{"id":935,"date":"2018-07-16T11:40:24","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T18:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/?p=935"},"modified":"2019-09-23T11:43:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T17:43:31","slug":"caroline-walkabout-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/2018\/07\/16\/caroline-walkabout-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Caroline Walkabout – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s the second part of the Caroline Street Walkabout. Click on the link to open another window to youtube. Let it play in the background as you read on. Woman Goin’ Crazy on Caroline Street.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

After you finish your coffee at the Coffee Plantation, walk less than a block more you\u2019ll come to the \u201cheart\u201d of the old \u00a0\u201cCaroline Street\u201d… the part Jimmy Buffett\u2019s sings about.<\/p>\n

Look over to the left as you cross over William Street and you will see down to the seaport. That\u2019s where Schooner Wharf Bar is. Maybe you will want to stop in there for a little \u201crefreshment\u201d on your way back.<\/p>\n

After you cross William, B.O.\u2019s Fish Wagon is right there on the left… the corner or Caroline and William. Whenever I tell someone about B.O.\u2019s they always make a funny face and ask why in the world would anyone name a place to eat, \u201cB. O.\u2019s?\u201d… Pppp-Uuuuu. Well, the real reason is that the owner\u2019s name is Buddy Owen (or maybe it\u2019s Owens). And the “Fish Wagon” part comes from the old mobile food truck… the fishwagon… inside and where the food is prepared. The fishwagon hasn’t moved in years.<\/p>\n

B.O.\u2019s is a funky place. Don\u2019t expect any fancy tablecloths or even silverware. You get an almost outdoor setting… just sitting under umbrellas… garden furniture and picnic tables. There are always two or three… or more of Key West\u2019s \u201cGypsy Chickens\u201d wandering around looking for a morsel that makes it\u2019s way to the cement floor.<\/p>\n

\"B.O.'s

B.O.’s Fishwagon<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"This

This old, derelect truck at B.O.’s is probably worth a fortune… but it just sits there collecting stickies<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let\u00a0the name or any of the other stuff\u00a0stop you from going in to have a bite to eat. The fish sandwiches are among the very best on an island that serves fish sandwiches everywhere. And the homemade black beans & rice are also mmmmm-mmmmm good. You can get beer and wine at B.O.\u2019s but no frozen concoctions to help you hang on.<\/p>\n

Right across the street from B.O.\u2019s is the \u201cRed Doors\u2019. Today, the Red Doors has a boutique in the lower level. But back in the times Jimmy sings about, the Red Doors was one of the roughest, toughest, and rowdiest saloons anywhere. The upstairs area was a brothel.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Red Doors… with a history of booze, broads, gambling and fighting. Fun in Key West.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

According to Tiffany, who also does a blog about her travels, her Great-Great-Grandpa owned and managed the Red Doors back in the 1920s. It was called the \u201cBucket of Blood\u201d back then. She says it was called that \u201cbecause of all the stabbings, violence and occasional \u2018quiet\u2019 murder.\u201d (I couldn\u2019t confirm Tiffany\u2019s last name, so I\u2019ll let you be the detective. Link to Tiffany’s Blog<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I always wonder what goes on upstairs above the \u201cBucket of Blood\u201d these days. One time I wandered into the boutique and asked the attendant about the upstairs. She only gave me some vague non-answer. I don\u2019t know if she was trying to add to the mystique of the place, or just didn\u2019t want to say. So, I still wonder if there is any \u201cbusiness\u201d of the old days.<\/p>\n

A couple of \u201cdoors\u201d down is Pepe\u2019s Cafe… which claims to be the oldest eating establishment in the Florida Keys. From the looks of the building, I\u2019m sure it is very old. In most places\u00a0of the world, I would never consider eating in any place\u00a0looking that old and rundown. But this is Key West.<\/p>\n

\"Pepe's

Pepe’s Caf\u00e9… est. 1909. No doubt it’s that old.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Pepe\u2019s used to be a great place for breakfast. I say \u201cused to be\u201d because these days, you may not be able to get a table. There\u2019s an inside area and a covered patio area, but the visitors have discovered Pepe\u2019s. You\u2019ll have to wait at the bar on most mornings before you can get a table.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the wait at the bar isn\u2019t so bad because they do make good Bloody Marys… but these days I\u2019m not willing to wait very long… especially when the Schooner Wharf Bar is close, and they have good breakfast too. BUT… if you do get a seat at Pepe\u2019s the food will be good. Over time I\u2019ve had eggs (build your own breakfast), French toast, and pancakes and all were excellent.<\/p>\n

Oh… and don\u2019t forget the Mimosas or screwdrivers made with fresh squeezed orange juice. Both are mmmmm-mmmmm good. They also claim to have \u201cfresh squeezed Margaritas,\u201d but I\u2019m not sure what that is and never had one.<\/p>\n

The last block of Caroline Street has the \u201cFlagler Station Railway Historeum. The name Flagler probably doesn\u2019t mean anything to most of you. But without Henry Flagler, much of Florida and Key West wouldn\u2019t be what it is today.<\/p>\n

\"Flagler

Flagler Station – A significant part of the history of Florida and Key West<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Flagler became partners with John D. Rockefeller… yeah, that Rockefeller. I won\u2019t try to tell you the whole story here… you can google it… but the essence is: Flagler was rich. He built the railway all along the east coast of Florida down to Biscayne Bay in Miami.<\/p>\n

Then when Flagler was 75 years old, he built the railway that connected the Mainland (Homestead) to Key West. It was started in 1905 and was finished in January 1912. At the time, it was the only way to get to Key West other than by ship. The Overseas Highway didn\u2019t come along till much later.<\/p>\n

The railway ran until the 1935 Labor Day hurricane took out sections of the railroad. You can still see sections of it today as you drive the Overseas Highway. The museum has a little house and a train car that shows the railway history with artifacts and videos. It only costs three bucks and is worth the time.<\/p>\n

My next walkabout (in a few days) will be to the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. It\u2019s one of the things that puts the character and characters of Bone Island on full display.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the second part of the Caroline Street Walkabout. Click on the link to open another window to youtube. Let it play in the background as you read on. Woman Goin’ Crazy on Caroline Street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":964,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kokomoman.com\/wordpress1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}