Last year, Wayne Campbell of the Barefoot Cowboy Lounge paid a visit to Larry Grenier over at The Tourist Trap. For those of you unfamiliar with Larry or The Tourist Trap, it’s a funky little eating spot on the side of the road past Coral Bay but before Salt Pond. Larry is known for his incredible lobster rolls and my personal favorite, his soft tacos.
In this video, Larry prepares a grouper taco with southwestern seasonings, his famed lobster roll and his own personal favorite, The T3 – Tourist Trap Taco. Wayne knocks em’ back as always and enjoys all three.
It’s an oldie but goodie. Not to mention, it’s pretty entertaining. Check it out:
Image credit: Amy Laughinghouse, For The Philadelphia Inquirer
This article just appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer. We liked it so much, we thought we would share it with all of you. We’re sure you’ll enjoy reading it just as much as we did.
St. John, the Virgin Island’ Wild Child
By Amy Laughinghouse, For The Philadelphia Inquirer
ST. JOHN, U.S. Virgin Islands – I’m lying face down in a spa cabana at Caneel Bay resort, gazing absently into a bowl of fragrant blossoms. The door is open just enough to admit the serenade of the surf and the softly filtered sunlight of the sultry Caribbean morning.
Cheryl, a masseuse with startling blue eyes accentuated by a deep tan, is gently working out the knots I’ve accumulated through work and travel. In less than an hour, she transforms me from a bag of aching bones to a blissed-out beach bunny ready to relax and take on – well, as little as possible during my 10-day stay on St. John.
This is arguably the wildest and most pristine of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and that legacy of feral beauty began right here, at Caneel Bay, where philanthropist and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller originally built a house as a private retreat. He grew so fond of St. John’s tangled jungle of hills and white crescent beaches that he bought up huge swaths of land, which later formed the basis of the Virgin Islands National Park.
At the resort itself, which features just 166 rooms on 170 acres, you’re more likely to encounter herds of deer and donkeys than another human. Throw in a few mongooses and leaf-munching iguanas, and it’s practically a free-range zoo.
While it’s tempting to simply remain at Caneel Bay and play castaway, this is an island that’s made for exploration, as I’ve discovered over more than a half-dozen visits these last 12 years.
Cruz Bay, the main port, hardly qualifies as the big city, with free-range hens shepherding their chicks along a zigzag maze of roads. But it offers enough shops and bars and restaurants to put a dent in your wallet and add an inch to your waistline.
Pick a perch at the Beach Bar, where you can gaze out over the sailboats that fill the harbor while sipping a Painkiller – a potent combination of rum, fruit juice, and nutmeg that will certainly leave you feeling no pain, until the inevitable hangover the next morning. Woody’s is another well-known watering hole, with a couple of plastic tables on the sidewalk (to call it a “terrace” would be overstating it) that provide front-row seats for first-rate tourist-watching. For a splurge, head to the hilltop Asolare and try an aptly named Honey Badger martini, which packs a bite worthy of its name.
Of course, St. John’s best attraction is its 30-plus beaches. These range from the “Mermaid’s Chair,” a beach barely big enough for two that my friends and I visit on a catamaran trip one afternoon, to the sugary expanse of Cinnamon Bay. The quirkiest is Drunk Bay, a remote rocky beach where visitors – perhaps fueled by fruity umbrella drinks, lending the place its name – create whimsical sculptures of mermaids, pirates, and cowboys from coral and coconuts.
As stunning as St. John’s coastline is above water, more surreal scenery lurks beneath the waves. Trunk Bay – which CNN.com recently ranked No. 48 on its list of the world’s 100 best beaches – features an underwater snorkel trail, where I spot eels, reef squid, and a stingray hovering like a spacecraft above the sandy bottom.
At Waterlemon Cay, while swimming in a spectral cloud of shiny silversides, I notice a 4-foot-long, missile-shaped fish just yards away. From my panicked reaction, anyone would have assumed I was an ill-fated extra from Jaws.
Fortunately, my friends, both experienced divers, assure me it’s only a harmless tarpon. (Well, harmless to humans, at least. The silversides it swallowed would probably beg to differ.)
Undeterred by echoes of “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” we sign up for a kayak tour (very small boats indeed) with Hidden Reef Eco-Tours. Our guide, Jennifer Russ, not only knows some of the best snorkeling spots around the island, but she’s also a bit of an expert on St. John’s flora and fauna as well.
“Oooh, that’s a Pseudosphinx caterpillar,” she coos, eyeing a plump yellow, black, and red critter suctioned to a piece of coral at Haulover Bay, where we meet. “He’s poisonous,” she notes cheerfully, pushing sunglasses atop a mass of long black curls.
