Day 9: Key West

Key West is unlike any other town in the United States. A haven for generations of pirates, soldiers, shipwreck scavengers, artists and tourists, Key West has evolved a style, an architecture, and even a cuisine all its own. It is a small town, made for walking; the entire island is only about four miles long and two miles wide. Locals, known as "Conchs" (after the ornate shellfish that is both a highly prized delicacy and a symbol of the island's independent spirit) will remind you that their island is closer to Havana, Cuba, than it is to Miami, and that Key West, indeed, isn't mainstream America.
 

Most colorful is the far western end of the island, an Old Town filled with gingerbread houses, Spanish moss, swaying palms, and an ambience that's artsy, elegant, tropical and seedy all at once. Ernest Hemingway wrote and drank here; so did Tennessee Williams. Harry Truman established a "Little White House" here during his Presidency and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Bishop wrote poetry here in 1938-42.

The inspiration these artists found in Key West is available to anyone who goes down to the pier at sunset. Watching the sun fall into the ocean is a popular ritual that intrigues islanders and tourists alike. Looking out over the water, you'll know there is land out there somewhere. But it won't matter. When you're in Key West, you've gone as far as you can go.

There's plenty to do in Key West, so use your time wisely. First you should visit the premier Key West; the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Hemingway lived in Key West from 1929 to 1940. At first he lived at 1100 South Street, where he finished "A Farewell to Arms", but in 1931 he and his wife, Pauline, bought the mansion at 907 Whitehead which still bears his name. At the time, it was the grandest home in town. It's a totally worthwhile visit; you'll see the chair where Hemingway sat and the typewriter he used while writing "To Have or Have Not", "Death in the Afternoon", "The Green Hills of Africa", "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", and "The Fifth Column": Tours are given daily, reflecting on Hemingway's works, his rigorous lifestyle and colorful personality.