him, I was like, Man, you gotta have the like the the popcorn and the hot dog and a little truck in there, like you know, uh, because it was just uh what a cool spot.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And this is kind of out of the beaten path.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: And they told me that that was Jimmy Buffett's first gig was played at the chart room.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then I didn't realize I'm sitting there talking to the to the bartender, and I'm telling him about the whole Mike Leach story.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: And he tells me there's a special on uh on ESPN uh about Mike Leach coming down to Key West, and he's hanging out with uh uh it was uh Eli Manning was the uh it's called Eli's Places, is the name of it.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: And he interviewed Mike Leach.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Now I take the back.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: This was after Mike Leach passed.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: He interviewed his friends in Key West, and they go to the chart room, and Captain Tony's all these places I just went to, which was really cool.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm sitting there at the bar looking down, and I'm like, what are these names right here?
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have y'all seen the bar at the chart room with the oh yeah, ashes of the Mel Fisher, the big treasure hunter guy?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: He's asking the bar.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, What is this?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is wow.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: You heard the story of Chart Room and um and how it like comes into play in Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville song?
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh no, right.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: So wait, this is crazy.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: So back in the day when Jimmy Buffett was um like when he was playing there, like you said, it was one of his first gigs, he that was when Key West was getting raided for drugs all the time because it was in the 80s and like huge trafficking through Key West to get to Miami or whatever.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_03: And so whenever they heard that they were gonna get raids, all the uh bartenders or whatever would put their powder in uh salt shakers.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: And so, and then apparently one of the the bartenders disappeared with all of the salt salt shakers, so that's why Jimmy Buppett says, searching for my lost shaker of salt.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe there's a woman to blame because it was it was a woman bartender, but it's probably my own damn fault.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Wow because it was uh at Tart Room.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: How about that?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: That isn't that crazy.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: That is really cool.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, and they actually built the entire hotel.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: You know how it's right, it's in the middle of that pier house hotel.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: They built the entire hotel around that little tiny bar.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_03: And this bar is probably like what 300 square feet.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, that's how important it is that they built a massive corporate hotel around there just because they couldn't tear that down.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's so cool, yeah.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's definitely definitely a hidden gym.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, uh, because I did not um I didn't know about that and went in there and I was like, wow, this place is awesome, really cool, amazing place.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then uh oh yeah, another pretty cool place coming down.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, did y'all were y'all familiar with the Netflix show uh Bloodline?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Did you ever watch that?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't watch it, but I've heard of it.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Well, in Isla Murata, uh coming down, that's where they filmed Bloodline.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the there's like a bed and breakfast, and where the Rayburn is the family's name in the show.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it's another thing, it's kind of off the hidden beaten path.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like you wouldn't know about it unless you like Google it and everything.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I went over there and and saw the beach area where the Rayburn house was, which was really cool.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a cool thing about it.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like, a lot of stuff is uh filmed down there in areas, and I love like seeing stuff like there's a new show on on Apple TV called uh Bad Monkey.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: Have y'all seen that one?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yacht Bitzbond, yeah, filmed in filmed down there.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really I love watching stuff and then seeing.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wait, I was right there.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one of my favorite places to eat down there.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I didn't go this past year, but I went two years ago.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was Louie's backyard.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: That was my oh I'm that was my favorite meal when I went down there.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: And you know that Jimmy Buffett used to live right next to that.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, that's what I was getting at right there.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: We were talking about Jimmy Buffett.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do want to ask you one place.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: One uh some of my friends were down there last weekend, and uh they told me, and I have not been there, so I want to ask y'all about this.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they said that it's an awesome place called Latitudes.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Have you heard of that or anything about that?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: I want to go.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's the next time uh I'm gonna go.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: You have got to go.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_03: It is like the most magical thing.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_03: For so long, I was like, I would tell people, uh, it doesn't look that good.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_03: Like going out there's kind of like a hall.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: I probably wouldn't.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: But um I went for the first time for a birthday last year.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_03: And seriously, my sister and I went back every single week for three weeks after because it is just such a experience.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like you take a little ferry to this little island and it's so close to Key West, but you feel like you're on like you're in a different country.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: It is just absolutely amazing.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_03: I was there last week, and as soon as I get off, there's like manatees um like under the pier everywhere, and people are just like cash.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's just like a fairy tale place.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: I could not recommend it enough.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I haven't been for dinner, but people say dinner is amazing, like with sunset and everything.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: But honestly, I've been for brunch a lot, and I love it.