Living in Key West
7 ways to move here
Why would you leave?
North to Miami? Nope
The things no one tells Key West homeowners
Hidden charms and frustrating secrets
Locals’ tips for island homes
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Living in Key West | Part 1: The things no one tells you
Ranger Ed is on our roof playing whack-a-mole with the leaks in our solar panels. That's not a place people of a certain age ought be; yet, here we are. Living the dream of home ownership on a mystical, magical tropical island at the end of the road. A place where,...
Living in Key West | Part 2: Coping with grills and termites
Crikey! How could I forget the island's assault on our outdoor grills? But I did, as a dozen barbecuing cooks reminded me in short order. "Spot on," said a former Floridian, "but you didn't even get into the average lifespan of an outdoor grill." He wasn't alone in...
What’s it really like to live here?
5 (slightly) annoying Key West things and how to get over them
Let's get this out of the way first. What with climate change, Covid-19, and a global plethora of crumbling cultures and governments, not to mention that Amazon Prime's two-day delivery guarantee is now akin to "someday, for sure, but definitely not today," I really...
Summer in Key West: Things no one wants newcomers to know
Summer in Key West is not for the faint of heart. Unless you were born and raised on tropical summers, nothing much prepares you for that after-dark moment when you leave the house to walk the dog. Oh, you acclimate eventually, but I suspect for most of us, we look at...
Are visitors welcome in Key West? We might need to tweak the message
Key West residents have a love-hate affair with the visitors whose pocketbooks fund much of what gets spent on the island. Without visitors and all the trappings of a vacation destination city, Key West's economy staggers to a halt. With too many, Key West residents...
Key West hurricane prep: 4 lessons learned from Tropical Storm Elsa
https://youtu.be/JcxNFlB4aEU Well, that was fun. Perhaps Key West should have a hurricane prep drill every year like Tuesday's Tropical Storm Elsa. Because let's be honest, we don't expect a hurricane until, say, September, even though the season officially...
Key West waters: Will sea level rise shut down the Keys?
Sometime in the next 50 years, I say only partially in jest, my Key West house will need a dock and a boat during King Tides. By the turn of the century, the house will be waterfront and pretty much useless. I mean, how many times can one repair after yet another...
Key West parking, sidewalks, sargassum and e-transportation | We are back to normal
The official start of summer is 11:32 p.m., Sunday, June 20. The unofficial start in Key West was 7:45 a.m., Monday, June 14, when I walked out on the front porch, sniffed and said to Ranger Ed: "The sargassum is back." When I can smell mounds of decaying seagrass,...