Article: The crazy cacophony of compact Key West

KEY WEST, Fla. This is an island of contradictions. From the moment you set foot on its 15 square miles, the contrasts bounce you around like an overdose of margaritas in the brutal mid-day sun.

On one hand, Key West seems like a tawdry and tinsel-clad Florida doyenne who has given new meaning to the exploitation of tourism. If people have figured out a way to separate a visitor from yet another dollar, they've figured it out in Key West. It's the sort of place that can make the Black Hills of South Dakota seem almost tasteful by comparison.

On the other hand, this resort town of 30,000-plus has a delicious sense of adventure so thick that you sometimes feel like you might need a ...

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