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_03: It's just peaceful, and there's it's just perfectly manicured as well.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: The palm trees, everything is gorgeous.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_03: I could not recommend it enough.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's probably my favorite, like it's a must.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's a must.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's cool.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely got that on the list to check out next time.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, uh, let's see what else we can talk about.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: The um but what what about what would you say?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, the the tour when a tourist comes, you know, they the uh the butterfly conservatory did that.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: That was super cool.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: That was cool.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um so what what else would y'all tell someone who's coming to Key West for the first time things to do?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a really cool um in the Truman Annex.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you went there, yeah, but uh it's like a waterfront park type thing.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_03: But there is the most decorated Coast Guard ship in history there, and it got turned into a museum.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: It sunk U-boats, right?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Sunria, something like that.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: Something like that.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um and it got turned into a museum, and you can watch sunset from there.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_03: They have live music at night.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: And a bar, and it's just it's really cool.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, for the historic factor, and also it's prime real estate to watch the sunset on.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, those key west sunsets are pretty amazing, definitely.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: They are insane, and they don't they never get old.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like we get asset all the time working on the boat, and it's like a different thing every time.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's so beautiful.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: Never gets old.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: Also, I don't know.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: Did you go to Sunset Pier while you were here?
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: I did.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: I went over there.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: For sunset, it's a great spot.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_03: They always have great bands, and it's just it's a good vibe.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's a very key west vibe.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean, I guess different times of the year, there's like I mean, the Kong train's always cool, but around Christmas, they do a tour of the lights around the island.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So you do like an hour-long uh ride, and you know, you can you're not supposed to have drinks on there, but sometimes yeah, they let you know sneak up.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh Fort Zachary Taylor is always like cool to go hang out because you have like the the shade in the trees just for like a great grill day, you know.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um they have like little charcoal grills and uh good snorkeling off of Key West, like probably the best spot like beach access-wise.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have a small aquarium here.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love it though, because what's cool, it's all fish that are native to the area.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, or like that live out here, not all of them, but you go out there and it tells you all about it.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: So then if you go to the aquarium and then you go out on one of the tours, you're seeing fish in the water that you just learned about in the aquarium, which I think is super cool.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they have a bunch of turtles and stuff.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's always rotating, like if they're uh rehabilitating um animals.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, speaking of, have you been to the turtle hospital when you were coming down the keys?
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: I saw I didn't I saw it when I came down.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't go in there.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've been oh, it's so cute.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: They've got their own little turtle ambulances.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: That come pick up injured turtles.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's just continuous thing.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and they're always doing releases around Key West, so like they'll post it, and then everyone will go watch this little turtle get released that whatever got hit by a boat or whatever.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: It gets, I mean, they fix them up, you know what I'm saying?
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's cool.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, uh I was walking down the street and uh it was actually actually coming back from the danger charges, went and stopped at another place I love.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm sure y'all love that too, is uh Blue Heaven Blue Head Blue Haven.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: Blue Heaven, Blue Heaven, yeah.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_04: Blue Heaven, guys.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I was going to Blue Heaven and I stopped and I saw the lighthouse, and I was like, What's all these people doing over there?
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: Walked over to the lighthouse.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Well, heck, you can go go up to the top.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went to the top.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: What a view! That was a super cool view.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: I did not know about like you can see all around the whole island.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: It was a super cool view of uh Key West doing that.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: So definitely highly recommend that.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: But uh um funny story, you talked about uh Zachary Taylor at State Park.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: So uh two years ago when I went down there, someone had told me, like, you gotta get a picture of the obviously I got my picture with the southernmost point, which that's a big worst thing.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's gotta get the picture there.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: Someone told me about the direct key west directional sign.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I was like, I gotta get my picture there.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: So uh we're sitting at um, I can't remember the place, but so I was with my mom, and her uh my phone had died, and she did not have Uber on her phone.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, How are we gonna get to this place?
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: So called up a taxi.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: All right, this is a funny story.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna like this.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: So get the taxi.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: The guy comes up and picks us up, and he's probably I mean, he he's an old dude, like been doing it for a long time, just uh old school guy.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I want to go get my picture with the uh directional sign.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, What are you talking about?
