Stopped by around 6:30pm on a...

Stopped by around 6:30pm on a Saturday evening. The first thing to realize is that this club is smack dab in the center of the action along Duval Street, with all the visibility and parking issues related to that. I like being more discrete, but soon realized Key West is like Vegas. There are a lot of tourists walking around drinking, eating, and carousing, and nobody gives a shit about who's coming and going from a SC. In fact, I think the Red Garter is a bit of an institution, like some of the New Orleans Bourbon Street clubs. Couples freely enter just because it's there. And you will see couples and groups of girls during the weekend evenings especially, which is a little different than I'm used to for most clubs I frequent. I quickly got used to the party feel though, which in the end made it even more fun because a couple of the tourist girls got up on stage to dance naked - a pleasant bonus.

Anyway, on to the action. Even though Duval Street was hopping, I entered (no cover at that time) and was the only customer present, which felt weird compared to how crowded it was on the sidewalk. Hmmmmm, I always think, wonder why it's empty? Then I realize it's still rather early for most bar/SC hoppers, so I grabbed a stool by the stage (which I always do for my first visit to a place) and eyed a slender naturally-breasted dancer, older than most but v-e-r-y attractive, on stage.

Well, we hit it off big-time. I think she embodied the best of what we always hope we'll find - an attractive, fun, natural woman without pretense or an air of "working" us. We enjoyed great conversation on many topics over the course of the evening. When I asked her if she'd like a drink, there was no hustle like in some clubs where they go straight for the $12 shots; she hesitated for a second and then said she like perhaps a water, which I fetched at the bar for $2 (a bargain too, especially considering this place resides at the heart of the action on Duval Street in KW).