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Postcards from Love City

Postcards from Love City 1

Happy Tuesday!  It has been busy and beautiful down here this past week!  I cannot say enough how much we appreciate all of our visitors and their kind and careful consideration of the COVID mandates the Governor has in place. The towns and beaches are bustling with rosy cheeks and smiling faces and the majority of them have been masked up on the streets as per our government’s regulations.  This has allowed us to keep numbers down and remain OPEN and we thank you ALL for visiting!

The beauty of St. John and her surrounding waters has been breathtaking as of late.  For those of you who are here, I’m sure you can agree that the non-stop rainbows, consistent Caribbean breezes, the brightest of blues and striking sunsets have given a lot of reprieve from the day to day hustle and bustle.  For those of you who aren’t here, I wanted to take a moment today to share with you some of the recent beauty I have been fortunate enough to capture.  Enjoy the views and the rest of your Tuesday!

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New Business Alert: Smoothie Stand Re-Opens After Lengthy Closure

New Business Alert: Smoothie Stand Re-Opens After Lengthy Closure 2

If you’ve driven up Centerline Road recently, you may have seen some activity at the iconic Colombo’s Smoothie Stand just between the Reef Bay Trailhead and Coral Bay. The stop that was once known singularly for its fresh fruit smoothies with a splash of rum managed to withstand the wrath of Irmaria in 2017 only to be closed and put up for sale in 2019. I’m happy to say that today, this St. John gem has re-opened with a new look, a new menu and a healthier twist on their infamous smoothies!

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Kevin and Cheech Talk Love City Hard Seltzer

Kevin and Cheech Talk Love City Hard Seltzer 3

Last Friday, I was at Cruz Bay Landing having dinner and I ran into Kevin Chipman, co-owner and founder of St. John Brewers…Love City’s only brewery.  He was wearing a backpack and a mask and pounding the pavement in promotion of the company’s latest creation; Love City Hard Seltzer.  Kevin asked me to come by and pick up one of their mixed 12-packs to sample before coming in to chat with he and STJ Brewers co-founder, Chirag “Cheech” Vyas, about the product that is proving to be the dynamic duo’s silver lining of 2020.

Kevin and Cheech Talk Love City Hard Seltzer 4
Cheech (left) and Kevin (right) started St. John Brewers over 15 years ago.

Since the pandemic hit, I have watched with pride as many Love City locals, business owners and residents, once again, proved resilient.  Although severe economic impact swept St. John like a dark cloud, I watched as many people changed their focus, tried something new or made a great use of their time to produce a new venture that would further sustain them in the event of ANOTHER bump in the road.  On February 1, St. John’s beloved brewers launched their new Love City Hard Seltzer that would broaden their market and give seltzer lovers, like myself, another way to shop local.

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ABC Announces TV Series Based on Elin Hilderbrand Trilogy

ABC Announces TV Series Based on Elin Hilderbrand Trilogy 5

If you are an avid St. John vacationer and you love a good beach read, you have likely followed along a notorious author named Elin Hilderbrand.  Dubbed “the queen of the summer beach read” by the New York Times, Hilderbrand is a local celebrity on St. John and created the “Paradise” trilogy.  In these page turners, Hilderbrand drops the names of many St. John locals and locales, business owners and bar dwellers…Making Love City enthusiasts feel right at home, regardless of from where they are enjoying the three novels.

ABC Announces TV Series Based on Elin Hilderbrand Trilogy 6

Last month, ABC announced the possibility of a new limited series entitled “Winter in Paradise” that features the characters and stories from these Best Selling, St. John centric novels.  And, in turn, St. John herself 🙂

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Online Art Auction and Virtual Concert Series

Online Art Auction and Virtual Concert Series 7

Good Morning All!  I have mentioned many times before the absolutely devastating effect that COVID-19 has had on our island’s very necessary non-profits over the past year.  The majority of them host fundraisers throughout the year that give the little island that could a reason to get out and socialize for a number of great causes.  This year, many of them have struggled with the cancelling of these momentous annual events which has caused drastic decreases to their annual fundraising efforts.

But, in the true spirit of St. John, most of them have been flexible and creative; developing new ways to raise funds and collect donations online.  And fortunately for all of you who are not currently on St. John, this means that you can participate and support from afar like never before!  This month, the St. John School of the Arts has taken their annual concert series to the web and are hosting an online art auction to “keep their lights on” and support the artistic community and students of St. John!

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The Simplistic Beauty of Cinnamon Bay – By Alex Glass

The Simplistic Beauty of Cinnamon Bay - By Alex Glass 8

Happy Monday!  A few weeks ago, I received a message inquiring as to whether we would accept a submission from a student.  Without asking questions, I immediately said yes.  And I’m so glad I did.  On Friday the following article about Cinnamon Beach came in from Alex Glass.

Alex is in fourth grade and is spending the year away from all of his friends at Maret School in Washington DC. His family relocated to St. John for a short time and Alex is remote learning.  Here, he writes with a great deal of gratitude about the opportunity to be here this year and enjoy his favorite beach in abundance.  I hope you enjoy his perspective on the beauty of Cinnamon Bay 🙂

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Real Estate Spotlight: Find Your Paradise at Little Palm Villa

Views from Little Palm Villa

Good Morning!  Today I have a home to share with you that has me a little green with envy towards the future buyer.  This two bedroom, two bath masonry villa has so much sophisticated charm, an affordable price tag, plenty of space without being extravagant and an incredible location with views to match.  Little Palm Villa is, for me personally, a perfect St. John escape.

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Under The Sea: More Than Just Sun Rays

Under The Sea: More Than Just Sun Rays 9

I feel like we can all agree that there is something extremely inviting about the turquoise waters surrounding St. John.  And I’m not just talking about floating around and sipping on a cocktail inviting (because we all know how wonderful that experience is).  I’m talking about sticking your face in the water and exploring the world beneath the surface.

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Keep Left!

Keep Left! 10

Good Morning and a happy Monday to you all!  I’m afraid that I have some not so great news this morning, but it needs to be addressed.  For it comes with a little PSA that I suppose is necessary given the number of first time visitors traveling to the USVI this winter and the unfortunate events of last week.  So, today, we need to go back to St. John basics….Driving on the left side of the road.

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Local Livin’- Local Cuisine with Smitty at Island Breeze

Local Livin'- Local Cuisine with Smitty at Island Breeze 11

Good Morning and a happy Friday to you!  I hope that all of you are wrapping up your work week with a smile on your face and ready to get into some fun this weekend.  I’m excited to be revisiting the Local Livin’ series this morning with a highlighted local business that offers amazing food, weekend specialties and really, really good company.

Read moreLocal Livin’- Local Cuisine with Smitty at Island Breeze