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I got it right here.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: It says it's in Zachary Taylor State Park.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: He's nope, there's no directional sign.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: There was like, says it right here, man.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: He goes, Y'all not got signs in Mississippi.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, dude, I just remember the name of the sign.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Just take me here, man.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: Take me.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: So he's taking me.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, I've been key west for uh for four over 40 years, and I've never heard of this, it doesn't exist.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we go down and get into the uh to the state park area where you had to like talk, uh, it's like a gate area where you come in and the ladies here, and he's like, ma'am, this guy wants to get his picture by a sign.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: I told him there's no sign here, and and she was like, Yeah, there's a directional sign.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, See, I told you so.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we come in, he's like, I can't believe I've learned something new today.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: We get in and uh and he gets out, and I guess he goes, Well, I guess you're gonna want me to take your picture.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Well, yeah.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: So he gets out of the cab, comes over there, he he lights up a cigarette.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: He's, I mean, he's just an old school guy, and he's like, I see the sign.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: I see the sign.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: All right, it's awesome.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: Directional sign has all the uh directions and everything from how far everything is from there.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, so I get the I'm standing by the thing, he goes, I give him my iPhone.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: He goes, How do I take a picture?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: I've never used a phone before.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, push this button and take the picture, and yeah, it was super weird.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_04: Like crazy.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: So he he did not know there was a directional sign.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: He had never used an iPhone before, so it was a uh day of first for that guy, but uh I didn't know there was a directional sign either.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've used an iPhone, but I definitely didn't know that there was a directional sign at all.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all go down there and check it out because it it's like I guess it's that's the uh that really is the southernmost point, right?
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: This Zachary Taylor State Park because it's at the very bottom of the first.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right next to it is.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_03: But Fort Zach is uh it's a civil war fort.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: Did you go tour it?
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: No, I did not.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: Just went for the sun.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's really cool.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_03: I definitely recommend going to go tour it that has like a moat and everything.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, that and did you did you I can't speak.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_03: Did you end up going to the dry tortugas?
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: No, what is that?
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: I did not know about that.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_03: So that's like uh it's 70 miles off of QS, but it's a national park.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_03: And if you guys can describe it, I guess.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: Wait, it's where John Wilkes booths, right?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: Who shot Abe Lincoln?
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he he went there for prison.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_03: They like brought him all the way out there, but big like old prison fort type of thing.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's like I guess amazing snorkeling.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's super historic.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that's usually what it's known for, but it's also just beautiful.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's got pristine reefs and everything, bird nesting.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's gorgeous.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, more turtles there than anywhere in the state of Florida.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say, like, after after this, like Google it.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like just by the images, you'll be like, okay, I need to go there next time.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: And you have to book the ferry way ahead because it books out like months and months in advance.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, because they have a ferry, but you can also do a seaplane out there.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: If you get the chance, everyone raves about taking the seaplane because on the way out, you can see everything, see wrecks, you see turtles, sharks, all kinds of stuff.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: And like the the pilots will tell you all about the shipwrecks that you're passing over because there were so many.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_03: You probably know this about the history of um of Key West, how we have the barrier reef right next to us.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_03: And so all the Spanish galleons and all sorts of boats would wreck on these reefs, and they still you can still see them.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, nobody pulled them up.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, just like Mel Fisher, like what we were talking about.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you can see them when you're flying over to the to the dry Tortugas, and the the pilots know all the history of them.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's amazing.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's super cool.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: And where is that?
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's 70 miles off the coast.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: Is that yeah, it's it's more uh west.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: West, okay.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of like in the gulf over there.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: All right, awesome.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's something new, uh, new to check out for sure.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've never heard of that.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: Really cool.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so uh yeah, this is awesome.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: So so what what what else are the hidden secrets for uh that the public might not know from the touristy standpoint?
