The locals there were quite friendly, and before I knew it there were shots being sent to me from around the bar. I met a few really nice people and got some inside info on the island that I never could have read in a guidebook. It was here that I learned that I was not a "tourist," but a "visitor." There's a difference, the locals tell me. A tourist comes to see the sights, lie on the beach, and go home. What made me a visitor was the fact that I strolled into the "local bar" and got to know the working people of Key West. I got to meet carpenters, craftsmen, fishermen. It was so wonderful to have an experience that had not been carefully packaged for my satisfaction. I made return visits to the bar during my "me" time thereafter and had more great conversations with my new buddies. It was also nice to walk into the local Walgreens one morning and have someone call my name and wave from across the parking lot.

I will definitely go back on my next trip. The Green Parrot bar is about as unpretentious as it gets. The decor is simple, with a large parachute billowing over the bar and the clearly posted motto "No Sniveling." The bar is very open to the street and outdoor air, and the dress code is . . . well . . . I don't think there is one. You just come as you are. You come as you are and you fit in. Isn't that great?

Continuing our quest to go to every bar on/near Duval, we wandered into the Green Parrot one night, just to see what it was about. After paying the small cover and getting a wristband, we grabbed a beer and sat down at one of the tables in the small bar. We soon realized that we were some of the youngest patrons of this bar. Everyone our age was down on Duval. The crowd was mostly locals with a few bikers and Parrotheads. Rumor has it that when Jimmy Buffett comes to town, he comes here to hang out.

The jukebox played music that was mostly rock, with some blues thrown in. Mixed in with all the portraits, and the large wall mural of the Garden of Eden, were signs all over the walls advertising the zydeco and blues bands that play here on the weekends. The beer was cold. The bar offered darts, pool, video games, pinball and a dance floor.