An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
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"I don't see em too often, but drove out to the east end a couple of years ago to watch one and this is what I got! Maybe I should wake up at 4am more often!" Brian Holt "Sunrise from this past October, taken from high above Hart Bay." John from NH |
Many visitors were kind enough to send long their shots of sunsets.
These are some of them.
"Here’s one of my favorite sunrise shots taken from the top of the road over to Privateer."
Andrew Burnett, Portland Oregon.
"Here's my favorite sunset shot (btw, using most of Scott's suggestions)."
Taken from ZoZo's on St. John looking to St. Thomas, 2007.
Russ Davis, McLean, Va.
Two of the island's oldest businesses are making new efforts to sell by listing themselves on Craigslist.
Folks who have the dream of living full-time on St. John have a number of choices of how to do it. Owning a business is one of them. Understanding, of course, that running a business is a full-time job, which may leave less time for sunning on the beach than you might wish for.
While starting a business is always possible, buying an operation that's up and running and generating cash might be a better way to go – if you're willing to learn and work (there's that word again!).
New York Magazine's latest choice for its "Weekend Trips" feature is your favorite island. And with one exception, travel writer Grace Bastidas' recommendations are spot on.
It's unfortunate she's only writing about a two- or three-day stay, but then again, you know how New Yorkers are!
Here's what she suggests:
World-class photographer Steve Simonsen had a hard-working weekend. He attended both St. John Blues festival concerts, (Somebody has to do it!)
He uploaded about two dozen of images from the first night.
Click here to go to see a Slide Show of the photos.
Simonsen wrote on his Facebook page:
"Steve, Jeff and Helen Simon pull off another fantastic evening of blues under a near full moon in the Coral Bay field. The evening was kicked off by performances of Grady Champion followed by the powerhouse Candye Kane And ended up with unstoppable footstomping blues by Albert Cummings."
Got to thinking at dinner last night, what the heck?
So I just called AT&T, spoke with Stephanie, at a call center in New Orleans.
She couldn't have been nicer or easier. Said they'd credit the "BVI" usage – no questions asked.
Didn't even want to hear my story.
I told her anyway …
Her response, "You're good."
So's AT&T.
It's not unusual to see people on the St. John Travel forums (TripAdvisor , Virgin-Islands-On-Line , VI Now) asking about cell phone coverage. Generally, for AT&T and Verizon, the advice is 'Good luck!' if you're in Coral Bay with either service. Verizon's OK, but AT&T seems best and its VI usage is not roaming.
However, there's something else.
We met a couple who live near Francis Bay, in a beautiful property with a breathtaking view of the BVI's.
Donna and I were greeted at their front door, then brought onto that great outdoor living area. Our hostess said, "And there's England." She was pointing at the BVIs. Little did we know how right she was!
We all went to dinner at Concordia. While there, I got a text message on my iPhone telling me that my "all-you-can-eat-data-plan" did not include international service and roaming.
Hmmm ….
I got the same message the next day when we were at Lameshur Bay, watching the pelicans and soaking up some sun. There on the beach, AT&T says, my data plan doesn't include what I'm doing.
So, I figured I'd better solve this. I called AT&T.
Well, turns out, they think that I'd been to the BVIs. My iPhone, absent a clean signal out there, had locked on to a BVI service's cell signal. The only thing I could figure is that when our hostess said, "Welcome to London," she meant it.
So … the moral of the story … I'll be shutting down my phone when I'm on the east end and any further along the north shore than Shipwreck Landing. And I'll pay ayttention to the carrier name on the ioPhone screen, too, to make sure I don't accdientally use BVI cell service.
But wait, there's more. While the AT&T bill says I used the BVI service on Saturday evening, Jan 29, the fact is we weren't on the east end then. We were in Cruz Bay, having a fabulous dinner at La Plancha del Mar. Who knows what really happened but it's still good advice – when you're in sktechy cell phone coverage on the island, be cautious about the iPhone.
There's a cottage industry building on the island and Caneel Bay is helping with the construction.
In March and April, the resort is incorporating St. John-produced honey into its offerings for guests. The gift shop will be selling 1.5 fl oz jars of USVI Honey and new items on the restaurant menus will feature USVI Honey. The effort will even extend to the bar and the Spa. Cocktails featuring honey and rum as key ingredients and massage treatments will feature honey.
About two years ago, bee keeping classes were offered on St. John and local honey was available at a summertime Farmer's Market.
The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture says it has trained more than 100 students on all three islands in the science, business, and art of beekeeping. If you're interested, you can find more information about beekeeping here.
Woody's Seafood Bar and Grill has been named the official sponsor of the 1st annual St John USVI American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
Woody's donation of over $11,000 from the recent block party to "Save 2nd Base" won them the honor.
The event will be held in Cruz Bay on February 19, 2011. "The momentum continues to grow in team sponsorship, volunteer recruitment, and additional corporate sponsorships," said Mary Castle Bartolucci, chairperson of the event..
The company responsible for providing cargo, baggage and technical services at the St. Thomas airport is not happy.
Faced with the continuing poor baggage belts and an "unreliable infrastructure", a spokeswoman for Worldwide Flight Services raises an interesting issue on behalf of her co-workers. (Photo via William Hartz' Flickr account.)
"Many in the airlines and airport community would like to see an accounting of what the Passenger Facilities Charge (PFC) has been used for," Joanne Bohr said to the St. John Source. She reacted to word the Port Authority wants to increase the PFC from $3 to $4.50 per passenger.
Those funds, she said, are supposed to be used for projects approved by the airlines to improve the experience of using the airport. "The PFCs are not intended for overhead or salary," she said, implying the Authority may have been tapping the fund for operations rather than repairs and improvements.
"As difficult as it may be for the passenger," she continued, "it is a much bigger hardship for those that work in the airport … without … bag belts, (and) without any air conditioning."
Before the Authority can increase the fee, which would apply to both inbound and outbound tickets the Federal Aviation Administration must give its approval. And presumably the FAA won't do that unless the airlines agree, and believe, the money will be used to pay for improving the St. Thomas and St. Croix airport.
Some people have a good, good time waiting at STT.
