Oil reportedly enters powerful Gulf current

The tar balls that washed up onto one of Key West's beaches earlier this week did not come from the Deepwater Horizon, but reports the oil from the massive spill has entered the Loop Current are certainly troubling.



From the Key West Citizen.

Boy in Bushwick posted pictures on Monday of the Dry Tortugas and other areas that the oil could potentially affect. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said yesterday American officials have had "working level discussions with the Cuban government to keep them informed" about the oil's location in the Gulf of Mexico. The crude that has reportedly entered the current could potentially reach the Florida Keys and Cuba's northern coast in about a week.

Let's hope this catastrophe does not expand any further.

Oil spill could reach the Florida Keys

A Miami Herald headline earlier today spoke for itself: Concerns grow that Gulf oil spill could reach Florida Keys.

Reports continue to indicate some of the millions of gallons of oil that have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire and sunk on April 20 have entered the loop current. The Miami Herald reported the oil could potentially reach the Dry Tortugas, the Marquesas Keys and Cuba's northern coast.

The [Key West] Citizen has a link on its Web site that updates readers on the status of the spill, but the mere thought some of the oil could potentially impact the Florida Keys -- and it's particularly fragile ecosystems -- is certainly frightening. Here are some pictures of the Dry Tortugas and the area around the Marquesas Keys I took during an Oct. 2008 trip.



Looking west from Key West en route to the Dry Tortugas National Park.



Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas.



Approaching Fort Jefferson on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas.



Fort Jefferson.

Key West canine officer stops would-be burglar

The Key West Police Department announced earlier today a canine unit stopped a would-be burglar from breaking into a woman's home early Saturday morning.

Ferro detained a man who a police spokesperson said had tried to break into the Fleming Street house through a sliding glass door. The KWPD said Ferro "moved forward and apprehended the suspect by taking hold of his forearm in his jaws." The department further said the suspect, whom it identified as Jacob Fred Kaiser, 33, of Seattle, tried to fight Ferro, but his partner, KWPD officer Thomas Aglin, commanded him to force the man to the ground.

“Our K-9 Unit is a vital part of an efficient police department,” KWPD acting chief Scott Smith said. “Ferro’s quick response and his level of training were important in apprehending this suspect.”

Kaiser remains in custody in the Monroe County Detention Center, but it goes without saying the Conch Republic will continue to have a lot of fun at his expense.

Man arrested in connection with Key West stabbing

The Key West Police Department has arrested a Broward County man in connection with the fatal stabbing of Marques Butler early yesterday morning.

Nicholas Ferro, 23, of Hollywood, faces a second degree murder charge. He allegedly stabbed Butler near Caroline and Simonton Streets (and not Duval Street as a police spokesperson originally said) around 4 a.m. on Oct. 31. Butler died a short time later at a local hospital.

The incident took place during Fantasy Fest, a week-long celebration in which up to 70,000 revelers descend upon Key West.

Ferro remains in custody at the Monroe County Detention Center.

Key West man stabbed to death

A Key West man died earlier this morning after he was stabbed near Caroline and Duval Streets earlier this morning.

A spokesperson for the Key West Police Department identified the man as Marques Butler, 23. Butler was stabbed around 4 a.m. today during what police described as a fight between a group of "Key West residents and a group of men from out of town."

An ambulance transported Butler to the Lower Keys Medical Center, but he succumb to his injuries a short time later.

This attack comes at the height of Fantasy Fest, a week-long series of parties and other events that culminates in tonight's parade down Duval Street.

Police are questioning a Fort Lauderdale man in connection with the stabbing, but a spokesperson said there are indications the altercation may have began after someone took photos of someone's girlfriend.

Boy in Bushwick lands in Key West

A very slow Internet connection prevented me from uploading this video I shot during our final descent into Key West on Friday afternoon, but here it is. I honestly prefer to drive onto the island, but one fails to realize how small Key West actually is until he or she actually sees it from the air.

Back to Brooklyn

All good things must come to an end (at least temporarily,) but I have begun the trip back to Brooklyn after five wonderful days in Key West.

I confess I have not slept since 8 a.m. yesterday, but strangely enough I don't feel overly tired. I spent yesterday afternoon at the Island House pool working on my Key West story for the Guide, meeting a contact for coffee and simply hanging out with others who came on the trip. I spent 15 minutes looking for the key to unlock my bike, but the copious amounts of grilled pork, rice and beans and Cuban bread at El Siboney quickly evaporated my exacerbation.

The annual Headdress Ball, which literally took place 20 feet from my room at the Southernmost Hotel, demonstrated the abundance of creativity, kitsch and downright raunchiness for which Conchs are known. I interviewed the Joe Schroeder, owner of Bourbon Street, the manager of the Island House and Fantasy Fest 2009 king Ralph Garcia, who tends bar at La Te Da on lower Duval Street. And I eventually found my way to both Bourbon Street and Saloon One. Let's just say my sarong was an immediate hit among party goers.

I will post additional pictures tomorrow, but here is a video of the last few minutes of the flight from Miami to Key West on Friday afternoon. The slow Internet connection prevented me from posting it earlier, but it really gives a sense of how small the Florida Keys really are. Enjoy!

African burial ground, lesbian cruise and Old Town vistas

A torrential downpour swept across Key West a few hours ago, but all in all my third full day on the island was largely tranquil.

I interviewed the openly gay Key West police chief yesterday morning before I visited the African burial ground along Higgs Beach, the lush gardens inside the West Martello Tower and the Key West Cemetery. I managed to get a bit of work done before I headed down towards Mallory Square and Duval Street to try to talk to some locals for a story on which I am working for the Guide, but the heat and humidity honestly proved too much and I decided to go to the Island House to go for a swim and have an espresso.

