A Classic – But Not Proud – Jersey Moment In The Florida Keys

If you've been to the Keys or the Caribbean, you'll know what I mean. Everything there is at a different speed, and some "Jersey things" just don't have a place there. Like what happened at the intersection in the picture.

Diane and I were walking along Duval St. in Key West Florida and enjoying the day. We had a great lunch at an outdoor cafe. The temperature was 82 and there was a cool breeze. Perfect conditions for a relaxing walk to enjoy some window shopping and street performers.

Everyone is happy, and even though there is a lot going on, there is a wonderful calm and happiness. We stumble across a poet on the street who promises to write an instant poem on any topic we chose. No sooner did we pick a topic for the poet, then the serene afternoon is interrupted by the blaring of a car horn.

This is clearly not a normal occurrence in Key West. The shoppers stopped shopping, the walkers stopped walking, the street performers stopped performing and the poet stopped poet-ing. There was just silence as everyone looked up to find out what happened.

I think you know where this is going. I looked up just in time to see the pale yellow of the New Jersey license plate. Apparently, this representative of the Garden State didn't think the car in front of him reacted quickly enough when the light turned green. An event that happens at just about every New Jersey light every day, but not ok in Key West.

I was a little embarrassed, but not surprised. Are we really so stressed in New Jersey that we can't even relax in the Florida Keys? I hope not. Maybe he just got there.