Key West, Florida. May, 1988

In the spring of 88 I was working for a major corporation traveling the east coast conducting counter industrial espionage and in house investigations. It was a great time to be young and a great time to wind up in south Florida on a expense account. I soon found myself in Key West ready to party, and work of course.

Key West is an amazing place only 90 miles from Cuba it is the southern most point of the continental United States. To get there you have to fly in, arrive by boat or drive down from the mainland on the Keys Causeway. The Causeway is a series of bridges connecting the keys, it runs parallel to the ruins of the old rail road causeway, across many keys such as Marathon Key and Key Lime etc..

Soon after arrival I found myself in a outdoor bar surrounded by Banana plants ordering a Margarita. as I leaned on the Teak wood bar awaiting my refreshment I turned to the dance floor thinking.. here I am in a tropicle paradise, young, dressed to the nines (see Don Johnson circa mid 80s) about to be served my favorite adult cocktail. All I need now is a beautiful girl(apologies to Van Halen). As I scanned the Bar I thought to myself there is not many females here, in fact there are not any. Then being the great detective that I was, it dawned on me aha! Men dancing with men! ( not that there is any thing wrong with that) I will probably not find the final piece of the puzzle here. I asked for a go cup and hit Duval street on a quest for my kind of watering hole. Bar after Bar I went in only to find the male to female ratio about 50 to 0. Just as I was about to give up and settle down to a evening of Streisand music, I saw hope! Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville! I hurried over and found exactly what I was looking for! I had a great Margarita met a young lady and had a great week in paradise. That was actually the first Margaritaville that Jimmy founded now they are in several locals including Glendale Arizona!