Key West is no longer the quaint little town that it was for most of the 19th & 20th Centuries. Although it still contains the Naval Air Station, the submarine base was moved so the community is dependent primarily upon tourism. It is located at the southernmost point of the US at the end of a long string of islands. It first was connected by a rail line, a highway, and then by Pan American Airlines that was formed here. It had a reputation as an arts colony of writers and artists and a welcoming community for the LGBTQ+ folks.
The tourist trade got a major increase with the construction of two piers capable of handling the new super cruise ships that would dump 10,000 people a day on the short Duval St. Recently, the town has limited the size of the cruise ships that will be allowed to dock to try to relieve some of the overcrowding.
Because of its location, the town also has suffered a series of devastating hurricanes, and the damage was expensive to repair. Several homes are open on the tour circuit as well as a few museums. The primary attractions are the open-air bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, the lax regulations let you see drunks sitting in the bars even early in the day. The beach seems more like an afterthought than a primary attraction.
We flew into the small airport with a commuter flight from Miami. We had a rental car, but the small size of the island means that a bicycle could be a reasonable primary mode of transportation. Aside from the overflow from the cruise ships, the tourist trade of course was limited because of the Pandemic. Fortunately, we had traveled before then. The highlight of the visit for us was a sunset harbor cruise on a sailboat.
Like many other communities dependent upon tourism such as Provincetown, and the offshore islands of North & South Carolina, and Georgia, their former isolation has been eliminated, but the increased accessibility has cost a lot of their charm. Somebody forgot to close the gate behind them.
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