The Key West AIDS Memorial is set beside the Atlantic at the White Street Pier, where names are carved into flat granite panels along the promenade. It is a simple, public memorial, and its power comes from the number of names and the openness of the setting rather than from monumentality.
Key West was hit hard by the AIDS crisis, and this small place makes that history visible in a city often packaged only as sunshine and nightlife. Stop here during a walk along the south shore, especially near sunset, and give it the quiet few minutes it deserves.