Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/406441
(opposite) monroe county tourist development council, (top) brian sytnyk/masterfile w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 | g o i n g p l a c e s 39 S trung together like an unlatched charm bracelet of 1,700 islands and stretching 181 kilometres from mainland Florida to Key West, the Florida Keys are literally and figura- tively the end of the line. e archi- pelago, which divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico, lays claim to the southernmost point in the continental United States – where it keeps a watchful eye over Cuba, 145 km away. e region's tropical climate, bathtub-warm teal waters, white-sand beaches and easygoing lifestyle have ensnared everyone from pirates and rum run- ners to boozy writers, recuperating presidents and permanent vacationers living out their own sun- baked version of Margaritaville. ere's even a term for it – Keys Disease – where those afflicted stay for longer than intended or never leave at all. And while it may sound like a convenient catch- phrase tossed around in travel brochures, there's some truth to it, as I would soon learn while meandering from Key West to Key Largo, chatting with spiritual tour guides, sticking my forearm inside the jaws of hungry fish, crossing paths with six-toed cats and polishing the mahogany of drinking establishments once frequented by scoundrels, scallywags and famous lushes. My quest to understand the lure of the Florida Keys begins where the journey ends for most – Key West. Heavenly Creatures The Keys' southernmost city is also its most tourist- friendly, with Duval Street operating as the downtown's party zone – imagine a fresher-smelling Bourbon Street with a higher ratio of Tommy Bahama shirts. Sure you can party with snowbirds and long-week- enders or brave the jugglers and fire-dancers of Mal- lory Square for the nightly Sunset Celebration, but scratch beneath the touristy surface and Key West oozes with character, unintentional kitsch and a cer- tain rough-around-the-edges charm. All of which you'll find in abundance at Blue Heaven. A favourite with locals, the open-air, drift- wood-clad eatery is part hippie, part beach bum, and you'll likely share your al fresco meal alongside one of the thousands of chickens and roosters that run wild in the streets of Key West. Protected by a city ordinance, (opposite) Cyclists stop to enjoy a sunrise under a tall palm tree on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail; (top) Seven Mile Bridge crossing over tiny Pigeon Key, which is between Marathon and Big Pine Key. The sun slips behind the horizon, a green iguana stares me down – and that old Jimmy Buffett song has never sounded so good By Michael Kissinger