Of course, this creepy-crawly sounds positively cuddly compared to the manchineel tree, which Russ points out next to her stand of kayaks. Eating the fruit can be fatal, earning it the nickname “Death Apple,” and its sap triggers terrible blisters.
Leaving caustic caterpillars and flesh-melting manchineels behind, we paddle for perhaps half an hour, slicing through blue waters before Russ directs us to beach the kayaks. As we slip into the water in masks, fins, and snorkels, a pair of butterfly fish engage in a courtly dance just below, and rainbow-colored parrot fish crunch loudly on the reef.
But the climax of our afternoon is the sea turtle that emerges like a shadow from the deep-blue fathoms. Gliding through the sea, he’s the Dalai Lama of the depths, the very essence of serenity.
I reckon he’s just had a massage.
Amy Laughinghouse is a London-based freelance travel writer. You can read more of her work at www.AmyLaughinghouse.com
Our friend Kevin McCarthy sent over this picture Monday of the new fuel pumps over at the someday gas station on South Shore Road. And by the looks of it, it seems that gas may be in the near future.
We tried to reach the owner to get a formal update, but had no such luck Monday.
Plans for the gas station, located adjacent to St. John Market and near the Westin, have been in the works since 2010. Residents fiercely opposed the new gas station citing concerns over environmental impacts, parking, sewage and storm water.
The new gas station has made headlines several times since construction began. In October 2012, a bulldozer toppled over on the upper portion of the site. Less than a month later, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) shut down construction after learning poured concrete had not cured prior to its forms being removed. This subsequently weakened the retaining wall, causing it to bow.
This image, courtesy of blogger P-600, was originally published on Oct. 23, 2012.
Once completed, the gas station will be the second on the Cruz Bay side of the island. Coral Bay remains without a gas station since the Domino closed several years back.
Numerous people reported that an explosion in St. Thomas caused Sunday night’s power outage that affected the entire island during the first hour of the Super Bowl. Here are the details on exactly what happened straight from WAPA:
On Sunday, February 2, shortly after 7 p.m., the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority experienced an island-wide electrical service interruption which was the result of a flashover on the power transformer for Unit 14. A flashover is an unintended electrical arc or ball of fire which occurs during a low impedance fault between two conductors or one conductor and the ground. While Unit 14 was not in service at the time of the event, the transformer was energized.
According to Executive Director Hugo V. Hodge, Jr., “Once the flashover occurred, the other generating units online at the time reacted by shutting themselves down as a protective mechanism to minimize damage to the systems power generating components.”
During the unforeseen event, no personnel were injured. An immediate inspection of Unit 14’s transformer indicated there were burnt insulators and lightening arrestors.
“When we knew the employees in the immediate area were safe and the units were not damaged,” said Hodge, “we immediately began bringing the other units back online.”
Plant personnel continue to evaluate Unit 14 to determine the extent of damage.
Executive Director Hodge noted the numerous inquiries about the connection between the timing of the service interruption and the demand on the system resulting from the volume of customers tuning in to view the Super Bowl.
“The interruption subsequent to the flashover had no connection to the demand on the system,” stressed Hodge.
Has anyone caught a glimpse of our new fancy sign over at the Coral Bay Triangle? We’re super excited to be there, and are very grateful to our friend Pia for sending these photos over to us. (You may recognize Pia’s name – She has a ton of great advice for travelers over on TripAdvisor and VIOL.)
We had a pretty good story scheduled for today, but we could not ignore the obvious…
Where in the world loses power a few minutes before the Super Bowl begins?
Only on St. John folks. Only on St. John.
So as many of you may have read, power went out just after 7 p.m. local time Sunday night, mere minutes before the big game was set to begin. People wandered around Cruz Bay, almost bewildered in some instances. Lights were out everywhere from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay. Even the lights along Centerline were out.
Wharfside Village had lights (generator backups presumably) as did some spots over in Mongoose Junction. We heard an explosion over in St. Thomas was to blame, but we’ve been unable to confirm that as of late Sunday night.
Fortunately power was back on in Cruz Bay just after 8 p.m. I don’t know about you, but the whole situation made me think of a headline I read in the Virgin Islands Daily News back in December:
I’m not saying that’s to blame, but it all has to make you wonder.
And keep in mind, this all comes only two days after we realized this VI government error:
Image courtesy of Active St. John
Not only is there a gross misspelling in the signage, but how does more than three years since an incident constitute as emergency repairs?
Only in St. John folks. Only in St. John.
Let’s be honest – St. John is not a bad place to be. It has the most beautiful beaches in the world and some of the world’s best people. Seriously, where else in the world are you greeted with a “good morning” or “good day”? It’s a pretty sweet place all around, but it’s also fun to gripe once in awhile.
