The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-04-06


Highway linking Key West with
the mainland will be officially
opened early in April That will
be a great day for the Island of
Key West. And the island will
celebrate.
You are told there is no other
highway in the world comparable
to the new Overseas Highway.
You may believe that, for this is
the highway that bids farewell TO
land and takes you out to the
sea. You speed along mile after
mile over concrete bridges with
the Atlantic ocean on one side
and the Gulf of Mexico on the
other, and your cars radiator cap
is pointed south with nothing in
sight but blue water. You have
left land behind you. 1t is like a
bridge spanning the Atlantic'S
southern route.
Tourists who complain that hot
dog stands and billboardS are
: marring the viStaS of u. S. high
ways should lose no time getting
routed over this new ocean motor
road.
Unless the designers of orange
juice and hot dog stands find a
way to put these on pontoonS, the
overseas highway will not be
much of a commercial success for
these symbols of motoring pro-
gress. The only signs that greet
you as you shove off from the tip
of Florida are the signs you read
Don't Stop-Keep Moving.
You have to drive about l6O
miles down through the Ever
glades and out into the ocean to
reach this small reef with the At
lantic and the Gulf meeting at its
shores. You might have just one
idea in mind as you head south
ward from Miami. That idea is
to see Key West.
Worth While? First Answer
Is No. But II Becomes Yes
The first question you will ask
yourself as you turn off wide
Roosevelt blvd. and into narrow
one-way street of Key West will
be was it worth the trip" And
your first answer to that will be
1T was not.
Your first contact with Duval
street will not improve that i'm
preston. You have been accus-
toned to Miami's wide boule-
wards, but Duval st. is no boule-
ward and neither is Flagler st.
But Duval st. is to Key West
what Broadway is to New York;
what Euclid ave. is to Cleveland,
what Michigan blvd. is to Chica-
90: what Canal ST. is TO Atlanta,
and what Flagler st. is to Miami.
But Duval st. is unlike any of
these and the first impression
will not awe the tourist down
from the north. Give Key West
a few hours and it will break
down this first impression. Quaint
is an abused word. II should be
limited to describing Key Vests
old balconied houses, its narrow
streets and lanes.
The islanders arc friendly
They speak as they pass one an
other. The greeting may be in
Spanish. il may be a southern
drawl. but il will be a greeting
And the tourist gets a surprise to
find he. too. IS being greeted as
he v alks along the street.
One can see all there is 10 sec
in Key West IN an hour or two
or you can spend a week walking
or cycling through the old streets
and al the end Of that time realize
that you are just beginning 70 en-
Joy the charm and attraction Of
this old place.
You stroll down Duval ST To-
ward the docks which line the
Gulf side of the island. You come
upon an old house that seems
about 10 be pushed over by the
weight IL a purple bougain'
villaea. You feel that something
should be done about this. But
the next day OF maybe the day
after you realize there is nothing
TO be done about this
Besides. you recall an old HOUSE
you saw over on Whitehead 81
almost across the street from Mr.
Hemingway's walled ShTinel. ~
old house that had given up IN
rruggle against a white orchid
or was Il q frangipanni2
A man can always build anoth
81 house. bat . vine or tree tha'
has sent is roots down through
coral rock deserves % b. lel
alone in is battle O. survive. w
hore no one wsll interfere IN ihi'
strictly private affair And y0l
may he pretty sure that no or
wiIi
Tropical Foliage Covers
Slightly and unslishiiY
That's hos i Is down here
The houaes either ntacd up a
thcy fan down. OF they bi0a
away Iu any event, tr0ptea
foliage vii cgver Z al up IN !
fr7m days or weeks - r1oatha.
Rat 80 matter rRsat happens