Mallory Square opens out in front of you, a waterfront plaza in the historic Old Town of Key West, Florida. The square sits just west of the northern end of Duval Street, facing the Gulf of Mexico, and runs the entire length of Wall Street. Adjacent to you are the Key West Shipwreck Historeum Museum and the Old Post Office and Customshouse, with the cruise ship port close by.
Every evening Mallory Square becomes the stage for the Sunset Celebration, considered one of the main tourist attractions of the city. Hundreds of tourists arrive each night to watch the sunset; the celebration includes arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, and food carts, and it begins two hours before sunset, every day of the year. In 1984 the city opened a pier on Mallory Square, a move that many opposed because they feared it would disrupt the sunset tradition.
In response the city passed an ordinance requiring cruise ships to leave port two hours before sunset, allowing them to return after sunset without an additional docking fee. Picture the Gulf of Mexico ahead, the length of Wall Street, and Duval Street with its nearby museums.