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The gay male resort Equator is just down the street and is another gay Key West favorite. And the resort is open for day passes.Ī rainbow crosswalk marks the intersection of Duval and Petronia Streets He noted that many guests postponed rather than cancel their existing reservations. The 39-room Island House also includes a restaurant and bar, dry sauna, fitness center, indoor and outdoor hot tubs and a large pool. But 2021 could be our best year yet.”Īlexander’s is directly across the street from the world-renowned gay male resort, Island House, where longtime manager Paul Murray said Island House also used the three-month closure to make some improvements, including constructing a new steam room and sprucing up the rooms.
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The consensus among business owners is that once the pandemic is over, tourism will return with a vengeance: “We’re looking at 2021 as being a great year,” said Laura Zequeira, the longtime manager of the upscale LGBT-mixed 17-room Alexander’s Guesthouse “Right now we are just treading water. Profits from book sales go to Sister Season Fund, a charity that helps service industry workers and helps prevent homelessness. The Key West Business Guild maintains a tourist information storefront on Duval Street, where you can get a copy of Isolated Island - The Key West COVID-19 Spring of 2020 way, a photo book chronicling the pandemic’s impact on the island. “Small island tiny hospital,” reads a sign in front of a restaurant, emphasizing the importance of staying masked. Virtually every store and business in the city has a sign advising clients to mask-up. Police patrol on foot on the city’s main drag, Duval Street, regularly stopping anyone not wearing a mask and reminding them of the mask mandate. He added that the city of Key West has set stricter standards than its county, requiring everyone to wear masks in public. “When people feel safe to travel they will be coming here to a very safe destination because the community and our local government have really pulled out all the stops,” echoed Kevin Theriault, executive director of the Key West Business Guild. “Key West is one of the safest places you can be,” said the businessman, adding that the island’s weather means you can both dine and experience nightlife outdoors.
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curfew meant that Schroeder had a smaller shoe-lowering event in the Garden Bar. New Orleans House hosts the New Year’s Eve shoe drop, made world famous by CNN’s live coverage of the event featuring the drag queen Sushi being lowered to Duval Street in a giant ruby-red stiletto at midnight.
#KEY WEST GAY BARS ON DUVAL STREET FULL#
Now bars can operate at full capacity with indoor and outdoor seating but with six feet of social distance between parties. Schroeder and other bar owners were eventually allowed to offer takeout service, then indoor service with food. He used a mandated three-month closure of hotels in March 2020 to renovate all of his hotel rooms, getting rid of carpet in the rooms and replacing it with wood and other materials that would make it easier to disinfect after a guest leaves. Key West entrepreneur Joe Schroeder owns the gay Bourbon Street Pub and 801 Bourbon Bar complexes as well as the 15-unit gay guesthouse, New Orleans House. But fear not Key West fans: The island’s small gay-owned hotels, bars and restaurants struggled over the last year, but they survived and are poised to welcome visitors back, better than ever. The pandemic sadly struck a death knell for many legacy LGBTQ businesses around the country. The Equator Resort Key West’s LGBTQ business struggled, but survived.