Key West, Fla. — By 6:30 p.m., the show is under way.
A bald Englishman, with multiple pierced earrings, amuses bystanders with his pointed humor and magic tricks. By the end of his act, he's concealing grapefruit, instead of oranges, under three small cups.
Watching the sunset, this one on Key Largo, is a nightly ritual in the Florida Keys.
A James Taylor wannabe serenades a much smaller audience in a thin, reedy voice. He cajoles listeners and nonlisteners alike to drop a dollar or two into his guitar case.
A boisterous young man balances himself atop a closed ladder, using it much like stilts, while juggling three sharp knives and demanding everyone's attention and applause. We laughingly complied.
As engaging as they are, these street entertainers are in reality just the warm-up acts for the really big show the famed sunset on Mallory Square in Key West. Mallory Square is where everyone gravitates as the afternoon wears on.
Over the years, the entertainment and the square have changed, both becoming more spruced up and polished. My mother, who hadn't been in Key West for more than a decade, remembers more amateurish acts and a grungier Mallory Square.
According to longtime resident and Key West promoter Carol Shaughnessy, the area's proliferation of tourist shops and trinket-laden carts is partly the result of the boom in tourism, especially from the cruise ships that now dock there with regularity.
On our first night in Key West, we weren't at all disappointed with the main event. Along with hundreds of other people, we watched as a huge red disc in a clear sky hovered and then abruptly sank below the horizon. Along with the crowds, we clapped and cheered at the sun's own magic act, and just as quickly, we all dispersed to restaurants, bars or shop until the next day's show.
Exotic, yet familiar
Key West is one of those magical places that are impossible to resist.
In part, that's because its physical beauty, the lush and wild tropical vegetation and the pastel colors of its characteristic conch houses.
A harpist greets passengers embarking on a sunset cruise aboard the schooner Western Union.
In part, it's because of the climate the sultry combination of heat, humidity, sudden thunderstorms and ocean breezes.
In part, it's because of its varied history, its connections with everything from Spanish explorers to Cuban cigar workers to American literary giants.
But, of course, in large part, it's simply because of its vitality, the constant stream of people, including parrotheads, enjoying a good time.
Key West appeals to the visitor in search of the exotic and exciting as well as the familiar and comfortable. Without too much effort, you can pretend that you're on a remote island in the Caribbean, but without any worries about drinking the tap water, eating salads or deciphering menus and direction. Key West is firmly within the United States, a reassuring thought to many in these days of uncertainty.
Key West's only deficiency is the quality of its beaches. For a seraphic beach experience, you need to drive back about 45 minutes to Bahia Honda State Park, ($4 a car), which has ocean and bayside beaches. The gorgeous bayside beach has terrific views of the old and new Seven Mile bridges.
Ultimately, Key West is the kind of place that offers plenty of attractions and the option of doing nothing much at all. During our stay, we alternated days of intensive sightseeing with days of languorous relaxation. The urge to see everything would be replaced with the urge to enjoy La Mer's spacious veranda, the yin and yang of vacation.
The southernmost home in the United States has been recently restored.
A bit of history
The best introduction to Key West just might be the trolley tour or the 90-minute conch train tour, both of which feature entertaining drivers pointing out spots of interest, including the details of Key West's varied architecture, and telling tales of local history.
At $19, the trolley tour isn't cheap, but it does have one advantage over the conch train's $16 price. The ticket is valid all day, and tourists can disembark at the sights they want to see and then reboard the trolley when they're ready to move on. In contrast, the Bone Island Shuttle ($7 a day) is essentially a minibus for tourists.
Of course, you can just hoof it. The old town of Key West is compact, and it can be easily and leisurely walked. Walking tours also lets tourists stop and gawk at whatever catches their eyes, such as an "eyebrow" house, with a second-floor overhang protecting the windows from pounding rain, the tin roofs that protected neighborhoods from being ravaged by fire and a flamboyantly painted turret on a Victorian grand dame.
One of the nicest tours is that of the lovingly restored, 19th-century Audubon House and Tropical Gardens. It's a little bit of a misnomer. John James Audubon, the famous ornithologist, never lived or worked there. The house belonged to John Geiger, a sea captain specializing in salvage, and his family.
Also on the don't-miss list are Ernest Hemingway's mid-19th-century mansion on Whitehead Street and the Little White House Museum where Harry S. Truman spent so much time.
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