Know where this tree is? Cinnamon Bay. Behind the T’ree Lizards restaurant to be exact. It’s called a Rain Tree, and it has to be one of the biggest and oldest trees on the island. The Cinnamon Bay guys say it flowers too, although we’ve never seen that. This tree is at least 70 feet tall, and with Russ and his 30 inch waist standing there, you can get an idea of how big around it is. 

T’ree Lizards restaurant is open for lunch by the way (at least when that big placard is out there). It’s not great food, but it’s not bad. It’s not fast service, but it’s friendly. And, as a day-tripper to Cinnamon Bay, your only other choice is the snack shack on the beach where you can get a Snickers Bar and a Red Stripe. (Not that a Snickers Bar and a Red Stripe on Cinnamon Beach is that bad of a thing….)

Why are those rocks called The Indians? Just ask your captain. These guys know all sorts of stuff. In this first installment of occasional minute-long vignettes, Captain John Brandi shares a story or two. Like John says…it’s true! A Shot of Brandi, at The Indians, below.

A brand new ONE BEDROOM villa! How unique is that? We came up with this great marketing line for these folks. “When it’s just the two of you.” (I know, brilliant. Thank you.)

But really. How many villa choices do budget-minded single couples have? Not many. This is a modern day take on a classic, West Indian cottage, done up all stylish. Hardwood floors, great kitchen, great furnishings, great view, a hot tub and a screened front porch. It’s in a close in Coral Bay spot and paved roads take you all the way to the front door. Blue Caribe is just finished, and it is seriously the bomb for 2 people. No video yet, and they need more pictures on their Website (we’ll fix that soon) but please check out Coral Bay’s newest, hottest little villa here.

This is Jimmy, an in-town fixture you’ll probably see at the Beach Bar or maybe JJ’s, who lives on a boat in Cruz Bay. If you do run across him, and the opportunity arises, strike up a conversation with him. He’s got endless great stories, some of which may be true. Sometimes he’s a little agitated, but mostly not. And if you talk to him for awhile, he’s sure to leave a smile on your face. 

The Virgin Islands Daily News has started putting video clips on its Website, through a new partnership with TV2. They will be News2 reports that coincide with the paper’s coverage of some stories. Daily News ad director Kevin Downey tells us they’ve been working out the kinks for the last 8 months, and while the videos will generally accompany hard news stories, he says there may occasionally be fun feature stories as well. (Look for the little News 2 Video Clip icon.)

Look for some other cool stuff from Daily News in the near future too, including more Web Cams on St. John, and Kevin says they’re working on a YouTube-like service for tourists to upload their vacation videos. (About half of the site’s readers don’t live in the Virgin Islands.)

Hmm. We need to get our resumes to Kevin. Sounds like they need a couple of St. John correspondents.

Panini isn’t the only place at Wharfside where de-construction is going on.

Remember the old Larry’s Landing? Here’s what it looks like today. The entire space has been gutted, and so have three other adjoining stores, making one huge space that we hear will become a sort of video slot machine hall with a bar. No one is talking much, but workers scrambling around in shirts that say Southland Gaming make it kind of obvious what’s going in here. Southland Gaming is the company that holds the lottery contract for St. Thomas and St. John. No matter what your opinion on this is, the big question is… who’s actually going to fill all those chairs gambling away the day when there’s a beautiful island outside to explore.

Work is underway in earnest at what will soon be Cruz Bay’s newest restaurant. Mojo Café owner Tim Cliff and crew are busy ripping out the old to make way for the new at the former Panini Beach location. As reported earlier, St. John Waterfront Bistro, Tim’s newest restaurant, will serve lunch and dinner 7 days a week, and if all goes well, be open in time for high season. That old wooden deck is being replaced by a brand new, stained-concrete deck. Should last a few seasons!

We stumbled across this secluded little cove while hiking Yawzi Point. It probably has a proper name, but we don’t know it, so we just call it Yawzi Cove. You don’t have to hike far to find it. Park at the beginning of the trail, walk about five minutes and look for a little hidden trail off to your left. There is absolutely nobody here and if you’re not careful you’ll have a Zen experience here. Off the Beaten Track also says this is a good entry point for experienced snorkelers. That’s not us. Yawzi Cove, or whatever it’s called, below!

We first reported Meada’s Plaza was “close to reopening” in March. Well, island time and all, it is now even closer. Meada’s Plaza was scorched in a fire more than two years ago, and the construction wall that has hidden Meada’s from the street for at least the last year just came down. And no one is probably happier about this than Rhumblines restaurant. You walk through Meada’s to get to Rhumblines. There is retail space for rent here, so if you’ve got an idea, come on down. You can’t beat the location.

You can’t drive around St. John until you get to St. John. So in today’s installment of Jeep Cam, the barge trip from Red Hook to Enighed Pond. Jeep Cam premieres, below!