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Archive for August, 2009Ruth Cam: What are you doing in September?Monday, August 31st, 2009“Ruth,” I said. “There is NOTHING going on. Any ideas?” “How about I go around and ask a few business folks what they’re doing in September?” she says. And so was born Ruth Cam. Are folks staying on island or working right through September? Ruth Cam, Part One, below! Meet our newest advertiser: The Love ShackSunday, August 30th, 2009A boat recently dropped us off on Lovango Cay early one morning, and didn’t come back for us until 36 hours later. We were castaways. And we lived like kings for a day on our own private island. This is The Love Shack. This beachfront house with a separate cottage is unique on so many levels. It was built by longtime St. John resident Wally Leopold from mostly recycled materials, some of which have an interesting history. It is also completely off the grid; powered entirely by wind and sun. It’s a beautiful and comfortable home, and it doesn’t get much more private than this. Love Shack is for sale, but it is also now for rent. If you’re looking for something completely different, take a look. And should civilization call during your stay, you’re a 15-minute boat ride from Cruz Bay (Brunch at Caneel is even closer!).
US Airways adds nonstop from BostonFriday, August 28th, 2009 There is beautiful, summertime Boston….  And there is winter Boston…. Starting in December, there is another way to get away from winter Boston to always summer St. John. US Airways is adding nonstop service from Boston to St. Thomas (thanks to some incentives from our Tourism Chief.) US Airways joins American, which already serves Boston nonstop. While we love summertime visits to Boston, the difference between winter Boston, and this, goes without saying.  What if we switched?Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 Driving on the left is one of those quirky St. John things. But we’re all used to it. An abrupt change to right side driving would create chaos. It won’t happen. But Samoa is about to change. From driving on the right…to driving on the left. The first nation to change sides in three decades. Imagine the mess. The Wall Street Journal explains it all…the reason for doing it, the controversy it’s created and opponents’ efforts to stop it. And we’re all worried about the roundabout. Read the story here. Want to use Aqua Bistro’s kitchen?Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 Aqua Bistro’s bar is staying open in September, but the restaurant is closing for a few weeks starting Sept. 9. That frees up the kitchen for a good cause. The restaurant is offering use of the kitchen and dining area to anyone who’d like to use it for a fundraiser. Auctions, raffles, BBQ’s, you can even use their sound system if you want. Just steer your crowd to the bar for drinks. The kitchen’s available from Sept. 14 to Oct. 2. Give the restaurant a call if you’ve got a fundraiser you’ve been itching to do. It’s a great location.  Cruz Bay Arts and CraftsMonday, August 24th, 2009We strolled through another Arts and Crafts fair in Cruz Bay Park recently. It was a good day for a sweet tooth, to see some Henna art and for celebrity sightings. Closing down for low seasonSunday, August 23rd, 2009 The dining out choices start getting a little thin this time of year when many restaurants close for a few weeks in the height of low season. St. John Spice Ruth has been compiling a comprehensive list of who is closed and for how long for 9 years now. She says this year’s list is now up-to-date. “We started putting the list together because customers in the store are always asking for dining recommendations and we wanted to be sure we were sending them to places that were open,” Ruth says. Check out Ruth’s updated restaurant closings list, here. Jason Video: St. John’s first traffic reportSaturday, August 22nd, 2009Jason brought us some raw video of the traffic mess in the newly-lighted roundabout. We decided to have a little fun with it. Our DC readers may particularly enjoy. Let’s hope we never really need Bob, but we thank him for helping us have a good laugh. On-StJohn.com TV: Meet Lem CallwoodFriday, August 21st, 2009St. John’s Lem Callwood is one of the island’s busiest steel drum musicians. He’s a regular at Caneel and the Westin, he does private bookings… and you can catch him at the Banana Deck on Thursday nights. What does a bowling ball have to do with a steel drum? Learn a little about steel drums, and meet Lem, below! Stoplights!Thursday, August 20th, 2009 Look closely at the roundabout. See anything new? That’s right, a stoplight. And not just one stoplight, but MULTIPLE stoplights. At each spoke in the wheel. They’re temporary, but foreign. (Quick reminder: Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means gun it.)  Lunch and silt fencesThursday, August 20th, 2009 If you’re a builder, or plan on building, you can learn all about silt fences. In an hour. (It’s August. On St. John. This is news. ) The Coral Bay Community Council is hosting a silt fence lunch at Sputnik’s Thursday, August 27 from 12 to 1 p.m. Joe Mina, stormwater engineer for the Council, will be the presenter. “The workshop will cover proper usage of silt fence for erosion pollution prevention, including a hands-on demonstration of proper installation techniques, so it really works,” the Council said in its announcement. “Types of fencing and alternatives will be discussed, depending on the site and slope.” Brown bag your own lunch or buy Julietta’s Roti there. Owner comments on eerie White Bay dayWednesday, August 19th, 2009 Anybody who checked the Soggy Dollar Bar Webcam on Monday saw an image that is almost unthinkable. Not one boat in White Bay. Not one reveler on the beach. The potential threat of Tropical Storm Ana kept everybody away. “What a strange day it was. No boats and no people all day,” says Soggy Dollar Bar owner Jerry O’Connell. “But we were open. We are open 365 days a year. The streak is still alive after 38 years and 251 days.” And Jerry says they did do business, although we wonder if the boss was the only customer. “The total take Monday was one $6 Painkiller and one $9 cheeseburger. But, no Ana? Priceless.” |
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