I was cruising down Centerline Road over the weekend, and it looks like the emergency “fedral” repairs are finally complete! And we have to say, it looks pretty darn good! It also means that St. John, once again, is the home of no traffic lights. See for yourself…
Looks pretty nice, right? So as you can see in the first photo, there’s been a little graffiti going on regarding the proposed Coral Bay marina. Voicing opinions for or against the project = cool. Spray painting property = not cool. Just saying…
Now I hate to say that the road is completely finished because we all know what happened when we said the ferries were finally up and running … that’s right, they stopped running. They’re still sitting in Cruz Bay, and from what we hear, they’re not going to run anytime soon. The latest gossip on island is that the ferry companies aren’t interested in paying for the upkeep. Not too sure how much truth there is to that, but it seems like a valid argument considering the operators never asked for these boats.
Hopefully they start running soon, or at the very least, move so our off-island friends can enjoy their view from the Spice Cam once again.
So as I mentioned on Facebook this weekend, I have a few of my girlfriends in town. I brought them over to Maho yesterday for a little snorkeling and check out who we found summing out in the bay…
How does a half acre lot near Coral Bay for only $90,000 sound to you? Pretty darn good, right?
This parcel, located off of Centerline Road, in Carolina has sweeping valley views and gets great breezes. Scoop it up quickly because it probably won’t last.
Sorry we don’t have any pictures yet … looks like you’re going to have to book a trip to the island to see it for yourself.
Looking for more information? Contact Tammy at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected]
Happy Friday everyone! There’s a lot going on this holiday weekend, so we wanted to give you a quick rundown of the best of the best…
Tonight – Friday, August 29th…
Anyone up for free drinks? Castaway’s is debuting its first ladies night of the season tonight. What’s that mean exactly? It means that all ladies on island can drink any well drinks free tonight – yes for free! – from 9 p.m. to midnight. Hmmm, think they got wind that News of St. John has some girlfriends in town?? Either way, works for us! Hope to see you all there!
Sunday, August 31st…
The 15th annual Love City Triathlon is happening this Sunday at 7 a.m. sharp. The triathlon includes a half-mile swim around Maho Bay, a 14-mile bike ride along North Shore, Centerline and King’s Hill roads, and then a 4.15-mile run down to Annaberg. There’s also an aquathon course, which is similar to the triathlon minus the bike ride. Lastly, the event also includes a SUP Tri Course. That course includes a half-mile swim, a four-mile SUP paddle and a 4.15 run. Spectators are welcome.
Monday, September 1st…
Another zany island parade happens next Monday at 11 a.m. You’re all invited to join in walk, dance or bike alongside the decorated trucks in Coral Bay. There’ll be fun, music and food happening all day in Coral Bay, at Pickles and over the ball field. There’s even going to be a bounce house at Oasis after the parade … So fun!
Ok folks, I’ve decided to take a break from the news today. Instead I’m looking for some advice…
I have a few girlfriends coming to the island this weekend. They’re twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, and none have ever stepped foot on St. John. They’ve been texting me nonstop with crazy questions for weeks now like, “Should I bring wedges or flip flops?” Flip flops of course. “Does it shower every day there?” Yes, but it’s not a big deal. “Is it expensive?” Only if you want it to be. You get the point…
So, my question to all of you is… If you had friends visiting the island for the first time, what are some must-sees in your opinion? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Here are a few thoughts I have…
Visit some ruins…
Snorkel with some turtles…
Do a little hiking…
And of course, some beaching…
Francis
Ok, your turn! Please leave your suggestions in the comments section. Thanks!
So as you know, the proposed Coral Bay marina has been a pretty hot topic both on and off island lately. Well today we wanted to share some information with you that leads us to believe that this marina is facing an uphill battle due to environmental concerns. Just to recap, the Coastal Zone Management committee has 30 days following last Wednesday’s meeting to either approve or deny the permit. Here’s the latest…
Jean-Pierre Oriel, Director of CZM, contacted both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the US Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service and asked for their comments on the Summer’s End Marina proposal. Here’s a few items taken directly from their responses:
From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association…
“… as we expressed after reviewing the previous version of the marina, which consisted only of a marina for smaller vessels … we continue to have concerns regarding the potential project impacts to seagrass beds and water quality in the bay. In response to the past permit application for a smaller marina, we had recommended that the applicant explore avoidance and minimization of project impacts to seagrass, including through alternatives such as the construction of a marina at an alternate location. Instead, when Summer’s End acquired the property, they proposed a larger project that includes the currently proposed marina for small vessels and vessels up to 120 feet in the South Club and up to 80 feet in the North Club based on notes in our project file.”
“ … the project has gotten larger rather than smaller, resulting in greater impacts to benthic habitat that is used by sea turtles as well as creating the potential for greater water quality impacts in the bay, which contains habitat for ESA-listed and proposed corals in addition to sea turtles. For this reason, we continue to have concerns regarding this project. As part of the federal permit process, a Section 7 consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) will be required.”
“… the project may require an essential fish habitat (EFH) consultation with NMFS Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) as part of the federal permit process. By letter dated June 2, 2006, NMFS HCD provided comments to the USACE in response to a previous major land and water application for a small boat marina only in the same location. At the time, NMFS HCD had significant concerns regarding the proposed marina and associated impacts to the dense seagrass beds in the area, as well as potential impacts to water quality.”
