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Finally, the tax man cometh

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The 2005 property tax bills are arriving even as you read this.  They were issued, nine months late.  Per the V.I. Code, the bills say the due date is June 30th. with a late penalty to be charged for payments made after 9/1.  However, the property tax bill looks like any other, and it’s possible, because of the snafu in sending out bills, the dates are something other than what’s on the bill. The Inquiring Iguana is asking around.  Gretchen Labrenz at Cruz Bay Realty says those are the actual dates.

Last month, Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis said that while Code requires payment no later than 8/31, there likely would be a different date for these bills. "We will request that the Commissioner of Finance petition Governor John deJongh to issue an executive order specifying the new due date," he said.

Next question … when will the bills for 2006 come out … and what impact will the Territory-wide re-assessment have on them?  Hold your breath, property owners.

Blues Festival begins Wednesday

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The 5th annual St. John Blues Festival opens Wednesday night with a festival party in the Mongoose Junction Courtyard in Cruz Bay.  Admission is free.  The event features Danny Morris.  The rest of the week offers lots more free music, put together by island music entrepreneur Steve Simon.  Thursday night, it’s 2 Blue Shoes at Compass Rose (aka Pastory Gardens) and Friday, Rob Peck at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay.

The big concert will be Saturday night at the Coral Bay Ball Field.  The show starts at 7 p.m. and stars Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Billy Gibson, Joey Gilmore and T-Bird and Friends.  Tickets are $30 at the gate.  Here’s the official Festival Web site.

Lots more about the festival, and a podcast/audio interview with Steve Simon, here.

Bet you can’t sit on just one

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Tom Clifton
is an artist from Memphis who’s
also adopting St. John as a place to live.  He also has an exhibit
opening on St. John this week at Best of Both Worlds at Mongtoose Junction. 

He and his second-best friend (after his dog), Pat, have been
building Amansala.  They have been chronicling the project in a blog, following in the keystrokes
of Bongo Bongo’s Russ and Jeff.

The latest posting on Amansala includes this great map of the island’s beaches.
Click on this image for a larger graphic and see how many beaches you’ve
been to.  Start making a list of "Beaches to Do" for the next trip.

E&C reopening ends island tradition

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Cruz Bay got its second gas station back over the weekend after E&C Service Station reopened from being closed several months.  Originally, the shuttering was for replacement of underground storage tanks but then with word O’Connor’s would be closing permanently to make room for construction of a roundabout, E&C’s owners decided to expand from four gasoline pumps to six.

E&C also decided to change its way of doing business.  It’s now pump-it-yourself. While attendants pumping your gas went out of favor in the states decades ago, it was the way of doing business on island. With E&C now offering self service, this island tradition is near an end.  Odds are O’Connor’s will continue attendant pumping until it closes this summer.

Baby boomer cruise ship to call on St. John

Ship
Pearl Seas Cruises
announced St. John will be on the itinerary of several luxury cruises scheduled to begin in July of 2008.  The company said it has commissioned construction of two small luxury
ships to offer cruises to the Caribbean in the winter and the Canadian
Maritimes in the summer. Pearl Seas has posted prices ranging from $3,200 to $5,600 a person for the week-long sail.

The web site for the cruise, however, suggests the company needs to do some additional research.  The page for St. John describes St. Thomas’ Mahogany Run golf course as a highlight.

The 300-foot-long ships are part of a new niche in the travel business that was prominent at this week’s Seatrade cruise industry conference in Miami.  (Remember that yacht off St. John last month … belonging to the chairman of Oracle … it was more than 400 feet long.)

"The luxury sector is booming, said Frank del Rio of Oceania Cruises.  The pent up demand for upscale cruising is staggering."  Greg Michel, CEO of Crystal Cruises, added, "Luxury is space per guest. It’s personalized service."  One of Pearl Seas’ ships is planned to accommodate 165 passengers. "Exquisite cuisine will be enjoyed in the spacious, glass lined dining salon and relaxing time will be spent in one of the many comfortable lounges," the company said on its Web site.

The Inquiring Iguana hears …

  • "Daddy" using his cell phone to call his stateside child during
    dinner at an upscale island restaurant.  "Do you want to talk with
    Mommy?" the guy said, as he passed the cell – while the other two
    people at the table mutely stared into space, and others in the
    waterfront eatery tried to figure out this guy got to St. John when he
    should have stopped at Miami.
  • St. John described as "development-wary" in a Virgin Islands Daily News article  reporting on plans for a new condo development in Coral Bay.
  • 10 Tables has closed, with no announcement yet of plans to reopen.
    Stay tuned.

Red Hook to Cruz Bay: 4 hours

Motorists trying to get from Red Hook to St. John have had to wait as long as four hours this week because two car barges are out of service.  One, the Roanoke, was shut down by Coast Guard inspectors after an unannounced safety inspection.  The Roanoke is the barge from which a Mack truck fell into the water about a week ago, too. 

Another barge, the Captain Vic, is undergoing routine maintenance, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.  Both must be inspected by the Coast Guard before they can resume operations.

That leaves just one barge, the new, big, Mr. B., in service.  Joyce Hrebek, a St. Johnian, told the newspaper the long wait at Red Hook was tough.  "It got nasty out there."

Mark Wallace sings during your supper

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"Yes, I’ve played with Kenny Chesney," says Mark Wallace, when asked the question for the 100th time.  "He’s a nice young fellow," adds the 50-something gifted guitarist and singer who finds himself playing music as many as six nights a week at island bars and restaurants. 

Wallace grew up in Detroit, and played with greats like Frank Sinatra, James Taylor and even Santana before ankling for warmer weather on St. John in the mid-80s.  After a few years, he found his country/pop/folk and even classical talents in demand at restaurants, bars, private villa parties and even weddings.

Wallace, a soft spoken nice guy, says that during his weekly jobs at Cruz Bay’s Morgan’s Mango and Coral Bay’s Aqua Bistro, "They ask for Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney, sure.  But the joy of being here and working so much is that I get to play a lot of different music."  Wallace’s talent can also be heard on occasional Sunday afternoons when he plays with Steve Simon’s Jazz islanders. But Sundays are rare, since Wallace is married and has a couple of children. 

In this week’s podcast, Wallace talks about his music and plays a little, too. Click the play button below.

You can download or hear the file by clicking here.

You can also subscribe to News of St. John’s weekly podcast by
going to the Apple iTunes Music Store and searching for "news of st. john,"
or you can copy the words feeds.feedburner.com.stjohn and paste them into the
subscribe field under the iTunes software’s "Advanced" tab.  You can also use
that Feedburner link to subscribe in other podcatching software.  If you’re having
a problem, e-mail: [email protected].

Anybody eaten at Sosa’s?

Sosas_1
Just finished reading Anthony Bourdain’s "Nasty Bits" in which the self-realized ‘celebrity chef’ implores travelers to live a little and eat local, real local.  Go where there’s somebody’s name is on the sign and lots people are inside seeming to have a good time, he counsels. 

Which seems to be a recommendation for Sosa’s, a (literally) Hispanic-flavored restaurant in Cruz Bay. It’s tough to miss the place, because when you pass by, it sounds like there is a party going on. Salsa and meringue blare from a jukebox, and lots of people are laughing.  Click here for a video "taste."

Budget Travel reviewed the place and liked its salt fish in "a piquant tomato sauce … the shredded, chewy fish comes with salad, rice and beans, and sweet fried plantains, providing more than enough to feed a hungry surfer."  Anybody else tried it?