Old House and The Guesthouse
Yesterday we drove by our old house. It has only been 2 and a half months since we left our first home, but in that short time that dumbass loser who bought our house managed to RUIN IT. Our old neighborhood was kind of crappy looking, but Ryan and I agree that our old house is now BY FAR the worst looking in the neighborhood. There are weeds in the front yard which are approximately 2 feet in diameter and 3-4 feet tall. Sometimes I exaggerate a little in posts for affect, but this is NO EXAGGERATION. I was so heart broken I had to drive away fast or I’d cry. Our old next door neighbor, a sweet older man, had actually put up lattice work all along the property line. I’m guessing he couldn’t stomach the sight either. But then there’s our old neighbor to the North. A (large) part of me is laughing at the fact that those jerks are stuck with this a-hole next door now. Its only fair. Karma’ll bite you right in the butt every time.
So I have a very unusual problem. Ryan and I are going to Key West this April and I’ve been looking at hotels for us to stay in. We’re pretty low-key and sorta shun the idea of big resorts. Well, I found this GREAT Guesthouse that is gorgeous and affordable. Not only that, they have a nightly happy hour so you can hang out w/ the other guests, and they boast a gorgeous, homemade breakfast every day. Perfect, right?
Well, as some of you know, Key West is very gay-friendly. I grew up spending summers on Fire Island in New York (in The Pines, no less), so this sounds like a plus in a vacation to me. Well, this perfect hotel that I found states very clearly on their website that they are a ‘gay-specific accomodation’. I’m very sensitive to not making other people uncomfortable, so my first thought is that I should ask for permission to stay there. But then I think, hey! This is about tolerance and acceptance, right? It should work both ways.
Am I over-thinking this? What do you think? Should I contact the hotel to find out? Or am I correct to think that ‘gay-specific’ is a gentle way of saying ‘gay-only’? Let me know what you think.
one mans castle is anothers weed garden….
Id call to check it out its sounds like it may be gay only.
i’ve been to the keys zillions of times (former miami resident). you’re going to have a blast there. i’d call just to be on the safe side, KWIM?? and don’t forget to visit ernie’s house & say hello!
and i totally feel for you about your old house. it happened when my ex & i broke up. i moved out of the house (since it had been in his family for years) and he had managed in 3 short months to undo all the hard work it had taken me 7 years to accomplish (that place was a hell hole when we “inherited” it. makes me so sad, that i rarely go there anymore.
well, have a nice weekend!
here from michele’s tonight! 
it couldn’t hurt to just give a call and ask them… of course i don’t think they could legally turn you away for being straight.
Having lived close to New Orleans before, gay specific means that mostly gays stay there. It’s like a gay bar…but as long as you are cool with it all, you are usually welcome. Some of the best times I ever had in the Quarter were at gay bars. You did not mention if you are taking a man with you. Men don’t seem to be as cool with it as we women are that love our gay guy friends to shop and cook with. Follow your heart, and yes, a phone call can’t hurt
Here from Michele
Go for it! I’m totally jealous btw..
Melinda,
He’s the best.
Yeah, ryan’s totally cool. He was shirtless and dancing in the gay bar with the rest of ‘em.
Sorry to hear about your old house. I think you always hope that the people who buy your place are going to love it as much as you did.
Key West sounds great! You could always call ahead to reassure yourself, but it would be politically incorrect if they didn’t allow Straights!
btw…is it just me, or have you changed the look of your site? I’m just getting the basic black print with no pretty pictures
Like kross-eye kitty, I’m sorry to hear about your old house too. In Dec 2004 I went to see the the first house I had lived in when I left home (1988). I was so upset to see it was really run down. The picket fence was missing pickets. The lovely kitchen/herb garden we had out front had turned into a patch of very very very long weeds. The whole place just looked awful and I’d wished I hadn’t gone back to see it…
By the way, Michele sent me. I really like your site.
I say call. Better safe than sorry, right? HAVE FUN! I’m totally jealous of your upcoming trip.
Hi, Michele sent me.
We moved about 2 years ago and I try to avoid going by it. My neighbor says nothing has changed. The people we bought our current house from came by and the former owner kind of sniffed and said “one man’s castle is another’s fixer upper.” I’d have felt some sympathy for her except we had to demo the master bathroom and replace all the fixtures because it leaked so bad it ruined part of the wall. Plus, when I started cleaning out the kitchen I found D-con and rodent droppings. *shudder*
I’m sorry to hear about the doof who now lives in your old house. At times like this, I comfort myself with this simple thought: a house is not a home.
Home is wherever you are now. It was the only way I was able to leave our last house in Montreal before we moved eight hours away in the dead of winter.
It surely is sad to leave beautiful memories behind but on the other hand, you can build better memories in your new abode.
Cheers from Michele. Happy weekend!
I asked a friend of mine once where he calls home, since he’s moved all over the place and his family is splayed out over two countries. He shurgged and said “home is where my sh*t’s at.”
As to the hotel, make a reservation. Sounds like fun! And if they’re going to be so intolerant of other lifestyles, well, this will be another karma-butt-bite situation.
Go to KeyWest and enjoy the guest house! I go there every year scuba diving and we always stay at bed and breakfast or guest houses. They aren’t for gays only just letting those that aren’t know. They are nice friendly fun places to stay and the food is to die for! I highly recommend staying there. No one cares if you are gay or straight.