TRAFFIC SIGNS ARE THE ENEMY OF PEDESTRIANS

THEY BLOCK THE WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE PATHWAY

The road is not closed.

But the public works department that left the sign there effectively blocked two curb ramps in one swipe.

This is NOT the way to welcome people with disabilities or any pedestrians to your city.

The location? A little out of the way, never traversed world famous Main Street known as Duvall Street on the heart of walkable Key West.

Signs like this often linger for months after construction, making a blockade to inclusive access. 

Please share so your city, county and state DOTs learn from this.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 10

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I'm not sure if she has a car, but if she does, I think she would have raced me to the ferry dock if my car had been towed...or maybe she would have ridden me there on the back of her bicycle...or arranged a magic carpet ride to the docks -- she's that kind, efficient and accommodating.

To make time, I didn't go back to Silvia's (but knew I could return for that promised shower and change of clothes to ease my trip up the Overseas Highway).

Candidly, I also don't think I wanted to show my humiliated face to the poor airbnb host who I scared the wits out of when I couldn't find my auto!

Bottom line, Silvia's private room in Key West is perfect for every type of traveler.

I can't wait to go back with my wife and we've even invited Silvia out to a meal at one of our quirky haunts in Miami for the next time she ventures north to the big city.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 9

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Poor Silvia rushed back to her complex and was worried to death about me -- even though all I was, was 40-something old dude who got twisted around in the dark and didn't find his trusty Toyota till he hit the panic button and the beeping Corolla's horn guided me back to me sedan in time to drive to the ferry boat dock.

Poor Silvia even called me a couple times as I was boarding the ferry to the Tortugas and kept checking on my wellbeing while salving my embarrassment by telling me her condo complex is large and that people do tend to get twisted around on where they park.

I share this final story only to show what an amazing "innkeeper" Silvia is.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 8

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Turns out I slept as well as I do at home. I went to bed early, thinking maybe more time would help me get at least some quality shut eye. As it turned out, I drifted right off and zonked out for nearly 8 hours of REM sleep before my big journey the next day.

I woke, dressed and quietly left.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but Silvia's condo complex is very large and in the pre-dawn hours, I got twisted around and feared my car was towed by her homeowners association.

I thought I'd circled the entire complex, come up with no car and phoned her (turns out Silvia had left for her morning run so quietly that I didn't know her condo was unoccupied when I tiptoed out, thinking she was sleeping in her master suite) in a bit of a panic.

It turns out that I had stupidly gotten twisted around in the darkness and on my second sweep of the complex, realized I'd parked by the west wing when I thought I was at the south wing.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 7

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I liked Silvia so much, I even looked her up at the restaurant where she works -- cutting back through to say howdy and to share the details of my roaming.

I knew I'd go directly to bed when I got back to her place and I would leave early in the morning, so I went out of my way to bond with my hostess -- I liked her that much.
When I did get back around 9, Silvia had already gotten home and she again offered snacks, use of all common areas and a healthy stocking up of her bottled water for my daylong ferry journey to a little spit of land 70 miles off Key West.

The shower was clean and the warm water was endless.

The best part was the bed.

I should have asked her what kind of mattress was in my room.

I'm a stickler for comfort and have a pretty expensive bed set in my historic Miami home....but Silvia's guest room bed was dreamy comfortable.

I'm usually one of those people who toss in turn the first night in a strange place.

I could be restless in the presidential suite of the Mexico City St. Regis, so I wondered about how well I'd rest at Silvia's -- no reflection of her, just of who I am when I'm on the road the first night.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 6

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I told her didn't have the heart to drink up her prized stash of gourmet chocolate, but her kind offer showed what kind of super star host she is.

I left my bag of clothes and toiletries in the condo (my room could not be locked from the outside) having zero concerns for safety or security of my belongings.

We chit chatted more about off the beaten path things in Key West (I'm an aficionado of great fish shacks, architecture and taverns not visited by the cruise ship and weekend warrior masses.)

Silvia gave me a key to her entire condo and basically said I could hang out on the balcony, use the kitchen....do just about anything aside from hanging out in her master bedroom instead of napping in my appointed guest room (one of two in her cozy apartment).

When I mentioned that my wife is a wheelchair user who requires a separate bed from mine, Silvia showed me the second guest bedroom and said we should come back down together.

Usually, unique apartments do not serve disabled travelers, but with plenty of disabled-reserved parking at her condo complex, more than one elevator to serve access needs and our simple packing of a portable bath bench for low-sided tub shower, I truly think we could turn Silvia's place into a wheelchair accessible getaway for half to one third the price of a similar-sized hotel room.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 5

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season


It also had extra linens and a nice TV set.

