Hello New World

[Maria de los Angeles]

Yeah, great idea Blackford! i was just there recently when my comedian friend Freddy Stebbins performed. He's a riot. I'm probably going to do one of my Hialeah films with him.

I wrote about Freddy here: http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/freddy-stebbins

[Hoppie]

Yesterday (Saturday) I went down to Key Largo, to see what the fuss is all about on them Keys

It turned out to be remarkably difficult to find any interesting spot to "just look around". I spent two nice hours at the Diving Museum on Islamorada, but for the rest I did not see much except shops and other boring stuff left and right of US1.

You clearly have to turn off the main route, even if not 200 yards left and right you have the Atlantic or the Gulf or both. But I could not yet find a proper spot to turn off. It all seems blocked, closed, guests only, or private property. I was just looking for a nice waterfront terrace to have a drink, and I failed. I feel stupid.

Am I right in guessing that 99% of the Keys is about boating activities, including scuba/snorkeling off boats? And that without a boat, or without chartering/renting a boat, you are basically left behind in the mangrove?


Dutchie

[Christy]

Hey Dutchie,

There's plenty to do in Key West besides water sports:

1. Eat key lime pie
2. Watch the sunset at Mallory Square
3. There are lots of great restaurants
4. Shopping
5. Southernmost point where it's 90 miles to Cuba
6. Butterfly Museum
7. Mel Fischer Maritime Museum
8. Hemingway House
9. Art and Customs House
10. Truman Little White House
11. The Haunted KW Tour

[Doug]

Hi Dutchie, be sure to check out my article about 24 hours in Key West!

http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/daytrip-keywest

Don't miss the Key West cat man, whatever you do!

[Hoppie]

Thanks for the replies!

Notice that I did not say Key West. Key West probably is different from the other Keys. But it is also a few hours further down the road. Key Largo is less than one hour's drive from where I live. I would not easily drive to Key West and back on the same day.

Are the more Northern Keys purely dedicated to boating, or is there more to do? Their commercial web site http://www.fla-keys.com/ basically suggests to get into a hotel and enjoy the resort and the water tours etc. but I'm not looking for holidays, but for one-day family trips on a restricted budget.


Dutchie

PS. I would totally accept a statement that you just need to skip all the non-West Keys anyway

[Maria de los Angeles]

Dutchie,

One of my favorite things to do is to get the hell out of Miami and head to the Keys without ever doing any water sports, though that is incredibly important down there. However, here are some of my favorite spots: Alabama Jack's is on Card Sound Road and a very rustic spot to grab some conch chowder and beers. They have square or some other type of folk dancing on the weekends. It's right on the water.

Head a little further south to Islamorada. Morada Bay is a GORGEOUS place to have lunch or a sunset dinner with the family. And the kids can run around on the sand.

Two hours or less away is incredibly beautiful Bahia Honda State Park. There are nature trails and the beach already starts to look Caribbean. Also, go feed the tarpon at Robbie's Marina.

If your family likes to go camping, try Bahia Honda or Long Key. Long Key even has great bathroom and shower facilities so it's not so rustic or remote.

The Postcard Inn in Islamorada is a fun place for a weekend getaway. The beach is not that great, but there is a sandbar you can go to by watercraft (you can rent or they take you). Of course there are pools. Rum Runner's on the property is an awesome bar to visit for a sunset drink. And you can probably bring your kid. It looks like a big pirate ship with crow's nest.

The most kid-friendly resort I know is Hawk's Cay. Not only is it beautiful, but they provide babysitting service so you and the wife can have some alone time and for that there is a palm-tree lined lush pool area for adults 21 and over. You can rent bikes at Hawk's Cay and tool around that key, which is very pretty.

I hope this helps!

[Hoppie]

Thanks, Maria. Lots of new items on my to-visit list! I'll be off back to the Netherlands on the 11th, and return late on the 29th with the family, so it's about time I start gathering stuff. Dutchie

[Hoppie]

I'll just hi-jack my own thread.

P E S T C O N T R O L

Being from the Netherlands, I have zero experience with pest control. Once in a blue moon I've put two mechanical mouse traps in the garden shed to catch a few mice, and I vacuum the ceiling spiders away in spring and fall.

The house I now have in West-Kendall is clean and empty, so I can spot pests very well. I have been there since October 1st and I caught two roaches and a lizzard, all in the first week. Since then, just a few ant colonies in the wrong spot.

Everybody talks about pest control every month. What am I supposed to think of this? Somebody drops by and poisons everything I want to live in? Or do they just do what I do myself, i.e., spray the ants and let them rot? Or do they go further and look for near-hidden signs of, say, termites (it's a 100% wooden house) that I do not see myself?