Click the following link to read NOAA’s entire response: NOAA Response
From the Fish and Wildlife Service…
“While the applicant states that there are not wetlands in the project site, there are special aquatic sites such as seagrass beds which are regulated by the Clean Water Act.”
“A total of 2500 square feet of marine bottom will be directly impacted by the placements of piles; however the entire footprint of the project should be considered for impacts.”
Regarding the Summer’s End Group’s proposed mitigation plans, the Fish and Wildlife Service does not think think the plans are adequate.
Lastly, the Fish and Wildlife Service stated that the permit should not be issued until its concerns and recommendations are adequately addressed.
As we mentioned about a month or so back, Josh Vernon and Megan Whiteside decided that they wanted to help the Animal Care Center so they started to put together a fundraiser near their home in Massachusetts. They asked businesses on island to donate some goods, gift certificates and more, and invited people who love the island of St. John, who happened to live in the Boston area, to attend.
The event was held his past Sunday, and we were floored when we heard how much they raised. According to Josh, about 30 people came and bid on 55 raffle items. They also had a 50/50 raffle. In total, more than $6,100 was raised for the ACC. How wonderful is that?! And even better, there is a huge box of supplies being sent down to the ACC.
So a big thanks goes out to Josh, Megan and all of the St. John fans up in Massachusetts who came out and supported the ACC. Well done.
There’s an amazingly delicious new spot that just opened up in Cruz Bay, and you all need to check it out. It’s called Yogurt In Love and it’s pretty sweet.
Here’s how it works: It’s a self-serve frozen yogurt shop much like those seen in the States. There are 15 flavors to choose from which could be eaten alone or mixed and matched. Some of the flavors offered the other day were cheesecake, banana, French vanilla, triple chocolate, pina colada and more. But it gets better…
After you dish up a nice bowl of something sweet, you can stroll over to the toppings bar where there are more than 60 toppings including different fruits, marshmallows, candy bars, syrups and more. Mmm…..
All of the delicious goodness can be yours for 59 cents an ounce. (They can even make a smoothie if you want too.) Check out this little dish we bought the other day for a friend… it cost about $4.
But wait, there’s more!
The shop also has its own coffee brews and a full service coffee bar. I tried an expresso and it was delish! It also helped perk me up during Friday’s deluge.
There are several tables inside and two will be added outside shortly, so customers can enjoy a nice view of the park. Yogurt in Love is located right next to the park, across from the ferry dock. It’s open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s a great spot to read the paper in the morning, grab a quick afternoon snack – they offer pre-made sandwiches to go, fruit bowls, pastries and more – or chill out after dinner. Whenever you decide to go, I promise you’ll love it.
For those of you looking to build on island, this may be the parcel for you. This half-acre parcel, located in Estate Carolina in Coral Bay, was just reduced $20,000 and is priced to sell at $62,500. It’s a gentle sloping, downhill parcel just minutes from the shops and restaurants of Coral Bay. A driveway was excavated for the parcel back in 1998 and has remained perfectly intact since.
Looking for more information? Contact Tammy at 340 Real Estate Co. at [email protected]
There are so many interesting people on St. John who create amazing products right here on island. Today we’d like to tell you about a husband and wife team that creates some of the island’s most delicious flavors – Kitchen Creole.
Jim McManus arrived on island by way of Alaska with only a backpack and knife kit back in 2001. He started out as a sculptor with fine art degrees from School of the Art Institute of Chicago and The University of Chicago before a lifelong passion for food took him on a working tour of some of the finest kitchens in Chicago.
Inspired by ‘New American cooking,’ he traveled extensively throughout South America, the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as Nepal and Thailand before meeting and marrying his wife Christy on St. John. Together they worked to create Kitchen Creole, a natural culmination of Jim’s decade-long study of the region’s flavors.
Kitchen Creole handcrafts gourmet spices using only fresh, all-natural ingredients. It currently offers seven spices which can be used as rubs or marinades, or as seasoning agents in recipes. A few of their flavors are:
Bordeaux Mountain: Porcini mushrooms, fennel, Hickory smoked salt, rosemary and touch of Aleppo Pepper flake (From the Syrian Highlands) are carefully crafted together creating smoky flavors of earth and pine wood.
Condado Adobo: Based on the classic adobos of the Spanish Caribbean it is a unique blend of roasted garlic, cumin and coriander as well as Mediterranean and New World oreganos.
Jamaican Ire: This is a balance mild blend of Pimiento (Jamaican Allspice berries) smoked Adlerwood Salt and black peppercorns, granulated molasses and orange zest.
Chances are you’ve sampled some of these delicious flavors before, as Jim serves as the chef at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay.
Ready to try some of these spices at home? You can taste and/or purchase them at Shipwreck Landing, Full Moon Café, Keep Me Posted and Pickles in Paradise in Coral Bay. You can also find them at Pink Papaya and Sugarbirds Gift Shop in Cruz Bay.
Not visiting the island anytime soon? You can purchase Kitchen Creole’s spices online at www.KitchenCreole.com
I was cruising down Centerline Road over the weekend, and it looks like the emergency “fedral” repairs are finally complete! And we have to say, it looks pretty darn good! It also means that St. John, once again, is the home of no traffic lights. See for yourself…
Looks pretty nice, right? So as you can see in the first photo, there’s been a little graffiti going on regarding the proposed Coral Bay marina. Voicing opinions for or against the project = cool. Spray painting property = not cool. Just saying…
