Tips for visitors

A highlight of any winter vacation to St. John is attending one of the dozens of workshops and activities organized by the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park. 

This year’s schedule has been posted online.  It includes opportunities to explore the ocean and island from above and below water level, visit homes and learn about their architecture, study the environment, and hear first-hand from knowledgeable locals about life on St. John.

New seminars this year include lessons in crocheting woven bags from plastic grocery bags, using pastels in painting, a hiking and snorkeling trip near Lameshur Bay, and Afro-Caribbean drumming

In previous years we’ve taken Doug White’s tour of island buildings – this year he’s focusing on ‘green building techniques.’ We’ve also sailed the coastline with archeologist Ken Wild.

There will be no entrance fee charged at Trunk Bay on the 24th and Christmas day, according to a report by the St. John Source.  Admission is usually $4 a day for people over 16.

The President has declared those days federal holidays, so beach access will be free.  And while these may be holidays, lifeguards and Rangers will be working. 

Trunk Bay is probably the most popular beach on the island and finding a parking space is often a challenge.  Making the beach free for the day may well bring lots of people and make parking even more problematic.  So, if you;’re driving the North Shore road around Trunk and Cinnamon and Hawk’s Nest, slow down.

A Virgin Islands version of the states’ Costco chain is under new management.  Lots of locals, as well as visitors on their way to the island, use Cost U Less as a one-stop to stock up on all sorts of items, from DVD players to lettuce, to wine and even outdoor furniture – at very competitive prices.  The store is about a 15 minute drive from the Red Hook ferry dock.

The North West Co. said its purchased Cost-U-Less Inc. for $52.2 million.  The Manitoba-based company operates 220 retail stores in Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific and the Caribbean.   North West traces its history back 338 years and is publicly traded.  Its stock (North West Fund, NWTUF.PK ) has gained 50% this year.

St. John is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the Virgin Islands. Often someone will say they’ve been to such-and-such beach and even a veteran visitor will wonder, ‘Where’s that?’

On the Virgin Islands On Line travel forum, "Sherban" offered some answers, using Google Maps.  Click here to go to his guide.  It includes 19 beaches, 17 on the north shore and two on the south shore.

You can also use the map to get around the island.  Click on a "Show Labels" option in the upper right hand corner and you’ll see the island categorized by estate names. (Handy for real estate shoppers.)  Zoom in and you’ll get street names to help you get to the beaches, your villa, shopping, and restaurants

Mongoose Junction is about to celebrate its 30th tourist season.  In an article about the shopping area, "This Week", the VI tourist magazine you can get at the airport and on some flight, calls the project "a beautiful example of 18th century Danish building technique with a modern twist." 

The architect on the project, and still an island resident, was Glen Speer. Originally, the center offered venues to local artists and artisans. As tourism has increased, and real estate has appreciated, rents in the center have moved up and many of the original tenants have moved on, some to be replaced by branches of larger companies.

The first phase of Mongoose began in 1978.  The upscale Ocean Grill has replaced the original open air bar/restaurant.  It was the place for business people to have lunch, for real estate salespeople to swap stories around an oval bar, while tourists sat at tables and treated bananaquits to sugar water.  The second section, heavy on big retailers, was started in 1988.

You can read This Week’s story about Mongoose by clicking here.  The St. John section is on pages 64-75.

You will be able to swim with the fishes in Cruz Bay – and the ferry boats — if the department of Planning and Natural Resources has its way. 

An officer of the Department told the St. John Source an effort is underway to make the beach swimmer-friendly.  Robert Tapia said there are plans to widen the channel near the dock to ease turnarounds for ferry boats and to install swim buoys, to mark the area for swimmers’ safety.

A recent effort to clear the beach of old boats was part of the swim project.  And the Department also moved out boats that didn’t have mooring permits.   One side effect, Tapio agreed, is that without those water-borne residents, water quality should improve. 

Read the Source’s full story here: http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1201844338

News of the effort to make the Cruz Bay Beach swim-worthy caught some businesses off guard, especially beach side operations like Low Key Water Sports, which likes the ideas because it wants to offer scuba instruction right on the beach. 

However, the swim project seems like another one-off project for downtown Cruz Bay, despite the Governor’s promise more than a year ago to appoint a Planner for Cruz Bay.  Since then, every candidate for the post has been turned down, according to a spokesman for the Governor.  Meanwhile, the incredible asset that the waterfront is, and the Creek area could be, are just laying there – undeveloped, unkempt and, arguably, unsafe.