Hi everyone, happy Saturday! There are a couple of things happening today that we wanted to share with all of you. Check it out:
Chester’s Getaway
By now you’ve all probably realized how much I adore this great new spot on Centerline Road. Well tonight they’re having something that sounds like it’s going to be lots of fun – a country and western dance party. Can’t wait!
So I am not a huge country western fan, but I know this will be good. They’re having a dj and we’ll all be dancing our flip flops off. It starts at 9 p.m. and I hope to see you all there.
Just a reminder, Chester’s is located around mile marker 2 on Centerline Road. It’s on your right if you’re heading east and it’s right next to Canines, Cats & Critters.
The New Gas Station
So yes, we admit that we made a bit of fun of the gas station and its inability to get its gas truck up the hill about a week or so back. Well we received an email from the owner. Nedal Salem, yesterday and he asked us to pass along some info to all of you. He was very kind, so I am happy to oblige.
They’re having a grand opening party today from noon to 2 p.m. It will feature bands and light bites. They are also raffling off a 32″ tv.
So I asked Nedal if he’d like me to relay a message to all of you and this is what he had to say:
“We and of most our family are born and raised in St. Thomas and this is our home. This infusion of our gas station will benefit the entire St John community and tourists in that it will offer better prices, open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Sunday, and also means more fuel on the island thereby motorists will not be stranded without fuel if the other station had no gas.”
It looks like it’s going to be a dry day on the island today. Well at least until four o’ clock.
Good Friday is the one day of the year that alcohol sales are restricted by V.I Code. That means that bars, restaurants and even the markets are not able to sell liquor between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. today. So unless you stocked up last night, you’ll have to forgo the rum in your rum and Coke until later this afternoon.
Here’s the official details…
Pursuant to Title 1, Section 171(b) V.I.C., distilled liquor and drinks prepared therewith shall not be served in public places of refreshments between the hours of 9:00 o’ clock in the morning and 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon on Good Friday. Violation of this subsection will result in a fine of not more than $200 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
Not only has Architectural Digest honored Ingrao for his design and architectural skills, it also devoted an eight-page spread to his Denis Bay home in its 2014 issue – the same Denis Bay home that created an eyesore on the North Shore. But what riles me up the most is some of the verbiage used in the article. Take the headline for example:
“Making the most of a lush hillside spot, the duo carve out an exhilarating retreat overlooking the azure sea.”
Carve out. Yes, they certainly did carve out something over there in Denis Bay – they carved out a chunk of the National Park.
Let’s move on to the first sentence: “Americans are accustomed to taking liberties, especially when it comes to architecture.”
Ingrao certainly took some liberties when building his property. He built on other people’s land, created a landslide and carved a huge chunk out of the hillside.
But Ingrao’s quote near the end of the article is the pièce de résistance: “This house is elemental. It feels like it’s growing out of the park.”
Ok folks, so there’s some more drama brewing with the island’s taxi situation and we have to admit, it doesn’t make us happy.
For those of you who have ridden around in an island safari taxi, you know how much fun it is to cruise down North Shore Road with the wind in your hair as you take in the island’s beautiful sites. Well it seems those days may be numbered due to a certain law that was created back in 2009.
This is a tad confusing, so please bear with us…
So back in 2009, the Virgin Islands Taxi Commission put into practice a new rule that sought to replace the islands’ open air safari taxis with enclosed vans. This 2009 mandate created a “moratorium on licensing new safari taxis built by island fabricators and installed on ‘incomplete’ truck frames imported from the U.S. unless the so-called ‘after-market’ fabrication is certified as meeting federal standards for operation, according to the St. John Tradewinds News.
Well it seems that there aren’t any after-market fabricators in the territory who can certify a finished safari. So what does that mean? It essentially means that as it stands now, no new safari-style taxis will be made. And once the current safari-style taxis run their course, they will be replaced with enclosed vans.
Not cool.
Seriously, could you imagine riding around the island in an enclosed van? Neither can I.
