The best shops include the Bicycle Center, 523 Truman Ave. Mopeds start at about $20 for 2 hours, $35 per day, and $100 per week. Rates for simple one-speed cruisers start at about $10 per day. Hundreds of visitors are seriously injured each year, so be careful and spend the extra few bucks to rent a helmet. Many tourists choose to cruise by moped, an option that can make navigating the streets risky, especially because there are no helmet laws in Key West. The island is small and flat as a board, which makes it easy to negotiate, especially away from the crowded downtown area. Unless you're staying in one of the more remote accommodations, consider trading in your car for a bicycle. If you stay to the left, you'll also reach the city center after passing the airport and the remnants of historic houseboat row, where a motley collection of boats once made up one of Key West's most interesting neighborhoods.īy Bicycle & Moped - Old Town Key West has limited parking, narrow streets, and congested traffic, so driving is more of a pain than a convenience. Continue for a few blocks and you'll find yourself on Duval Street, in the heart of the city. When entering Key West, stay in the far-right lane onto North Roosevelt Boulevard, which becomes Truman Avenue in Old Town. Whatever you do, don't bother with a watch or tie - this is the home of the perennial vacation. Instead, take in the scenery at a dockside bar or ocean-side Jacuzzi. If partying isn't your thing, then avoid Duval Street - the Bourbon Street of South Florida - at all costs.
For the most part, however, the scene is extremely mixed and colorful. Same-sex couples that walk hand in hand are the norm here if you're not open-minded and prefer to avoid this scene, look for the ubiquitous rainbow flag hanging outside gay establishments and you'll know what to expect.
Key West is still very gay-centric, except during Spring Break. In recent years, Duval Street has actually struggled to maintain its raw, raucous flavor, as a spate of newer, swankier spots have opened in the spaces that formerly housed raunchy T-shirt and souvenir shops. Here you'll find good restaurants, fun bars, live music, rickshaw rides, and lots of shopping. The heart of town offers party people a good time - that is, if your idea of a good time is the smell of stale beer, loud music, and hardly shy revelers. Of course, there are always the calm waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico all around. In fact, exploring the side streets always seems to yield a new discovery.
Don't be afraid to explore these residential areas, as conchs are notoriously friendly. Fortunately, there are plenty of these, and Key West's greatest historical charm is found just off the beaten path. Laid-back Key West still exists, but it's now found in different places: the backyard of a popular guesthouse, for example, or an art gallery, a secret garden, a clothing-optional bar, or the hip hangouts of Bahama Village.
It's definitely not the seedy town Hemingway and his cronies once called their own. This once low-key island has been thoroughly commercialized - there's a Hard Rock Cafe smack in the middle of Duval Street, and thousands of cruise-ship passengers descend on Mallory Square each day. The locals, or "conchs" (pronounced conks), and the developers here have been at odds for years. I think it's a bizarre fusion of both - a fascinating look at small-town America where people truly live by the (off) beat of their own drum, albeit one with a Coach outlet, Banana Republic, Starbucks, and, most recently, a handful of multimillion-dollar condo developments, thrown in to bring you back to reality. There are two schools of thought on Key West - one is that it has become way too commercial, and the other is that it's still a place where you don't have to worry about being prim, proper, or even well-groomed.
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