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CRUISING TO THE CARIBBEAN:
MY KEY WEST A conversation with Mark Rossi. by Richard H. Wagner |
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 The original Rick's.
Mark Rossi knows Key West. He is the owner of Rick's/Durty Harry's, one of the largest entertainment complexes in the city. Active in the local community, amongst other things, he is the founder of the annual Lobster Fest in which a section of Duval Street is closed to traffic and local restaurants set up stands offering various lobster dishes. The procceds are used for scholarships. In addition, Mr. Rossi is serving his final year as an outspoken City Commissioner after deciding not to run for re-election in 2015.
Mr. Rossi is a Key West success story. When he came to Key West in the 1980s, Mr. Rossi had little money. Realizing the potential of its location, he raised the money to buy a restaurant/bar across the street from the landmark Sloppy Joe's Bar. With the success of Rick's Bar, he expanded, purchasing the neighboring Durty Harry's and other buildings. As a result, his entertainment complex now includes eight bars which range from a polished champagne/martini bar to the tourist popular Tree Bar on Duval Street to the adult Red Garter Saloon. As a result, the complex attracts a wide range of customers including not only cruise ship passengers but also celebrities such as Led Zeppelin lead guitarist Jimmy Page who jammed with the house band on the stage of Durty Harry's one night. Key West has changed since Mr. Rossi first came to the island city. “This town has gone pretty much upscale. Cleaned up. It is a gem in the middle of the ocean, that's for sure. It used to be a diamond in the rough and now it is a polished diamond.” What has not changed, however, is the fundamental character that has attracted Mr. Rossi and countless others to Key West. “It is the easy living, the atmosphere here - - live and let live.” With a smile he adds: “And the weather. It is tough to live in paradise, especially when it only rains 10 days out of the year here.” When his commitments allow, Mr. Rossi is an avid cruiser. Thus he is familiar with cruising not just from the perspective of being a businessman and a government official in a major port of call but also as a cruise ship passenger. “Key West is the number one rated cruise ship destination in the Caribbean, by far. And one of the top cruise ship destinations in the entire world.” He attributes this popularity to the easy character of the city. |
 The Courtyard
For ships berthed at Pier B or at Mallory Square, “you just walk off the ship and within a few steps you are right in the Old Town area. Of course, if you are at the [Navy] Mole, you have to take the shuttle in but the shuttle drops you off right in downtown. Everything is very close and it is not very spred out. It is a tight little area where the cruise ship people mainly stay in.”
“We have a lot things going on here. Fishing, diving. We have a lot of museums, the Ernst Hemingway House.” But it is more than the physical proximity, the array of things to do and the fact that the U.S. dollar is the currency. There is that live and let live atmosphere. “No hassle from the locals. Ease of ability and that is across the board for people from South America to the Chinese to the Europeans to the Americans.” Mr. Rossi's not-to-be-missed recommendations: “Definitely the Hemmingway House; the Mel Fisher treasure exhibitions - - that's very good; the Conch Train - - they give you a good well-balanced history of Key West.” Among the memorabilia posted on the walls of the Courtyard at Rick's/Durty Harry's are numerous military insignias, naval ship models and other items related to the armed services. These items reflect another often overlooked part of Key West. “We still have a military presence. Our Coast Guard group is the busiest in the United States. The naval air station is the Top Gun [school] for the Navy down here. We have a drug task force which is out of here. It has 14 member nations and is headed by a two-star admiral. They do all the drug busts in the Caribbean out of here.” Although the military utilizes a siseable part of the island, it does not dominate the city. Rather, it contributes to its character. The sailors and Coast Guard personnel “blend in” and come under the overall live and let live philosophy of Key West. Nonetheless, mindful of the services contribution, not just to Key West but to the nation, Mr. Rossi is an avid supporter of the Navy League and takes pride in saying that Rick's/Durty Harry's is “the sailors' bar.” Despite its easy and tolerant lifestyle, crime is not a major problem in Key West. “Key West is one of the more safer cities in Florida.” The police “are here. You just don't see them.” In addition, Mr. Rossi pointed out that anyone commiting a crime in Key West would have to drive 110 miles up the narrow highway that connects the Florida Keys to the mainland. Thus, it is no easy task to make good an escape |
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Cruise destination travel guide - Key West - Inside View - Mark Rossi