KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR -- 2

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR

We begin our exploration with a walk and roll down Duval Street. We love the pedestrian scale, activity, mix of uses and historic buildings. We hate the chain stores and T-shirt shacks and the overemphasis on bars.

Overdevelopment does have one upside for the disabled visitor: increased wheelchair access. Chains have the money to put in lifts, elevators, ramps, wider doors and other features that remove barriers to wheelchair mobility.

Restorations, renovations and other upgrades tend to bring accessibility to century-old buildings that previously were off-limits to wheelchair users.

Simonton Street, running parallel to Duval, gives one hope: Old Florida houses, Caribbean-flavored abodes with Bahamian shutters and stucco homes with Mediterranean flourishes draw in the eye and spark the imagination as to what it would be like to live in the Conch Republic.

Curb ramps are plentiful and generally in good shape, though in the rainy season, water often collects in the gutter at the bases of the ramps. Though we dearly love to walk and roll along great American streets, such journeys usually require a sacrifice.