So what can you do about it? Well our friends over at Active St. John created a petition and they’d like you all to sign it. Here’s a sample of what they had to say about it:
Does anyone think its good for tourism and residents of the Virgin Islands to replace the Safari Taxis with passenger vans? Does anyone want to have to get in/out of a single van door in traffic as we drive on the left and the vans passenger doors are on the right?
How is this remotely safer? How could it be possible there are federal standards for operation for these Safaris? Can anyone imagine riding down a freeway in the states with a fully loaded Safari at 60mph and not getting arrested? The Safaris are part of the VI and must stay in the VI. Can anyone remember a Safari having a safety issue due to not having a federally-certified welder constructing these amazing vehicles? The sooner this gets repealed, the better … only you can make the difference to the VI’s future!
Back in 1994, one of the island’s best bars poured its first drink … 20 years later, it’s time to celebrate!
The folks over at Woody’s are in the midst of planning one heck of a party, and you’re all invited. So if you’re lucky enough to be on island Friday, May 2, Woody’s will definitely be the place to be. Stop by between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and help celebrate Woody’s 20th anniversary.
The party will feature live music and DJ Adonnis. There’ll also be a pretty cool raffle, and all proceeds will benefit the St. John Cancer Fund.
Coors Light will be simultaneously celebrating its 25th year on island, so there will be $2 Coors Lights all night. There will also be $3 Fireball shots, and $3 Parrot Bay and Captain Morgan drinks.
Now I’m pretty certain we all have a good Woody’s story to share. What’s yours?
One of the most frequent questions we receive here at News of St. John is “where should I stay?” Our response is pretty standard: If you want to be where most of the action is, Cruz Bay is your best bet. If you want to be where it’s a bit quieter but you still want quick access to a few good restaurants and shops, Coral Bay may be the way to go. And if you want to be completely away from it all, East End is for you.
And for those who truly want to be in the center of it all, I typically suggest Grande Bay.
(Full disclosure: Yes, I am aware that there is a small group of people who will never like Grande Bay for one reason or another. As someone who has spent some time on the property, I have to admit that I found it to be quite nice. It’s convenient and has great views, on-site parking and super quick wifi. Grande Bay is also a big community supporter. That to me is huge. )
Grande Bay is truly at the center of it all. You really can’t get any closer to the action than when you’re staying at Grande Bay. For starters, it’s only 300 steps from the ferry dock when walking along the beach. Want to grab one of Motu’s delicious Bushwackers before heading to Frank Bay for the sunset? Well it’s a mere 10 steps to Motu and then only 311 steps down the road to Frank Bay. How’s that for convenient?
Looking to watch some live music? Then mosey on over to The Beach Bar, which happens to be only 38 steps away from Grande Bay.
How about some drinks and grub? If you’re looking for a relaxed atmosphere, you can walk a few blocks – 495 steps – to Woody’s. Looking for something a bit fancier? Walk another 20 steps up to La Tapa – which is only 515 steps from Grande Bay.
Waterfront Bistro is a great spot for a nice meal with a nice view. Again take the beach (such a nicer route) and after 311 steps you’ll be there.
You’ll probably want to do a little shopping after all of this eating and drinking. Mongoose Junction, home to an abundance of great restaurants, shops and bars is only 684 steps away.
Lastly, you’re probably going to want to explore the island a bit. After all, you’re in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Take the beach over to the taxi stand, which is 310 steps away.
How about a nice boat ride, say over to the British Virgin Islands for the day? Simply walk across the street and hop aboard Residensea – Grande Bay’s exclusive 35 ft. Scout.
Kellie Jo Barley asked us to share something with all of you. For those of you who do not know Kellie Jo, she and her family moved to St. John last year after purchasing Sail Safaris. We wrote about her family’s transition from a farm in Florida where they cultivated peanuts and grass seed to a their new life on the water on St. John. (You can read all about that it here.)
Well yesterday, a bit of tragedy struck the Barley family while one of their boats – Fly Girl – was out on charter. Fly Girl was near Lovongo yesterday morning when a fluke gust of wind caused the 27-foot catamaran to capsize. Fortunately no one was hurt.