Our day wound down with happy hours at three guest houses in Old Town before an extended dinner at Azure on Grinnell Street. The downpour swept over Key West a few minutes before we were to leave, but we simply stayed to enjoy some luscious desserts and more coffee.

Below are some pictures from today.



The African burial ground on Higgs Beach.



The gardens inside the West Martello Tower near Higgs Beach and the White Street Pier.



A monument in the Key West Cemetery pays tribute to those who died aboard the U.S.S. Maine.



Above ground tombs in the Key West Cemetery.



Mallory Square and the Key West harbor front from the widow's walk of the Curry Mansion Inn on Caroline Street.



A windblown Boy in Bushwick poses on top of the Curry Mansion House.



The Olivia cruise ship that brought more than 1,500 lesbians to Key West sits anchored near the Westin hotel.



Parking fit for a queen... Edith Amsterdam of the Curry Mansion Inn that is!

An afternoon on the water

One of the best ways to appreciate Key West and the surrounding environment is on the water. And roughly two dozen people rode the BluQ to a coral reef about 10 miles west of the island. Barracuda, moon jellyfish, flying fish, brain coral, sea fans, sponges and even a sea turtle were among the myriad of flora and fauna we saw on the four hour trip. Captain Steve and first mate Mo certainly provided an enjoyable afternoon for their passengers--and the sangria once again proved particularly refreshing in the mid-afternoon sun.



Mo instructs BluQ passengers how to properly snorkel and call for help.



Approaching Man Key.



Frank DeCaro and Josh Hellman.



Woman Key.



Woman Key.



Returning to Key West.

Cute boys, a sultry sunset... and yes, more cute boys

Don't ask why I am posting this blog at 3:30 a.m., but cute boys, a sultry sunset on a clothing-optional catamaran... and more cute boys were among the many things that made our first full day in Key West wonderful.

Bloggers Rod McCullum and Joe Jervis, Sirius' Frank DeCaro, fellow EDGE contributor Mike Diamond and Josh Koll and Josh Hellman of Passport.com are among those who Steve Smith of the Key West Business Guild invited to this subtropical paradise for the next five days. Boy in Bushwick wore his sarong throughout the night--two drunken women on Duval Street called it a skirt!

Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel certainly had a great time at Fantasy Fest's Coronation Ball outside La Te Da on Friday night, but perhaps one too many drag queens scared him away (or inside some more obscure room somewhere on the island.)

That said, here are a few pictures from yesterday.



Dawn breaks over Key West.



One of three lunch mojitos Boy in Bushwick enjoyed at the Casa Marina Resort.



The oceanfront adjacent to the Casa Marina Resort.



Key West AIDS Memorial at the foot of the White Street Pier.



This cat naps through the midday heat at Ernest Hemingway's house.



Mo mans the deck of the BluQ.

Back to reality

Nearly a week in a sub-tropical paradise at the literal end of the road can often make a person forget about the outside world. And Key West certainly provided a temporary relief from the continued economic turmoil, the last vestages of the longest presidential campaign in American history and the political debate surrounding the extension of term limits in New York.

The 42 degree weather that awaited me in the city yesterday morning was arguably exactly what I needed to remind me I had returned to the reality that remains my life in New York. I am much more bronzed, perhaps a couple of pounds lighter from snorkeling, riding my bike around the island for nearly a week and engaging in other social activities for which Key West is famous. Karma provided the last laugh at the expense of one reporter on our trip as he departed for the airport on Wednesday morning, but my mind yearns to return to Key West once again so I can bike around the island with "La isla bonita" in my iPOD, enjoy a Cuba libre by the pool or stand on the bow of a catamaran plying the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Enough of my own self-serving reminescences, but attached is a picture from a store along Duval Street that provides an arguably convincing categorization of the next 11days.



P.S. For those of you who would like to contact me directly, please e-mail bushwickboy@gmail.com.

A sudden detour to Miami

The seven inches of rain that inundated Key West this morning and a few hours ago delayed my flight out of Key West tonight, and as a result I missed my connecting flight to Miami. I will return to New York tomorrow morning, but for tonight I am in Miami.

Key West remains one of my favorite places in the world, and the vast majority of this trip simply enhanced my own self-serving bias. I spent a couple of dry hours earlier this afternoon wandering through Old Town before heading to the airport. And yesterday I spent nearly five hours out on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. Fort Jefferson, a massive structure built to protect the Florida Keys during the civil war, occupies more than 75 percent of the windswept island. It lays 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. And it is certainly the most isolated place I have visited--and a blissful world away from New York's hustle and bustle.

I return to Brooklyn tomorrow, but attached are some pictures from the trip.

Enjoy!




Key West Lighthouse




Ballast Key




Approaching Fort Jefferson on Garden Key




Fort Jefferson and it's moat




Inside the fort




Looking out to sea from inside the fort




Inside the fort




My Fantasy Fest mask from Walgreen's




Headdress Ball second runner-up




Key West bipartisanship




White Street in front of the Island House after four inches of rain fell in less than three hours. (My apartment is on the first floor of the building in the foreground)




A flood casualty




Donkey Milk Lane in Old Town




A rooster hanging out near Duval Street

Boy in Bushwick in Key West

My recent trip to the laundry to clean my jacket and sweaters was the stark annual omen that winter is fast approaching in New York, but the balmy 85 degree temperature that greeted me at Key West International Airport on Friday afternoon invigorated me in much the same way the steady stream of Cuba libres has done since landing on the island.

I am on Key West until Wednesday as part of a media trip with six other LGBT journalists. I have been to the island twice before, and each time I have had an amazing time with copious amounts of sun, sand, alcohol and other activities in which one partakes in a sub-tropical paradise at the southern tip of Florida. That said, pictures will be forth coming.