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's really cool.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'd not heard about that.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: The old fan.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I guess there's some of the newer restaurants and stuff.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, some of them are up and coming.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like one of our favorite spots that we discovered right when they opened is Kaya Island Eats, yeah, as far as like food goes.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the guy Scott, he's been here forever, he's super cool.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: He's from Hawaii originally, so he does like Caribbean Fusion, and then he just opened two new restaurants nearby called Dragon Rooster and Docs and Val.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I think those are gonna be up and coming just from his passion from it.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and you already said Blue Heaven, but Blue Heaven is just so famous.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um Kenny Chesney is obsessed with it.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: He filmed a music video there at one point.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um who else?
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_03: Oprah.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: Oprah went there.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's a really cool yeah, it's just like I love the atmosphere there.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you got the roosters coming around.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh this is just super outdoor atmosphere.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of my pre-favorite places for sure.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_03: Right, the live music, yeah.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: The live music.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: That that's uh that's awesome there.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, let's talk about the uh let's see.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um oh yeah, the history of Key West.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about that.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: The the everyone I I'd heard about have y'all ever this is kind of cheesy, but I did it.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: My a friend told me that they did it and it was kind of cheesy.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: But I did the ghost tour.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: Have y'all heard of that?
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: The ghost tour.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_03: People love that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so I did that.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: That was super cool.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh kind of takes you around and sees all the the hauntings of Key West.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the place I stayed at two years ago, uh, happened to be on the ghost tour.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: They said it was haunted.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: I stayed at a place called Merreros two years ago, and they said like that place was haunted.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh this past year I stayed at a place called uh Orchard Key, which is a pretty cool spot.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh really like that.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: Someone told me about that.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, but yeah, that the uh the the ghost tour, that was pretty cool.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, really enjoyed doing that.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: But um obviously it wouldn't be for for everybody, but uh you know, just walking around and uh they opened up, they were opening.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'll try to eat there, but it was under construction.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, where the hard rock was, it's gonna be something else now.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh tuna, smoking tuna.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, smoking tuna.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_03: They're supposed to open in September.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: We're so excited about that.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's gonna be huge.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_03: And that uh building I was actually just touring it, the manager was showing me it, and it's super historic because it was the Curries who were the first ever millionaires in Florida, and one of the first millionaires in the country.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_03: And they uh they got all their money from the shipwrecking industry in the 1800s, but their mansion, the original Curry's mansion, was is like a block over, but that was one of the sons.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_03: So that was Robert Curry, and he, which is kind of morbid, but he hanged himself in that building in the smoke and tuna building.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um really, yeah, right up there.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: And then his sister is the building next door.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's uh that's her mansion that they built for her.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_03: And the southernmost mansion was their youngest sister, and it was the second building in the world to get electricity put in it.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_03: Thomas Edison put it in there for her.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_03: So they're just really cool buildings down here, you know.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_03: And the Curries are such a prominent name.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: So smoke and treat is gonna be really cool.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_03: Speaking of haunted, probably haunted, crazy brother.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, I gotta ask you this.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have someone told me about how wild it is in October.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I want to hear about that.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: I've never been there, uh, but I've seen pictures, seen videos.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: What's it's insane?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's insane.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's super wild.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: It can be crazy, but it's also really cool.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like, obviously, there's like a little more skin showing.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, people I it's wild too.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's like people that are really prestigious in their field, like coming down and getting their, I guess, their freak out or letting wild, but then there's these amazing events, like our probably our favorite ones called the zombie bike ride.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, everyone dresses up in different forms of zombies.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Some people do groups, some of these groups are running 30, 40 people deep in like a group uh outfit where there are zombies.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone meets down at the apple, they shut off the entire road.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then once it starts, there's like a whole festival down there.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: There's like live music going, and then everyone bikes together down the road dressed as their zombies.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: There's like not just like adults, there's like kids, there's families.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's just such a good event.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's so fun.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_03: It is amazing.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, and then there's a bunch of other ones that are a little less family friendly.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like, there is some very, very kinky carnival, kinky, kinky, crazy stuff.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like the kinky carnival at first flight.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: They they close how inappropriate can I speak right now?
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_03: Basically, it's like it's like dominatrix type stuff where like people, these men are all in like cages and the women are whipping them, uh, and they pay for that.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: They're paying hundreds of dollars for that.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_03: But it's also super cool because a bunch of people obviously you can show all the skin you want during Fantasy Fest.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but people spend thousands of dollars and get their entire bodies painted, like avatars of really cool stuff, and they're sort of under it, but it's just it's really, really cool.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: What's funny is too, you have like uh families that end up down here during those 10 days and don't like on their call breakers.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they'll be out they'll be out with danger charters.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like, is it always like this here?
