Gerald Singer has authored several popular books including the St. John Beach Guide, Tales of St. John and our all-time favorite, St. John Off the Beaten Track. Believe us, even if you’ve got no interest in hiking, Off the Beaten Track is an entertaining page turner and it’s packed full of stuff, and the latest edition includes tons of pictures. It started out as just some notes about things to do he‘d leave for folks renting his house, and before he knew it, he had a pile of information. So a book was born. Cool, huh? We had a chance to hike with Gerald one recent morning, and hear a few stories. And now you can too! Gerald Singer, below.
St. John rumbled and rolled for what felt like a long time when an afternoon earthquake rattled through the islands at about 3 o‘clock. The quake, centered near Martinique, measured a 7.4 magnitude according to the USGS, and was felt from Coral Bay (“It felt like a rumble, like a really big truck going by…”) to Cruz Bay (“I’ve felt stronger ones but this one lasted a really long time!”). No damage reported.
The territory is in a Seismic 4 Zone, the same as California, and there are hundreds of mostly unfelt quakes a year. Now you know why the pictures are always crooked at the villa you’re in.
St. John artist Elaine Estern, of Coconut Coast Studios, was one of two St. John artists invited to paint a Christmas Tree ornament for the White House this year, and paint one she did. The ornament will hang on a tree in the White House’s Blue Room, and Elaine is at this very moment in Washington for the ceremony of the lighting of the tree.
“It was odd. Painting on an ornament was like painting on a mirror,” says Elaine. “Watching myself paint was the strangest sensation.”
And it’s bigger than it looks. With a diameter of 12 inches, that’s 3 inches bigger than a basketball! (This year’s theme is the National Park Service.)
Kimberly Boulon also has an ornament on the tree. You can see pictures of hers, and two others from the Virgin Islands, at The St. John Source.
Original List Price:
$2,750,000 Price Reduced to:
$1,950,000 Days on Market:
693 Closing Sales Price:
$1,500,000
In this new, occasional feature, we will keep track of actual villa sales closings, because the only price that really matters is what it actually sells for.
We should call this sale the bargain of the year. Great property, extra large, 1+ acre waterfront lot (half the cuh-ching right there), nice existing home. And it went for a huge discount.
If you’re not familiar with this villa, check out the “Villas for Sale” link. Lisa Durgin at Vacation Vistas rents it, (and it looks like it’s open a few times in the next couple of months.)
Beachfront, or waterfront villas are uncommon on St. John but not unheard of. The next few Beach Breaks will feature beaches accessed by villas. There’s no such thing as a private beach on St. John, but there are beaches reached only by private property (or water), so that pretty much makes them private. We’ve already shown you a couple: Calypso by the Sea and La Miramar. Here’s another…one reached by Harbour View, a big, luxury villa next to the Westin that overlooks a sprawling lawn and its own beach.
Somebody wanted to know what the new Red Hook ferry terminal looked like inside and apologies for the crappy quality of these pictures, but just like last time I took pictures here, I was harassed the moment I took out a camera. So these are sneaky cell phone pictures. I don’t know what the deal is, but the way security acts here, you’d think it was the command center for the Northeast power grid or something.
Anyway, it’s nice. Indoor seating. Proper ticket counters. A coffee shop, a gift shop, a snack bar, a booze bar and a random guy selling CDs out of a trunk. And, late in the afternoon when these were taken, hardly anybody there. Oh, and there are really nice bathrooms. Larry Craig would be impressed.
In the latest installment of one of our favorite, occasional features, Captain John Brandi tells a tale of treasure! A Shot of Brandi, at The Caves, below.
This is a paid advertisement but the comments are our own.
Remember the most recent Beach Break? This is the villa that gets you to it. La Miramar sits on a huge, waterfront lot. The house has two master bedrooms, plus a separate one bedroom apartment and a gigantic great room with a big open kitchen. This is a very big, very nice home and Chocolate Hole is RIGHT THERE. If there’s money left over after you buy it, go boat shopping. You can park it right outside your back door.
LA MIRAMAR: Three bedrooms, sunset views, private setting, waterfront location. $2,889,000
Dispatched from her world headquarters high atop the Dockside Building, Ruth Ernst’s latest St. John Spice newsletter is now on e-newsstands everywhere. In this latest edition: hear about in-store specials, see a real picture of the new sweatshirts, get restaurant news, a schedule of December events and meet the likes of Sheila from Sheila’s Pot, entertainer James Milne, and the new cop in town, officer Matthew. Why wait to read somebody else’s copy. Get your own, hot off the presses, here!
A couple of people have asked for a roundabout construction update. There’s not much to update. Well, the Texaco station is definitely gone. The sheet metal is down. The “Danger, Men at Work” signs are still there, begging punch lines. If you want an update on this project’s schedule, search around someplace else. On this project, we’ll only report actual events, not promises of events.
BUT… we’ve shown you the shortcut to avoid all of this once it does get going. (And you thought we were just sloppy entertainment.)
The Coccoloba complex in Coral Bay is a treasure trove of unique little stores…and Big Fish and Little Fish are two of them. Meet Christy Dove, the owner , and St. Johnian by way of Penn State. An aging grandfather led Christy and her family to St. John years ago. Today, Mom helps in the shops and Dad runs book-it vi. And Christy runs stores that showcase what locals make. (And she’s single!) Meet Christy Dove, and find out how Chilly Billy’s got its name, below!
Here’s something I never thought I’d say: I just bought a purse. A big one too. And some lucky On-StJohn.com reader is going to get it. We just have to figure out how we’re giving it away.
Not just any purse. This is a very special purse that you can get only at the new Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park gift shop. The grand opening is tomorrow and these purses won’t last long. They’re made from old Friends of the VINP license plates by a company called Little Earth Productions.
Next time you’re down, stop in the store at Mongoose Junction and say “hi” to Angie Gorneau, the manager. (You might also recognize her from her night job waiting tables at ZoZo’s.)
Now….how will we give away this purse? ($105 retail value by the way!)
Today’s Beach Break is at a secret little spot on the far Southeast corner at the entrance to Chocolate Hole. A handful of waterfront houses that surround Chocolate Hole have access to little spots like this. We reached this one from a house called La Miramar, which we’ll show you on another day. A peaceful spot on Chocolate Hole, below!
It is either a case of premature advertising, or the premature demise of a business plan. Or…it’s a clever way to generate buzz, in which case we’re happy to oblige.
A mystery advertisement in that new St. John magazine (which is beautiful by the way) touts a replacement restaurant for Tage. Right there, opposite the letter from the publisher, the big, full color ad touts “180 Degrees…formerly Tage….a modern French inspired restaurant with a twist,” and promises 7 day a week dining and Sunday brunch. The problem is the Website listed is dead, and the phone number listed has been disconnected. Ted Robinson, the original Tage founder, told On-StJohn last week he heard there were people throwing ideas around for the space, and said he’d be interested if the right thing and the right people came along. But nobody we know is telling us anything. If you’re in the know, do tell. We’d love to hear about it.
We’ll pick up where we left off, leaving Peace Hill, continuing on to the most-photographed overlook on the island (maybe in the Caribbean), and end up at Trunk Bay. Again, not much to point out, so just enjoy the ride. North Shore Road, Part 3, below!
St. John artist Elaine Estern, of 
Original List Price:
Russ just had a birthday and I shopped with On-StJohn.com readers in mind. Nothing makes a little Videographer happier than a brand new Mac.
