KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR -- 5

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR

After breakfast, we visit Truman's Little White House where wheelchair-accessible tours are given of the property and its grounds, built for the military and used by President Harry Truman as a working vacation home.

Our guide, Tom, is engaging and very knowledgeable about the simple yet elegant white wooden frame home that helped Truman relax beneath the splendor of spreading banyans.

All of the furniture and decor are original or restored to their original appearance, from the 1940s style chairs on the sun porch to the lounge era cocktail shakers at the bar to Truman's beloved poker table, where the powerbrokers of the day whiled away the evenings with cards and cigar smoke.

KEY WST BY WHEELCHAIR -- 4

KEY WST BY WHEELCHAIR

We stay nearby at the Southernmost on the Beach, a modern hotel that has cozy, comfortable rooms as the name says -- on the beach.

Wheelchair-accessible rooms with a king bed are on the first floor with accessible parking spaces right outside the door. Wide doorways, grab bars and a roll-in shower with fold-down seat provide good access.

Access could be improved at the property by widening the path of travel that passes in front of the rooms outside, ramping the sun deck and purchasing a lift for the pool.

A perfect nearby spot for breakfast (they serve lunch and dinner, too) is the Duval Beach Club. Just a short, accessible walk from the hotel via paved paths and sidewalks, the casual restaurant is open from floor to ceiling on the side closest to the ocean.
Ask for a table on the beach side and watch the golden sun rise in the cerulean sky while listening to the seductive rhythm of the surf. Breakfast entrees are reasonably priced and tasty, and the servers have that Key West blend of tropical ease and Bohemian friendliness.

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR - 3

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR

When we are home in Miami, Heidi enjoys a high level of independence afforded by her power wheelchair and lift-equipped accessible van.

But we've learned that the heavy power chair limits us on the road, because Steve can't lift it through a challenging threshold, bump it over a rampless curb or walk it up a few steps.

Because Heidi's manual chair is light, Steve can perform those tricky maneuvers with Heidi in it.

Thus, Heidi sacrifices the independence of a power chair and relies on Steve-power to push her in her manual wheelchair when we visit a city known for its narrow sidewalks, small inns and historic structures.

We meander along historic streets to get to the fabled city cemetery and other points of interest.

We could take a wheelchair-accessible ride on the open-air Old Town Trolley, which features stops at Mallory Square, Historic Key West Seaport, Duval Street and the southernmost point in the continental United States, with its outsized black, red and yellow stone buoy.

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.

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR

KEY WEST BY WHEELCHAIR

By Steve Wright

We are excited about our inaugural trip to Key West -- photographing architecture, dining on fresh-caught fish, experiencing the fabled sunset celebration.

But we also feel a nervous anxiety. Heidi, who has severe rheumatoid arthritis, has used a wheelchair for 35 years. That third-of-a-century of using alternate mobility has taught her never to be surprised.

Hotels that promise to be wheelchair-accessible often are not. Attractions billed as barrier-free frequently present dozens of hurdles. Historic restaurants, houses and other attractions often accommodate disabled people in convoluted ways.

Traveling by wheelchair always adds a unique balancing act to the other adventures of the road. Sometimes we enter the dining room through the kitchen.

Many times Heidi has sat on the ground floor of a museum looking at a picture book while Steve explored an upper level reachable only by stairs. Often our allergies have been aggravated because the only handicapped room is a smoking room.

Talk On Corners: Special Edition, The Corrs

Talk On Corners: Special Edition, The Corrs (143/Lava/Atlantic)

Artists who crank out beat-heavy dance pop are a dime a dozen.

But the pleasant melodies and catchy rhythms in this collection stand out because they’re seamlessly integrated with traditional Irish elements.

The members of this Irish quartet – all related -- sing and play on the dozen tracks, 10 of which they wrote or co-wrote.

The album’s original incarnation was released in 1997, but this effort is distinguished by its righteous remixes.

Andrea Corr’s voice on the opener, What Can I Do (Tin Tin Out Remix), is as shimmery and crystalline as icicles in winter sun.

Though she doesn't have an extraordinary range, she possesses expert vocal control and power.

Only When I Sleep boasts terrific guitar work and a spacey, dreamy texture.

Irish fiddle and a heavy dance beat help the group leave its unique mark on a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams (Tee’s Radio Mix).

Since 1995, The Corrs have had phenomenal international success.

With this work, they now stand poised to break wide open in the United States.

--Heidi Johnson-Wright

Sugar Town, The Iguanas

Sugar Town, The Iguanas (Koch)

Listening to this New Orleans-based quintet for a couple songs can be perplexing.

On one track, they play with the raw urgency of a college radio garage band.

On the next, they’re crooning in Spanish and bounding along with Tex-Mex brio.

But take Sugar Town as a whole, and a grand musical gestalt occurs.

Somehow it all just works.

Captured kicks off the disc, lurching and clanging like a camel pulling a junk wagon.

Nice crunchy sax work and a bluesy guitar solo top it off.

A spirited Latin sound powers La Llanta Se Me Poncho and complements the pleasing vocal harmonies.

The Iguanas wander into lounge lizard territory with Love Terrifies Me, a festival of whammy chords and staccato sax.

Sprinkled liberally throughout the collection is sly humor, as on You Killed My Buzz: “Flying around in your big hairdo/Lying and cheating as swingers do.”

Fun and funky, clever and corny, Sugar Town satisfies that craving for eclectic delights.

--Heidi Johnson-Wright