Sunday, October 21, 2007

GETTING THERE: While flights from the Washington area to Miami are plentiful, convenient (American and United fly nonstop) and cheap (sometimes below $200), adding a leg from Miami to Key West can easily double your fare and your time in transit. American, for example, charges about $450 and up round trip. So you may want to consider the 166-mile drive from Miami International Airport down to Key West.

GETTING AROUND: For those who choose to fly, the major car rental companies have offices at the Key West airport, with weekly rates in the off-season starting at about $180 per week. But since parking in the Old Town is limited, consider renting something smaller and slower. Blue Sky Rentals (305-896-0583, http://www.keywestblueskyrentals.com) rents bicycles from $20 a day, scooters from $60 a day and island-friendly, four-passenger electric cars (which look like a cross between a golf cart and the Love Bug) from $185 a day; the cars also are available at Conch Electric Cars (305-294-0995). Taxis are not cheap, but they are reliable; fares from the airport to the Old Town range from $8 to $15. Or just walk: Nothing is very far from anything else.

WHERE TO STAY: The Curry Mansion Inn (511 Caroline St., 800-253-3466, http://www.curryhousekeywest.com) has romantic rooms, ceiling fans and wet bars. Off-season rates (April through Jan. 15) from $195 double. The Eden House Hotel (1015 Fleming St., 305-296-6868, http://www.edenhouse.com) is centrally located, friendly and funky; off-season rates (May to Dec. 22) from $110 double. Casa Marina (1500 Reynolds St., 305-296-3535, http://www.casamarinaresort.com) is Old Florida-grand and on a lovely beach. Rates from $259 double. Note: Many rates are higher during the Fantasy Fest celebration, this year Oct. 19-28.

WHERE TO EAT: Sarabeth's (530 Simonton St., 305-293-8181, http://www.sarabethskeywest.com) is the southernmost branch of a well-known New York cafe and bakery now splendidly islandized and serving good local seafood (shrimp rolls, crab and Key West pink shrimp cakes) and decadent brunch items (lemon ricotta pancakes). Breakfast or lunch from $20; dinner from $30 (without wine). Take a crowd to Santiago's Bodega in Bahama Village (207 Petronia St., 305-296-7691, http://www.santiagosbodega.com); that way you can order lots of tapas and taste everything. Lunch or dinner from $15 (for two plates without wine -- but for God's sake, have wine: Santiago's has a wonderfully eclectic list).

For inventive vegetarian food, hit Sugar Apple (917 Simonton St., 305-292-0043), where wonders are performed with portobello mushrooms; lunch or dinner around $16. Mangia Mangia (900 Southard St., 305-294-2469, http://www.mangia-mangia.com) is a local favorite, beloved for its fresh semolina pasta and first-rate duck. Around $35 for dinner without wine. For pig's feet, spicy patties and conch fritters, The Art of Baking by Henrietta (316 Petronia St., 305-295-0505, http://www.henriettakeywest.com) is the place for iconic island dishes. It's also a killer bakery, and if you leave there without tasting the coconut strips or the conch rolls (sweet rolls filled with Key lime, coconut or guava, not the sea-dwelling gastropod), you're crazy. Lunch $10.

A note on Key lime pie: This dessert is so central to the Floridian's soul that the legislature recently declared it the official state pie. If you order a Key lime pie and get filling that's green, do not eat it. It's fake. Key lime juice is pale yellow.

WHERE TO DRINK: The Green Parrot (400 Southard St., 305-294-6133) is shabby, charming and loud: It's what the ghastly Margaritaville on Duval Street wishes it were. Despite its name, Finnegan's Wake ( 320 Grinnell St., 305-293- 0222) is not one of those annoying fake Irish pubs. It features Guinness (of course) and other Irish and British brews, as well as delicious Irish food: colcannon, shepherd's pie, and bangers and mash. If you want Key West to see that buff bod, hit the Garden of Eden (224 Duval St., 305-296-4565) on top of the Bull and Whistle. If you'd rather look at other kinds of island view, the bar on top of the La Concha Hotel (430 Duval St., 305-766-3356, 305-296-2991) is more standardized, more touristy, but nice. Up the road at nine one five (915 Duval St., 305-296-0669), the upstairs bar is sleek and minimalist, with sophisticated cocktails.

WHAT TO SEE:

* Key West Cemetery, Margaret Street and Passover Lane, 305-292-6718. Open during daylight hours. Guided tours are $15.

* Hemingway Home and Museum, 907 Whitehead St., 305-294-1136, http://www.hemingwayhome.com. Admission $11.

* Key West Lighthouse Museum, 938 Whitehead St. Terrific view from the top, 90 feet up.

* San Carlos Institute,516 Duval St. The graceful building features Spanish majolica tiles and murals depicting Cuban history. Donation.

* Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden, 1 Free School Lane, is a one-acre feast of tropicalia, with orchids, heliconias, gumbo-limbo trees and unusual palms. Admission $6.

* Some of Key West's gorgeous old houses are open to the public, notably the Curry Mansion (511 Caroline), Jessie Porter's Heritage House (410 Caroline), the Audubon House (205 Whitehead) and the Donkey Milk House (613 Eaton Street). Hours and admission prices vary. Details: Key West Visitor Information (see below).

* For birding tours of the Lower Keys, contact Mark Hedden of Bone Island Tours (305-587-6059, http://www.boneisland.com). President of the local Audubon Society, Hedden says that October and November are optimal months to see migrating birds such as hawks, peregrine falcons and the occasional flamingo. Rates are $80 for one person, $45 each for two to four people.

FANTASY FEST: The carnival has already gotten underway but, since it runs till Oct. 28, it's still possible to make the main events. For a schedule, go to http://www.fantasyfest.net.

RECOMMENDED READING: "The Key West Reader," edited by George Murphy, gives you a taste of Key West's preeminent authors from 1830 to 1990; Alison Lurie's clever and fun novel "The Last Resort" depicts Key West life as it is actually lived; and "The Florida Keys: A History and Guide," by the brilliant prose stylist Joy Williams, will tell you everything you need to know about the bottom of America.

INFORMATION: Monroe County Tourist Development Council, 800-527-8539, http://www.fla-keys.com. -- D.R.