LEGAL POT ON DUVAL…..MEDMEN

I was out again last night. Two nights in a row! Returning to my dangerous lifestyle! The Chart Room of course was my first stop.

Few people. Maybe 5 in the hour I was there. As I left, 4 couples came in. I was concerned John wasn’t going to make any money.

Understand Key West is dead dead. Every September, every year. You can put money on it. I can’t complain of auto traffic. There is none. Nor people on the sidewalks. The merchants take a beating in September.

I decided to walk Duval a bit. I avoid the first 4 blocks generally. Not last night.

As I walked by Sloppy Joe’s, I heard a melody from days long gone by…..You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray…..please don’t take my sunshine away!

My music!

Easy to understand once I entered. Senior citizens night. Most younger than me. In their 60’s-70’s. They were playing to the crowd.

Sloppy Joe’s suffering business wise also. Sloppy’s maybe 75 percent occupied.

I grabbed a seat at the bar.

I generally eat the same thing at Sloppy Joe’s. Not a Sloppy Joe.

Sloppy’s serves a dish of french fries covered in melted mozzarella covered in a hot red sauce. Delicious! I ordered and enjoyed.

It is amazing. I spent a year eating high fat and low carbs in and lost 62 pounds. Doctors have changed my diet because of the pancreatitis. I now eat little fat and a lot of carbs. My weight remains the same.

The no drinking is no fun. Excuse the redundancy. I miss the drinking. Three months thus far.

Interestingly, I thought the no smoking was going to be a problem. It was initially. Now don’t even think about it.

I was walking down the 100 block of Duval towards the Pier House. Saw this big brightly lit store across the street. For years, a huge sneaker store. Two floors.

The windows were covered in white paper. Could not see in. A small sign on the windows: OPEN FOR BUSINESS. A huge red sign over the entrance: MedMEN.

I can be a bit retarded. What are MedMEN?

I entered. A uniformed guard welcomed me. A lovely young lady came running up to greet me.

The place was beautiful. I knew instantly what it was. A pot store! A place to purchase medical cannabis.

I smiled and left. I had made the tour 2 months ago of the first to open in Key West. On Flagler, near Lee Nails. Same type operation. Except windows were not covered.

The young smiling lady at the Flagler operation greeted me. I asked if they sold marijuana. Yes. The whole place was marijuana packaged all different ways. Multiple flavors available.

All I could think was where was this stuff 50 years ago when I was into it a bit.

The young lady and I spent little time together. Actually, it did not take her long to decide she was going to make no money off me. In Florida, a physician’s prescription is required. She smilingly asked for my prescription. When I told her I had none, she turned and walked away.

MedMEN is a national chain operation. One of the biggies in the business.

The pot business is not turning out to be as lucrative as most thought. Two reasons. One is it costs big dollars to get in. The second is the illicit dealers charge far less.

MedMEN is feeling the squeeze. Needs an infusion of new money. Working on packaging a $250 million loan.

Such was my exciting evening. I was home in bed by 9.

Poured yesterday morning. All morning. Heavy. King tide time for Key West. Increased the overflow by about 6 inches.

The storm sewers could not handle it. Street flooding. More than usual. Northern Boulevard had some passing lanes unpassable. Flagler more flooding than normal. Several blocks in a row deep in water. Deep in water meaning 2 feet.

Other usual spots that flood were a bit higher, also. The intersection of Eaton and White. I Have twice seen people swimming in the intersection. The corner of Duval and Front. No swimming, but have observed people kayaking. Palm just over the bridge heading for Eaton. Residential streets liked United. Some really deep.

I saw none of this last night. I went downtown the long way. Knew what streets to take to avoid the flooding. My only problem would have been the intersection of Duval and Front. However the water had totally receded by the time I got there.

I did see “where” water had been when I entered the Pier House. The ramp entrance off the parking lot. It was obvious water found its way up and in the hallway.  Still wet. Leaves all over the place.

Happy New Year! Lest I forget. The Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah begins sunday night at 7.

Time seems to change nothing. An edition of the Florida Motorist magazine in 1934 had a large spread advertising Key West as a tourist destination.

Key West advertises world wide today. Successfully. Too successfully sometimes I think. People from all over the world visit. Great for the merchants. Bring problems with them, however.

Look where Key West presnetly is today. Prices higher for everything. More honky tonk on Duval. Horrendous traffic. A parking problem like you would not believe.

I think someday because of the overabundance of visitors and what occurs as a result of their presence, our little island is going to quietly sink beneath the water.

Confucius. Confucius say…..

Today is Confucius’ birthday. He was born 551 B.C.

One of Trump’s goals involved the swamp. The one he was going to drain of corruption. The only thing he has succeeded in doing is increasing the vermin living in the swamp.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

7 comments on “LEGAL POT ON DUVAL…..MEDMEN

  1. With all due respect Lou, I think you have the part about Trump having a GOAL of draining the swamp, incorrect. That was a campaign promise Lou, NOT a goal.

    Trump is fundamentally a corrupt and dishonest person who was probably simply reading from the teleprompter without having a clue what that phrase meant. But even if he did know, he felt that it was nothing more than a clever soundbite and not really something he was ever going to need to live by.

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