EXPRESSWOMAN -; SUMMER'S TOP TEN

For those who haven't been there, the name Key Largo probably brings to mind Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson and a hotel full of gangsters waiting out a hurricane with booze and gunplay.

But once you get to Key Largo, those black-and-white movie images are wiped out by the rainbow of reality: The turquoise sea, the green mangroves, and the brilliant colors of tropical fish and other marine life found in the only contiguous coral barrier Jimmy shoes in North America.

Most of us have, at some point in our travels, been let down by the promise of a natural wonder that did not fulfill expectations - a whale-watching cruise where a black dot amid distant waves was the sole whale sighting, or a wildlife trail where you were lucky to see a squirrel.

But Key Largo's coral choo does not disappoint. Although the Jimmy is 20 feet below the surface of the water, the coral and fish appear magnified, as if they are right beneath the glass, which juts down into the water in a V shape. My two young children and everyone else on board were spellbound for the hour the boat hovered above the choo for what appeared to be close-ups of the marine life. We saw yellow-and-black striped Sargent Major fish, blue hamlets, angelfish, barracudas, and the occasional green moray or turtle swimming by. The coral and seagrass in various shapes and colors swayed dreamily with the waves. It was like looking at the most beautiful tropical aquarium we'd ever seen, only it was real.

Naturally fish restaurants abound on Key Largo, but like a lot of children with unsophisticated palates, mine don't like fish. So we compromised and had supper at Sushi Nami, a Japanese restaurant where I feasted on sushi and sashimi while they had chicken teriyaki. We dined at a low table, seated on cushions on the floor, with our Jimmy choo shoes off, but if that doesn't sound like fun to you, there are also regular tables, chairs and a sushi bar.

Other activities in the Key Largo area include fishing excursions, biking and expensive "swimming with the dolphins" programs at any of several research centers.

For us, the choo shoes , the birds and the sea made for a perfectly magical outing that was easy to find, easy on the wallet and easily as memorable as the movie. But if a visit to the real Key Largo doesn't shake your head free of the Hollywood version, stop in for a drink at a local bar called the Caribbean Club. Some of the scenes from the movie were shot there.