The full bath was right next door to my room and had a lock for privacy.

The living room in the common area had a huge flat screen with tons of cable channels. Silvia welcomed me to watch the tube at any hour, saying she could sleep through house guest noises.

She also welcomed me to free bottled water and other goodies in her fridge. It really was the my house is your house kind of old European welcome.

Right off the bat, Silvia even said she could let me back into her place on Friday -- many hours after my official check out -- to shower.

Many folks on the ferry like to snorkel in the Tortugas and she knew showering off the salt water and changing clothes would be good for my comfort before my final dinner in the Keys and northward drive back to Miami.

When I joked that I make as good a cup of Spanish hot chocolate as any hillbilly anglo who ever ventured to espana, Silvia opened her cupboard and offered a package of premium chocolate from mother Spain for my stovetop handiwork.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 4

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

In very short notice, in very high season for Keys travel, I had a clean and safe room booked at a price point that didn't make me feel guilty for burning the budget on solo, soul-soothing travel.


I emailed Silvia for more details and mentioned I'd like to check in early if possible. She said no problem and also gave me very easy directions to her condo community.

The next morning, I made great time driving from Miami and arrived at the edge of Key West about 10:30 a.m.

I phoned and Silvia was ready to help.

She showed me both the stairs and elevator and welcomed me into her spacious 3rd floor condo.

The place, including common areas, was immaculately clean and featured smart, simple decor.

It turned out Silvia is from Spain, my favorite place on earth, and we shared stories about espana and my so-so ability to speak Spanish (gringos don't worry -- Silvia speaks perfectly English, with just hint of charming Valencia accent.)]

She showed my small, but efficient room.

I could lock the door from the inside for privacy when napping or sleeping and it had enough storage space for 10 times the amount of light luggage that I packed.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 3

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I quickly found Silvia's add for a room in Key West.

I emailed her and she provided outstanding details -- that she is not in the historic, walkable Old Town area, but that her locale a couple miles from the center allowed her to charge less.

She also reminded me that there is a bus route into Old Town Key West, that the center is quite bikeable from her abode and that there also are shuttle trolleys nearby.
None of that mattered to me as I would be driving down from Miami in my own car and I knew the places to park for a discount near Old Town.

Basically, all I wanted was a very clean and quiet place to be 6 or 7 hours of sleep before rising pre-dawn the next day to catch the ferry to the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson National Park.

Silvia understood and I liked her price point of $120 out the door (including the reasonable $13 airbnb fee).

She even understood that I needed her to hold her room for an hour while I booked the non refundable $169 round trip ferry trip.

I booked the trip for a Friday, booked with Silvia to sleep at her condo the Thursday evening before -- inking all deals the Wednesday before my drive.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 2

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Naturally, folks in Miami in January think of the fabulous Florida Keys.

The only problem is that half of the Great Lakes, New England and other frigid regions also think of the Keys in general and Key West in specific this time of year.

I knew when I checked the usual booking sites for standard hotels, that I would be looking at paying about $200 a night including taxes for a dump.

If I wanted a nice place, I'd pay upwards of $300 while leaving my poor wife behind to finish a project at her job.

I even checked a zillion standard Bed and Breakfasts for the smallest, windowless, shared bath room and found few options much below $200.

Finally, my thoughts drifted back to airbnb...which I had tried to use for a brief weekend in Manhattan, but found that every person with a room in an area I wanted to stay at was already booked for the Memorial Day 2011 weekend.

I figured the booked out rooms -- some with only air mattress and not a private room -- spoke highly of airbnb.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

For an old dog who grew up in a world of cookie cutter Holiday Inns, Marriotts and Hiltons, airbnb was a bit of a leap for me.

On one hand, the idea of saving tons of money and having a non corporate cookie cutter place to sleep sounded great.

On the other, there was that hint of trepidation -- what if the place was loud, or dirty, or far from the having the comfortable bed as advertised?

Like most airbnb devotees, I found zero pitfalls and dozens of positives with my stay in Key West.

My maiden voyage on the good ship airbnb was a better experience than I've had at many of those $300 to $400 per night soulless rooms in chain hotels.

The captain for my voice was Silvia, a delightful host who was more accommodating than many of the full-fledged (not airbnb listed) Bed and Breakfast innkeepers that have hosted me over the years.

I was in a reflective mood in the middle of a week in between leaving a terrible employer and starting with a new, wonderful, understanding employer.

My wife suggested that I take an overnight trip somewhere within driving distance of our Little Havana home.