The United States and Hwy. 1 both run out of land in Key West. It is the end of the road, the very tip of Florida's tail.

Key West is separated from the mainland by 42 bridges and a hundred miles of highway built atop slivers of coral that barely poke above sea level.

By virtue of its distance from the mainland - you are closer to Havana than Miami in Key West - the rules are more relaxed here. In fact, it sometimes seems as if there are no rules at all. No one asks questions in Key West.