And then, what kind of fee per month do I need to expect if they would drop by regularly?

Thanks,


Dutchie
temporarily back in the Netherlands, picking up a house inventory and two family members

[Doug]

Some places are more fussy about that than others. I only need it once a year, because I need professional quality treatment to get rid of a yearly Argentine ant problem. However, my landlady found a company that uses pesticides that are non-threatening to humans and animals. Lizards, I don't really consider to be pests, though I'm sure Christy does! Mice, I would only catch with a humane trap, and release them somewhere else.

[Catt]

Somebody drops by and poisons everything I want to live in? Or do they just do what I do myself, i.e., spray the ants

basically, yes, to both. they come around and spray whatever chemical they use, and it's no different than what you can do yourself. i use a spray non-harmful to pets & people, but does keep out the ants & insects; they don't rot, they just stay away. 'Ortho Home Defense Max'. and yeh it's still a chemical, but it's much less nasty to breathe then the stuff they use.

Or do they go further and look for near-hidden signs of, say, termites (it's a 100% wooden house) that I do not see myself?

the regular pest maintenance doesn't do this actively, although if they see obvious evidence of it they'd tell you. but generally, that would be a separate service to check for termites specifically.

and btw lizards aren't pests, they're our friends. you want them around, they eat the insects!

[Maria de los Angeles]

Dutchie,

Just to add to what Doug & Catt said ... pest control is really not necessary unless you have an actual pest problem. Some people have their place sprayed once a month and this involves a guy coming and spraying particular corners and nooks of your house with the same kind of spray they use in hospitals. It doesn't smell or anything. I used to have pest control in some of the condos I rented but they were always discontinued because it was an unnecessary expense.

If you live in a relatively modern, clean home I don't see how you could have pest problem unless there is something funky going on in the property.

But seriously, the occasional roach is common here and lizards are your friends. When I see one in my apartment I try to release it though, just to be nice to the lizard.

If you have small children, you may want to avoid roach and ant traps lying in conspicuous places, but those are good options too.

By the way, Windex (glass cleaner) is a great bug killer and isn't as toxic as those household sprays.

[Hoppie]

OMG $250 a month? What a rip-off! Please call my State Farm agent. PM me if you want her number.

I got her number, and she could only return a quote to me that is HIGHER.

Everything because I don't have my US license more than one year. Never mind 20 years of EU no-claim history: thou shalt pay up.


Dutchie

[Jess]

Yikes! You could do what a lot of people do here... drive without insurance? Not that I recommend this way, but it is what most do here in Miami.

[Matt Meltzer]

I second what Jess said. The ticket for no insurance I think is $85 or something. That's like 1/3 of one month's payment, You'd have to get a ticket a week basically, to come out behind.

And if you're getting a ticket a week, you really shouldn't be driving anyway.

[Hoppie]

Ok, time to do something back to this Forum.

I've been a member here since about a year now, essentially since we decided to bite the bullet and accept a job in Miami. In this year I learned about 90% of what I needed to survive from this Forum. So it's natural to assure that people frequenting this Forum can benefit from my writings.

We've kept up a blog of all things we did in Miami since moving here, mostly for friends and family, but also of interest to residents and visitors of Miami, we think. So here is the coming out event: Dutchie is just Hoppie and here's the blog:

http://www.hoppie.nl/miami/

Enjoy!


Hoppie

[rk]

Great work. Thanks for the link. I enjoyed the first page and plan to read more later.

[Gus]

Dutchie,

I'm very pleased our site was helpful for you.

Thank you for a sharing a link to your blog. Well done. I'm impressed with the photography and the stories.

I added a link to your blog on our "Helpful Websites" page. You can find the link in the "Travel Planning" category in the "Living Here" section:

http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/re...ded-sites.html

Let us know if you want to change your Miami Beach 411 user name to Hoppie?

[Hoppie]

Hi Gus,

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, Dutchie -> Hoppie would be ok. I have been called by that nickname since I was 12 and it actually is the name that's used most often at work as well... for rather obvious reasons.

And the photography is mostly by my wife Cristina, in any case nearly everything after February 1st.


Hoppie

[Gus]

Your welcome. Please let Christna know I think here architecture and food shots are very good!

OK, from here on forth, we will call you Hoppie.

Nicknames are great. My real name is James, but I've been called Gus my entire life.

Don't forget to use your new name to login.

[Doug]

I used to have a friend named Hoppie growing up. This is going to get confusing...