Hi! I’m Hillary Bonner. I’ve been on St. John for 8 years and have worn A LOT of hats in my time on island. Most of us do tho…A lot of times island life calls for ingenuity, flexibility and resiliency. And those things are what I kind of LOVE about the people in our Love City Community.
Between boat days and day hikes and happy hours with so many happy faces, you may have seen me behind the bar at Asolare, Zozo’s, The Terrace or Drink (once upon a time, Motu) over the years. But after Hurricane Irma, I jumped from behind the bar into non-profit work. That desk job made me remember that, way back when, I DID go to college and I might have been letting some of those skill sets get a BIT rusty. My degree is in Journalism and Public Relations. When asked if I ever used it, my programmed response was, “Bar tending IS relating to the public.”
But, back to the desk job…I was doing everything. Which is, again, what you do in a small office on an island. Events, marketing, handling in-kind donations, unloading containers, attempting to figure out logistics I didn’t even know how to spell, community meetings, board meetings, FEMA meetings. All of the meetings.
One day, I decided that there were aspects I loved. And aspects…Well, not so much. So I started my own thing, supporting local small businesses and non-profits in the realm of design, marketing and events (specifically music related events…you’ll hear a lot about music from me). I have a bleeding heart for the small yet ambitious non-profits on St. John. And an overwhelming amount of respect for the small business owners who made their ideas take flight in a place where it’s very difficult to do so!
I love life here on St. John. The highs are the highest and the lows are not so low as they can be in other places. The accessibility to Mother Nature on this little slice of perfection is unparalleled. She’s all around us all of the time. You can watch the phases of the moon, the rotation of the planets, the shifting of the sunset and the tides. Every damn day. Mother Nature’s restless spirit reflects the transient nature of the people here as well. That was hard for me at first. The coming and the going. But now, I like the fact that I will rarely visit a place that I don’t have a place to stay and a friend to catch up with from St. John.
So, now, here I am (using my degree, Ma!). Contributing to a long standing super positive blog. Here I feel like I’m in a position to use my voice to entertain and inform you about the community and island that I love so much.
I’m grateful for this opportunity and am ALWAYS open to story ideas! Let me know what, where or who you want to hear about!
Good Morning! I have received a TON of messages about updated COVID-19 testing requirements for entering the USVI. A lot of people are receiving their second round of vaccinations around the country…And that is fantastic! Unfortunately, you still need to provide a negative test or anti-body test in order to board your flight to the territory. Here is the most updated information from the USVI Department of Tourism and some info from the CDC about the vaccination and maintaining social distancing protocols.
Good Morning! The Governor updated the Territory yesterday afternoon and is making some upcoming changes to COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and taxi cab capacity limitations. Additionally, I’ll be inserting a brief update here today about the latest push back on the opening of BVI seaports.
The 2021 Gift Hill School Auction is LIVE now and offers you an opportunity to bid on boat days, villa stays, dining experiences and many other activities and excursions to use on your next trip to St. John! And, it’s in support of the kids and their education. So, win, win, win!
Good Morning Everyone! The Friends of Virgin Islands National Park in partnership with the National Park Service will host the 30th Annual Folk Life Festival today at Peace Hill and Annaberg in celebration of the rich culture of the Virgin Islands.
A few days ago, I FINALLY made it over to the Lumberyard parking lot to check out the new food truck and pick up some of my favorite island cuisine for lunch. Abdue “The Roti King” Hill officially opened his food truck for business last Monday. And business, and the roti, has been very, very good.
Good Morning Everyone! We just wrapped up a CRAZY busy wave here on St. John! President’s Day week was one for the books and it’s no surprise. With many destinations, including the British Virgin Islands, continuing to keep their borders extremely restricted, flight costs to the territory at an all time low and the USVI topping the lists of travel blogs all over the web as a top destination for 2021, its not surprising that we are seeing a lot of new visitors and repeat travelers doubling down on their time spent here this season.
In the following post, I’ve compiled a list of current Do’s and Do Not’s, including up to date COVID-19 information, as a guideline for newcomers and as a refresher for those of you who have visited religiously over the years.
The winds have shifted here in the USVI. Today we no longer focus on the number of positive COVID-19 test results, although those numbers are very, very low! In the Governor’s press conference yesterday, he marked the coming one year anniversary of a year of response and hardships for our community and small business owners.
This one year anniversary reveals a new chapter and new goal of working as a community towards herd immunity. As of yesterday, 12,000 Virgin Islanders had been vaccinated, and the Governor has set a community goal of 50,000, or half of the population of the territory, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months.
So today, we focus on growing the number instead of decreasing it. Say what you will about the administration and their accelerated efforts towards the COVID-19 pandemic. St. John is currently busier than I have seen in recent years. And active cases are below 100. Something is working.
This is not a plug for vaccinations…I believe that we have all been on our own very individual paths through all of this pandemic. And each person’s stance on vaccinations do not delineate from that belief. Here, I’ll tell a story of a milestone for a local clinic, a story of a community working together and my own personal experience in receiving the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine. Because during my experience, I was once again reminded of how truly fortunate I feel to live in this community and how grateful I am for the hardworking people who make the wheels turn behind the scenery and the beautiful backdrops!
Happy Monday to you all! I wanted to share with you this morning a music video from some of my favorite St. John artists in hopes that it kicks your work week off to a positive start.
Good morning everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a great start and that you all are staying warm up there. I have some great news to share with you today in regards to the re-establishment and resurrection of one of the baseball fields in Cruz Bay!
Good Morning! I’m afraid I have some not so great news to share with you today. Many of you may have stopped by the popular deli on the third floor of the Marketplace for one of your favorite sandwiches or a beach breakfast to go. I know that Sam and Jack’s Deli has always been super high on my own personal lunch list of priorities. Today, I’m very sad to say that the pandemic and economic uncertainty of the past year and the foreseeable future has claimed a long standing favorite breakfast and lunch spot on St. John.