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, no, you should have done your research.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_03: They're like, Why was our hotel a thousand dollars?
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_03: We were so confused.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like oh man, I can imagine bringing bringing a family down there, not not that one, and they're like, Oh, wait, they're in for a surprise for sure.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, people wearing nothing but a tail wow, like it's but I mean, so they do they have to have it like covered with pasties and stuff.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: You can't be fully neuter, like the cops will kind of patrol it.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: They they do they do block off and kind of keep a lot of that more to certain areas of Deval Street, so you can still enjoy all the other key west stuff without being exposed to that.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's just I mean, there's there's so many cool little events going on, like the tutu party where it's not, it's just I mean, it's just a lot of good energy, too.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: But there is some of the extra raunchy stuff, and every year is a different theme.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_03: So this year is what was it?
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's like um shoot, I haven't even looked it up yet.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_01: We gotta start it's a good one this year.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's like characters, um like old school musicians and stuff.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: I can't well we'll have to look it up.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: They released the theme pretty early so people can start prepping their costumes and all that.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_03: So and people are real like treat this like a religion.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, people dedicate so much time and money to this.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: The costumes are so elaborate, uh, kinky or not.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's just really it's a good time, and every single it's 10 days long, and every day has a different wow.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_01: Halloween, Halloween isn't even a thing down here because it ends right before it, so everyone's burnt out from fantasy fest.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: Halloween isn't like huge, everyone's like, No, we already got 10 days of Halloween.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: We're hungover.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_03: You've got to come down for it though.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: You it's definitely worth it, it's so worth it.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, even if you don't participate in anything, just the people watching is world class.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that sounds sounds amazing.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh sounds sounds really, really wild.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, yeah.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: So everybody dresses up as a zombie, is that what you say?
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Or the for the zombie bike ride, yeah.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, that's they might be on theme with the whole theme and then turn themselves into zombies, or they might create their like last year.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: There was a group of chuckies, uh, like probably like 10 of them, and so they're all zombie chuckies basically, and they had their little bike gang and everything.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_03: We were all we were all zombie schoolgirls last year.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, yep, yep.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh well, I I can't really think of anything else unless y'all have anything.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh, Mr.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Happy Hour tell them about following, following how where where to find you on social media and all that stuff so everybody can know.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if you guys are on there, it's Mr.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: Happy Hour Key West, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's one of those things like like it's a side gig, you know.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but as time goes on, I think we'll keep putting more effort into it because it's fun.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I appreciate you reaching out.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: People seem to like it and we have a good time with it.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_01: And even if I wasn't doing it, I'd still be going to happy hours.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: So it kind of just sits up there.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, well, do you if y'all have anything else to add?
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: You have anything else to add and not uh thank y'all so much for uh joining today.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Really appreciate it.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: Just love talking about Key West, and I love that y'all live down there and embracing the lifestyle and and uh just super, super cool.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm jealous.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: Wish I could be a lot younger and and and do what you are doing.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like key west makes you younger.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_04: It does.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the oldest of the lot of us, but yeah, I feel like I've I've definitely uh become lower in age in the last few years just being down here.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's just uh it's just the energy, it's the people, you know.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, everybody I talked to when I went down there, like I I like to have that conversation.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: How what brought you down here?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_00: I and everyone's like, Man, I'm from I'm from up north, and I just came down one time and I was hooked, didn't go back.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, talked to so many people who did that, like they just came and never left.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I can definitely see it because once you get down there, like you don't want to leave or you want to go back, can't wait for the next trip back because people are like people probably ask you, like, man, why do you want to go to Key West all the time?
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's like there's always something different, you know.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: You just talked about stuff I'd never heard of.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: So uh really cool, um, cool, cool things to do, and and uh just you can't enjoy can't like you say it can't be the sunsets anywhere like down there, and just an awesome place.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_00: Well, anyway, it's been awesome.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you all so much for joining us.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll keep in touch and I'll let y'all know uh if I make it down to Fantasy Fest one of these days.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, y'all take care and uh we'll keep in touch and uh keep keep loving the key west life.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_04: And thank you so much.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: We'll talk to you later.