The Dolphin Market overpass has been completed, and the Centerline Road cloverleaf is on schedule for dedication next month.

Once completed, the next project will be widening North Shore Road to include HOV lanes, inbound in the morning, outbound afternoons.

Carolina Corral wants to send Spruced Ivan to Florida for his retirement years and there’s a fundraiser in Coral Bay Sunday that might just pay for it.

Spruced Ivan is a thoroughbred racehorse that owner Dana Bartlett bought from the St. Thomas racetrack in 1999, and she says he’s an actual descendant of Man o’ War. A chipped bone ended his racing career, but he still goes to work every day, giving rides to Dana’s horseback customers.

“There is a group in Florida that finds adoptive homes for retired thoroughbreds and if I can raise the money, I’m sending Spruced Ivan off,” says Dana. “Island life is too hard on a thoroughbred. It’s too small here for a horse like him.”

Dana thinks it’ll take about $3,400 in airfare and land transportation to make it happen. The fundraiser will include donkey races and pony rides, food, music and a raffle.

“He’s 14 and very well-mannered. He’s a beautiful horse, and deserves a nice retirement,” says Dana.

Sorry, guys, but this “comment of the week” is the most stupid thing you could post on your site. You should know that by the lack of responses!!! -Jane.

You’d think April and Dave Wolf would have plenty to keep them busy with their soon-to-open bar and restaurant, The Crazy Cracker. Apparently not.

April and Dave are now officially the new owners of the St. John Inn. And they’re already getting down to business there.

“Right now, the renovations are simple. We’re doing a lot of painting and cleaning and adding a lot of landscaping,” says April. “But next year we plan to really transform the place into a nice, boutique hotel.”

Those plans include putting in a bigger pool and expanding the pool deck area, adding plasma TVs and memory foam beds to all of the rooms and, later, expanding the hotel itself with new construction on an adjoining vacant lot that came with the property.

“We’ll also reopen the honor bar right away, and we’ve already reinstated the complimentary continental breakfast,” April says.

(We’re told the St. John Inn was quite the place back in the day. In the 1970’s, it was called the Bamboo Inn, and was a lively local spot with lobster dinners, bands and dancing.)

As for The Crazy Cracker, April and Dave are shooting for a December 11 grand opening.

If you’re running a restaurant or a retail business on St. John, finding, and actually keeping, good employees for longer than the training period can be a challenge. The twenty-somethings are transient. They come. They go. And your customers are on vacation so your staff better be fun and friendly, and know enough to converse about the little island they’re on.

We got a big kick out of this job application for Big Planet at Mongoose Junction someone sent us. Click here, if you’d like to see if you qualify!

A day long power outage that started around 8 a.m. on St. John (thanks to trouble on St. Thomas) stretched into evening, and then Tuesday night. Lots of places closed down for the day at sunset.

It’s not often the national media picks up on VI power outages. It made the cut today.

(This is a post about accommodations, not about development, k?)

If you don’t mind ongoing construction, you can get a pretty good deal on the first vacation rentals at the new Grand Bay condos.

“There are about a dozen condos now ready for the vacation rental market,” says Kim Morris, (aka the new Mrs. Dinghy Joe) who is helping manage these rentals. “They are in buildings C and D, on upper floors, and they all have great views.”

One bedroom studios with kitchenettes rent for $195 per night. One bedrooms with full kitchens are $295 per night. Two bedrooms are $395 per night and three bedrooms for $495 per night.

There is no pool yet, and really no other amenities either. But there is on-site parking.

(There are also long-term rentals available through a few owners.)

If you’re interested, give Kim a call at 340-998-1978.

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BVI beachfront stop: Oceans 7

Monday, November 24th, 2008

Show your captain a little creativity next time you charter a day to the BVIs. Soggy Dollar and Foxy’s are great stops, but there are lots of spots you may not even have heard of.

Here is one of them. Oceans 7 is a relatively new beachfront club on Peter Island’s Great Harbor. The menu says fish, steaks, burgers and lobster. Oceans 7, below!

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Mmmmm….a Milky Way latte

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

Where can you get this sinful new concoction? At the latest place to add a barista. Details later this week.

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Comment of the Week

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

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Jeep Cam: Reef Bay Road

Friday, November 21st, 2008

We always get lost out here. Somewhere along the way, the Fish Bay neighborhood becomes the Reef Bay neighborhood. But if you find Reef Bay Road, you are on your way to the top of the mountain. This road goes past the spectacular Half Moon House, and keep an eye out for that house with the green roof. The Reef Bay Coastal Hike trail is right past it, at the utility pole. We’ll go pretty far, but sorry, no 4-wheelin’ today.

(PS: Look over on the right hand advertising rail. By popular request, download the JeepCam theme!)

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