Kellie Jo wanted to extend her thanks publicly to everyone who came to their aid. We were happy to help her do that. Here’s what she had to say:
“So thankful for the community of St. John today! The boating community of STJ and STT rallied together to come to our aid with manpower, boats and tons of support! Our family and business are so grateful for prayers and well wishes and overwhelmed by the general support of everyone in and out of the boating community! We are confident Fly Girl will be back in the water in no time with her very loyal crew by her side.
“Special thanks to Scubado, Privateer, Singing Dog Sailing, Noah’s Little Ark, Ocean Runner and Sadie Sea! As well as everyone else who offered help. And the absolute best crew … I just wanted to be able to say thank you to the most amazing community.”
So once again, the sprit of St. John shines through its people. Kudos to all of you.
Donkeys at Caneel: We’re not sure of any of these guys or gals are Scotty, but I’ll venture to guess they may be related. 🙂
People often ask me what makes St. John so special. Sometimes it’s hard to put into words just how special this place is. For me, it’s a combination of the people and the sheer beauty of the island. Yesterday, however, the inner beauty and actions of several island residents overtook the island’s charm in a big way. Here’s what happened:
I received an email around 1:30 p.m. yesterday from a woman named Shannon. Shannon has lived in the Virgin Islands for more than 20 years. After a brief time off island, Shannon recently returned to St. John. (That in itself makes us happy.)
Here’s what she wrote:
“We were out at Cinnamon on Saturday and noticed (along with some other concerned folk) that a donkey was limping really bad and then retreated to the trees behind the sailboats there by the beach rentals and just laid down for most of the afternoon. Apparently these tourists had noticed this some days prior and called the National Park Ranger who then came in that afternoon to look at the donkey. The tourists told us that he had planned to have ‘someone’ from St. Thomas come on Monday to sedate him and take a look, it appeared to him that the donkey simply had something stuck in his hoof.”
Shannon continued, “Well, we went to Cinnamon again yesterday and much to our dismay the poor donkey was still laying in the trees behind the sailboats. Another donkey has taken up residence to soothe him or her. It’s so sad.”
Shannon then mentioned how she notified the National Park Service and asked if we could help. Naturally we said we would.
We first reached out to Thomas Kelly, the Natural Resources Manager at the National Park Service. Within an hour, we heard back from Thomas who confirmed that the NPS was aware of the donkey’s injury. He stated that they had hoped the injury would have taken care of itself as these types of injuries typically do. Thomas thanked us for reaching out to him, and we knew that NPS would follow up.
In the meantime, we contacted Leslie McKibben. Leslie is the newest board member of the Animal Care Center. I explained the issue to Leslie and asked her to reach out to fellow board member Oriel Smith. Oriel works at Caneel Bay Resort and takes care of the property’s many animals, including a number of donkeys.
As luck would have it, the ACC was having a board meeting last night. About an hour later, Leslie informed me that the donkey “will be taken care of.” I was ecstatic.
Leslie spoke with Oriel who stated the donkey’s name was Scotty. Scotty the donkey used to live over at Caneel, according to Oriel, before moving over to Cinnamon. Fortunately Oriel knows this particular donkey well and is planning on checking in on him today, Thursday. Oriel also plans to contact a local vet to assist in treatment, Leslie said.
So in a matter of hours, several people worked together to help an injured donkey. Acts of kindness like this don’t happen everywhere. But they happen on St. John and they happen often. It doesn’t matter if it is a person in need or an animal in need, you can guarantee that the people of St. John will work together to help. And that, my friends, is what makes this place so special.
Update: Thursday at 1:15 p.m.
We just got off the phone with Thomas Kelly from NPS. He told us that a biologist from NPS checked in on the donkey after our conversation yesterday. The biologist reported that the donkey was up and walking around and that he appeared to be suffering from old age more so than anything else. He used binoculars to inspect all four hooves and did not see any external injuries. So perhaps Scotty the donkey was simply looking for some quiet time…
Update: Thursday evening
Oriel Smith paid a visit to Scotty today also. Oriel helped Scotty out a bit and expects him to be back to his old self again really soon. 🙂
A picture of Scotty taken on Thursday afternoon – Image courtesy of Oriel Smith
