Even if you’re only in Key West for one day, there’s still no excuse for missing the Sunset celebration at Mallory Square, a pier located on the southwest tip of the island, just behind the aquarium.  Each evening, an hour before and an hour after sunset, a host of merchants and performers line the pier to celebrate the end of another lazy Key West day.  The merchants sell variety of handcrafted items; including, hand-blown glass trinkets (blown right on the pier) original artwork, and necklaces.  As for the performers, you’ll never find such an array of stranger characters in one place.  These characters are true ambassadors of the Key West lifestyle, which is every bit as colorful, exciting, and bizarre as they are.  Each evening there are approximately five shows going on at once.  There’s an escape artist, jugglers, a tightrope walking dog, firedancers, and, my favorite, Dominique the Catman.  I’d recommend seeing the Catman’s show (he’s on the southern pier) before sunset.  Enjoy a pina coloda while watching the sun go down, then head over to the firedancers after sunset, when their twirling meteors create a truly mesmerizing effect, splicing looping trails of fire through the darkening tropical night.  Afterwards, since you’ve already had a drink and are in the area, you might as well head to downtown Key West for one of the world’s most happening bar scenes.