Interline Adventures....

THE CHARACTER(S) OF KEY WEST &

THE FLORIDA KEYS

When famed U.S. writer John Dos Passos rode a train down to Florida's Key West in the 1920s, he described the trip to his friend Ernest Hemingway as "one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life." Key West and the Florida Keys can do that to you.

When it comes to U.S. cities, few can rival Florida's Key West for character...and characters. From it's Caribbean island character to legendary characters like Ernest Hemingway, Key West and the Florida Keys open the door to America at its most unique.

Of course, Hemingway was the ultimate Key West character. The 100th anniversary of his birth provides reason enough to visit his old stomping grounds.

"Papa" moved to Key West in 1931 with his second wife, Pauline, purchasing a house at 902 Whitehead Street. Standing at the typewriter in a studio next to his home, he created For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Green Hills of Africa, A Farewell to Arms, and Death in the Afternoon.

Hemingway is one of the world's most famous authors and a Key West icon. The Hemingway home, now a registered national historic landmark, was built in Spanish Colonial style of native rock hewn from the grounds. They furnished the house with rugs, tiles, chandeliers, and furniture brought from all over the world. Though Hemingway sold the house in 1961 shortly before he killed himself, the house and its furnishings have been kept intact, as if the writer were about to return from an afternoon of fishing or drinking.

Besides his simple study, left as he liked it, two other things demonstrate the home and Key West are still Papa's. One is the shrubbery that the nature-loving writer planted and the other is the multitude of six-toed cats which roam the place--actual descendants of Hemingway's own cats--a living link with the Key West that was (and is) Papa's.

Hemingway may have been the quintessential character of Key West and a visit to his house is certainly obligatory, but for the quintessential Key West experience, a virtual character convention is held daily at Mallory Square. If there is a single attraction Key West attraction that befits the entire experience, it's the sunset celebration. The sun, usually a glowing orange ball, seems to drop off the edge of the universe, and most of Key West's characters come out to celebrate.

A Key West sunset is more than a natural phenomenon. It is truly a celebration of the sun, the green-blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and--at Mallory Square pier--the people. It's the people that give it character.

Daily, as the sunset nears, islanders and locals flock to the pier and the place comes alive with entertainment. Here is a group of tourists tapping their feet to the tunes of a string band and over there is a unicyclist unbelievably wriggling free of a straitjacket. Nearby, two men are tumbling, while a gaily dressed young woman beats out a tune on a washboard and cymbals. Animals abound, with snakes, parrots, and many other exotic breeds vying for attention.

A juggler is delighting another crowd with oranges and, later, with flaming Indian clubs. Not to be outdone, another juggler dazzles the crowd with a tossed machete and flaming stick. The Bead Man, mane full of beads, works the crowd and poses for pictures, while the Cookie Lady arrives on her bicycle and hawks her warm brownies and cookies.

Though a bit less lively than the sunset celebration, many past characters are buried in the Key West Cemetery. The cemetery fills 21 prime acres in the heart of the island's historic district, with picturesque stone-encased caskets resting on top of the rocky earth. But the gravestones are what draw visitors.

"I Told You I was Sick" is one of the cemetery's most famous expressions immortalized in stone, but there are many more. In life, Key West natives, called Conchs, rely heavily on nicknames. So sharp-eyed cemetery snoops will find names like Bunny, Shorty, The Tailor, Mamie, Bean K., Lito, and lots more.

The cemetery is open daily from sunrise to dusk. Walking tours can be arranged through the Historic Florida Keys Preservation Board.

There are many other landmarks in Key West, many of which revolve around past and present Key West luminaries. Whether you're heading to a museum or a bar, you're sure to find the something interesting in Key West.

After his first visit in 1946, President Harry Truman became enamored of Key West and returned every few months during his presidency. The 2.27-acre estate where he stayed is preserved as the Little White House. On one visit, he wrote to his wife, Bess, "I've a notion to move the capital to Key West and just stay."

More than a century earlier, noted artist and naturalist John James Audubon must have felt the same way in 1832. When Audubon visited Key West, studying and drawing birds and plants in their natural habitat, he stayed at the home of Captain John H. Geiger, a salvager and harbor pilot. Each day, Audubon explored the mangroves in search of native birds and plants, sometimes starting at 3am and working into the night.

The house has been completely restored and is now a public museum called the Audubon House, with original hinges, hardware, and wood used by ships' carpenters in constructing the house. Along with period furnishings, there are numerous engravings by Audubon, including many from his famous "Birds of America" folio.

Also nearby (Key West just isn't that big) is the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum. Typical of Key West characters, Mel Fisher is a modern-day fortune hunter, heading around the world to find treasures buried in the sea. The museum displays many of his finds, including part of more than $400 million in gold and silver from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a 17th century Spanish galleon that sunk just 45 miles west of Key West.

There are also many more characters off the coast of Key West. The underwater world awaits, with some of the finest scuba diving in the U.S. You might even become the next Mel Fisher, discovering another Keys wreck full of gold. Other popular watersports include windsurfing, sailing, and fishing. In one day in Key West, you can go from simply viewing colorful fish on a dive to feasting on your fresh catch when you return from a fishing trip.

Landlubbers who want to discover the visual delights of Keys reefs without getting wet will love the Key West Aquarium on Mallory Square. The first open-air aquarium in the U.S., this popular attraction includes a 50,000-gallon tank exhibiting the mangrove environment, tropical and game fish, sea turtles, and birds.

If you meet a Key West character and want to treat him or her to a drink or dinner, Key West accommodates. In a matter of minutes, you can go from toasting Hemingway at Sloppy Joe's or Captain Tony's (the original Sloppy Joe's) to enjoying a creative gourmet seafood meal (try the local conch) at one of Key West's many renowned restaurants. But wherever or whatever you drink or eat, be sure to finish your evening with a slice of Key lime pie, made with condensed or evaporated milk and achieving its unique flavor from the juice and minced rind of the piquant Key limes that flourish in the area.

In the evening, Key West nightlife can range from laid-back to wild. The tradition of Cuban music is apparent in Key West, as is an individual brand of jazz blues, known as Conchtown rhythm. This mix of New Orleans jazz and calypso features a noted impresario, Coffee Butler, a native Key Wester who is billed as "the southernmost Louis Armstrong" in nightclubs where he appears. But the biggest influence has to be Jimmy Buffet, who began his career in Key West by playing for friends at at small venues.

As the day draws to a close, it's obvious that you need to spend a few days in Key West to get its true flavor. There's a wide variety of accommodations options to oblige your need for sleep. From small inns to large resorts, Key West is accommodating.

Many other people, places, and things attack the senses in Key West. Once you think you've seen it all, take a tour with the Conch Train, on one of the pedal-propelled cruisers, or by foot. Whether having a drink with a local conch character or some eating some spicy conch chowder, Ernest Hemingway would still love Key West.

For further information, write to the Florida Keys & Key West Visitors Bureau at P.O. Box 1147, Key West, FL 33041, U.S.A. In the U.S. and Canada, call (800) FLA KEYS. From other countries, call (305) 296-1552. Their extensive website (www.fla-keys.com) is also quite helpufl.