The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-04-25
TOURIST DRIVE

A fairly well concerted drive toward
awakening Key West to the economic adj
yantages of a complete tourist program
was launched some few months ago and
is developing into real program.
II the Navy stays in Key West it will
be more tnan welcome and the citizens
viii work toward making it more pleasant
for the boys in blue. Another aspect of this
program which will return it to normally
is the peacetime reductions of forces. Thus
the number of sailormen in town will not
be 50 overwhelming upon local citizen.
and the people here can meet on more
equal basis. This promises many advan.
tages to the both local folk and sailormen.
Before war brought thousands 81 blue
jackets to Key West swapping the town.
Key Vests hospitality to the fleet units
which dropped into port was known
throughout the Navy
At present the Naval program is the
economic backbone of little old Cayo
Hueso. That is the prosperity which YOU
see now in this city.
But regardless of this income. most
definitely Key Vests future will be inex-
tricably intertwined with tourist future.
Then to obtain this future q program Of
projects and advertising must be under
taken.
It is quite definitely true that we
have sluinped from our prelwar tourist
offering to our postwar tourist offering.
But moving right along is the placing back
in operation of many of the tourist pro
jects which used to be. The Aquarium will
soon be back with us; The Casa Marina
with its big name guests and iovial Repub-
liean Peter Schutt will be with us next
winter. Charter boats will increase. Bot
tom fishing and sightseeing boats will be
new. Sightseeing bus has been installed.
A beach bond issue is making the legal
rounds for tremendous beach. The city
has purchased South Beach.
There are large resort hotels planned.
Auto courts will blossom. Small hotels are
better organized than ever before in the
history of the city and are hot expensive
The God-given weather is always with lis
and will besagain next wiiiterH
s. There Is present, now aid Mili'be pres
emit foramany Latin fias0rmith its
Lain drinks lisnd thumbs n daiihing sarid
soft Latin accents There isIthe Bahaman
lseetlpn Of lthsa town with its icturesque
waterfront characters and its English. ira
dition carried over into the New ord,
There is tropical foliage which cannot Be
seen Elsewhere There are beautiful ssun-
sets and gorgeous colorfaf ocean. -
There IS enough here right now TO
advertise and get people here for, This is
tourist money. which is just waiting to be
picked up. 8sF -
There is another side to Key West
and we should be quite frank in consider
ing this because it is our duty to correct it
in this blossoming period of our history.
Key West right now is starting to
cleanup but there is trash everywhere and
vacant lots everywhere. The question of
paint is ever present in Key West. Ger
tainly at this time when money is plentiful
in the Island City it should be civic duty
TO see that ones places are well painted
up. Then while some of. Key Vests archi-
lecture is amazingly beautiful and well
hcpl, unique W TIC SouHtiy, sISat sueai
of it is nothing more than shaeky material
just thrown up. 81
If we can only emphasize again and
again, Key West for its modern structures
must look like Fort Lauderdale we will
have accomplished our point. Whatever
is new for the city must be modern. What
ever is now shacky must be replaced with
either the old architecture or the new.
The four modern buildings erected
on Duval, one by A. E. Martinez, one by
Dr. j. A. Valdez, one by Jesus Carmona,
and another by Judge Aquilino Lopez
should strike pleasing note to a future
Key West prospect.