So what’s your best “Only in St. John” saying? Leave it in the comments. We’ll start:
Only in St. John will the power go out minutes before the biggest television event of the year.
Only in St. John will the government take three years to fix an “emergency” and then misspell the sign announcing it.
Only in St. John do you have to worry about a mongoose stealing your keys.
Looking to watch the Super Bowl tonight? Here’s a few places that you can watch the big game:
Motu: By now you should all know that these girls sure know how to throw a party. They’re bringing out the big screen once again and they’ll have free food for all guests – sandwiches, wings, dip, etc. Wear your team colors and get free shots. There will also be a flip cup tournament at half time. VIP tickets are sold out, but regular seating is still available.
Virgin Fire: Pregame over at Virgin Fire with half priced apps from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and then watch the game on the big screen. They’re offering a special $10 tailgating menu which includes wings, pulled pork sliders, ribs, pizza and bratwurst. Click here to make a reservation. Walk in space is available.
The Tap Room: The guys over at The Tap Room are offering happy hour specials all night long plus half price pizzas, nacho cheese pretzel dogs, loaded potato skins, nachos grande, chicken wings and St. John Brewers Coffee Stout. Yum!
Skinny Legs: The folks over at Skinny Legs are setting up the big screen in their back yard and they’ve also got six tvs inside. They’re planning to have pulled pork nachos, jerked chicken wings and more.
Other places with several tvs:
Barefoot Cowboy Lounge
High Tide
Castaways
Beach Bar – 96-inch screen
So we gotta ask… Broncos or Seahawks? Score? We’ll send a News of St. John swag bag to anyone who can correctly guess the final score. Leave your guesses in the comments section. (All guesses must be made by 6 p.m. EST.)
Active St. John posted this image with the caption “Define emergency” earlier this morning. We shared it over on our Facebook page because we found it a bit humorous.
And then News of St. John reader Colleen Becker chimed in with “and then learn how to spell …lol.” So we took a closer look…
Fedral Highway Administration??? Seriously? Looked like the government needs a proofreader. Happy Saturday everyone!
Now this news really makes us happy. The folks over at the Island Green Living Association’s Resource Depot has hit a major milestone – they’ve save 70,000 pounds of waste from heading to a landfill. How wonderful is that?! To celebrate this incredible milestone, they’re holding a thank you event for the public this Saturday. Here are the details straight from them:
“In the two short years it’s been open, the Island Green Living Association’s ReSource Depot has kept a remarkable 70,000 pounds of waste out of local landfills by selling new and gently used construction materials and housewares donated by St. John residents and businesses. Help IGLA celebrate the Depot’s anniversary and its success on Saturday, February 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the ReSource Depot, located at Gifft Hill and Centerline roads across from the Susannaberg Transfer Station.
The public is invited to enjoy beer donated by St. John Brewers, along with food donated by Merchants Market including hot dogs, pulled pork, veggie burgers, cookies, brownies, soda donated by Coca-Cola, and water. Live acoustic rock will be performed by the Stangerz. The event will also serve as a membership drive and fundraiser for IGLA, which will need help from the public in the coming year as the non-profit aims to expand its mission.
The most exciting portion of the day will be the raffle, whose star item is a beautiful gently used six-foot-long mahogany table, handcrafted by local woodworker Matt Mueller. The estimated retail value of the table, which was donated to IGLA by Frank Barnako, is $2,500. (Thanks Frank!!)
Beautiful, handcrafted Mahogany table donated by Frank Barnako.
Other raffle items will include two brand new composters, and gift certificates to the ReSource Depot, the Tap Room, Ocean Grill, Waterfront Bistro, Alfredo’s Landscaping, Spyglass Restaurant, Cruz Bay Landing, Cafe Livin’, St. John Hardware, Caravan Gallery, Caravan Auto Store, The Beauty Lounge, Calypso/Bad Kitty, Starfish Market, Skinny Legs, Freebird, High Tide, and Connections. Raffle tickets are $5 or 5 for $20 and can be purchased ahead of time at Connections and St. John Hardware.
IGLA first opened four trailers at the Depot in January 2011 as part of its mission to prevent useful building and home materials from being dumped in the landfill. Today, the Depot has grown to seven containers where residents can purchase new and gently used hardware; electrical supplies; plumbing supplies; house, garden, and pool items; furniture; doors, windows, and glass; and lighting fixtures, fans, and more. IGLA recently hired “Buddha” Gary Emmons as the ReSource Depot manager.
Please come out on February 1 for big discounts, good food, music, fantastic raffle prizes, and more, as IGLA thanks those who have supported the non-profit’s recycling efforts at the ReSource Depot.”
Want to know more about the ReSource Depot? Click here to read a News of St. John story about the organization that was published back in September.
