Key West - A Return Journey to Tropical Places

"Tropical Palm" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Years ago, my husband and I first glimpsed the tropical beauty of the island of Jamaica. We have always loved to travel, so, after that initial journey into the tropics, we could not get enough of the exotic beauty that inspired me to take thousands of slides and photographs. Eventually, I created many large acrylic paintings documenting those trips. I wrote travel articles for magazines and newspapers and even created and published a few novels set in Jamaica, Antigua, and other tropical places.

Lobster Fest on Duval Street ©Mary Montague Sikes

More recently, we returned to Key West, Florida, a destination we first discovered years ago during an automobile trip that covered the entire length of the state, including the Keys. Even though it was already a lingering point for artists and writers, Key West was a lesser-known vacation spot then.

Now, things have changed a lot. On our recent trip there, Duval Street was blocked off for the carnival array of tents dedicated to Lobster Fest. The street looked much like Main Street of our little town of West Point, Virginia when we have our annual Crab Carnival. For me, it was a little sad because I wanted Key West to remain different and undiscovered, full of unique locals and not so many tourists. I'm still looking for a tropical paradise.


Key West is not the same place it once was. I was glad to see that the 2017 hurricane damage there was not so severe. We visited in May of last year before the hurricane struck. We didn't see much that was different except the gigantic Seward Johnson sculpture of the dancing couple was missing from in front of the museum on the waterfront.

Happily, one thing that has not changed over the years is the glorious sunset over the Key West waters. People still gather at Mallory Square and cheer as the sun goes down. We went there twice and waited and were not disappointed. The sun still sets. ©Mary Montague Sikes

"Key West Sunset" ©Mary Montague Sikes