The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center offers classes in dance, music theory, theater and history. There are also live music performances and art exhibits.

Key West, Florida

BARBARA KLEIN:Our listener question this week is from Lada in Russia who wants to know about Key West. The Florida Keys are a group of islands that extends into the Atlantic Ocean from the southern state of Florida.

The word “keys” comes from the Spanish word “cayos” meaning “little islands.” Many of the Florida Keys are very small. Yet some of the Keys are big enough to support large numbers of people. One of the most popular is Key West. It is the farthest south of the Keys that can be reached by car.

Racing powerboats make a turn in Key West Harbor in this file photo of Key West

If you cross the bridge to Key West, you can see many boats. Some are fishing boats you can use for the day. Others belong to people who have sailed their boats here from many different places.

In the city, the houses are almost all painted white. A few are pink or light blue. Many houses are very old and very small. Key West is a very old city. Many of the buildings are more than one hundred years old.

Many palm trees grow here. Colorful flowers grow in front of many of the little houses. You can stay in a room in one of these houses for the night. You can smell the ocean on the soft warm wind that blows