A bicycle with pink wheel rims leans against a turquoise wooden building beside Mile 0 signs, a black streetlamp, and a red fire hydrant in sunny Key West.

Where the Miles End

MG-0260

2024-03-19

About this piece

At Whitehead and Fleming Streets in Key West, signs mark the end of U.S. Route 1 beside a turquoise clapboard building. Mike Gedj frames the streetscape through strong vertical lines and saturated color, balancing the green signage and red hydrant with a bicycle’s pink rims beneath a cloud-streaked blue sky.

The story

I framed the corner with the sky still taking up much of the view, drawn to the way the signs announced an ending while the street continued ahead. Beside the turquoise wall, a bicycle rested in the shade, its pink rims a small surprise against the weathered boards. I wanted to hold those details together: the grand idea of mile zero and the ordinary pleasures of a sunlit sidewalk.

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