News of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Podcast: Fun and games all weekend

If people are moving a little slowly this week, it’s understandable.  The island was full of events, fun, music - and dogs - Saturday.

As publisher of the St. John Sun Times, Ella Anderson had a front row seat to it all.  And she talks about it in this week’s podcast. (www.stjohnsuntimes.com)

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Dozens of previous podcasts are available at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

St. John Podcast: Shelley, the live trip blogger

Shelley McLennan didn’t see a whale during her visit to St. John last week, but she sure saw and and did a lot of other stuff.  And it’s all there for you to see, too, on her Island Girl blog.

Shelley’s the person I’ve named the Greatest Trip report writer.  She doesn’t wait ‘til she’s back home in Canada to chronicle her latest visit.  Rather she does it while she’s living it, almost ‘live blogging’ the vacation.  Husband Rob is cool, understanding that even after a night at Woody’s, Shelley may still go to the laptop and upload photos and write commentary about the day's events.

I’ve gotten to know Shelley and Rob over the past eight months.  They were staying at Blue Tang, our villa, when heavy weather came up last fall.  We got into e-mail contact then and have continued. 

When I saw Shelly’s Trip Reports on line, I had to know more.  And so in this week’s St. John Podcast, I talked about her love affair with the island (five visits, so far), how she plans her daily adventures, and what it’s like to take as many as 500 photos a day with a Nikon 700 camera.

Shelley's blog is at islandgirl.typepad.com

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Dozens of previous podcasts are available in the archive at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

St. John Podcast #44 - La Plancha del Mar

A new Happy Hour promotion at La Plancha del Mar is a success, says Jonathan Fritz, co-owner, chef and bartender. 

Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., La Plancha offers Sangrias and Heinekens for $2 and an appetizer plate of five selections for $5. 

“Now that the winter season is over, we know we have to draw support from locals,” Fritz said, and bargain prices for drinks and food will do it. 

Fritz explains he and his partners, Jason Howard (the tall, handsome guy in the picture) and Mike Prout, are working nearly 12-hour days, at least five days a week, four months after opening for business. 

But they’re loving it. In this week’s St. John Podcast, he talks about the challenges of starting a business on island.

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Lots more 'historical' podcasts are available in the archive at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

St. John Show #43: Hitchhikers, Return of Island Girl, American says 'wait!'

A long time ago, hitchhiking was a common way to get from one end of the island to another. 

In recent years, not so much.  Tourists are sometimes reluctant to pick up strangers; locals may be wary of visitors. 

But what's worse is when someone you know drives by and doesn't stop.  Hey!  What's going on?  Aren't we friends?

The answer may be found in the latest issue of Ella Anderson’s St. John Sun Times.  There's  a photographic guide for today’s hitchhiker - to help them understand why they may not get a ride.  While Ella says these signals are not quiet like the International Driving Signs, they’re at least a tongue-in-cheek introduction to the local custom.

Other items in this week's St. John Show, which you can listen to below or on your iPod or Zune:  American's four-hour standby suggestion, Island Girl's 16-hour journey, and thoughts about island real estate.  (PS ... Island Girl writes the BEST trip reports ... her latest, which began yesterday, is at http://islandgirl.typepad.com/take_me_to_the_island/.)

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Lots more 'historical' podcasts are available in the archive at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

Live from St. John ... the Podcast returns

As Click and Clack would say, "We're back!"

The special guest on a new St. John Show #42 is Ella Anderson, editor/publisher of the St. John Sun Times. 

Highlights include a review of a new restaurant, chatter about the future of the Mail Center, and optimism that the crowds on island right now will stay through the summer.

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Lots more 'historical' podcasts are available in the archive at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

Thanksgiving on the Banana Deck

St. Johnians and visitors celebrated Thanksgiving in traditional as well as local ways last week. 

Amy Farris, visiting from Springfield, Va. had what she called the "traditional meal at the Banana Deck which, for others in her party, also served more casual and even West Indian dishes.  Many island eateries had holiday specials, including Island Blues in Coral Bay.  As for cook-at-homes, there were plenty of choices at the island's markets.  Among the luckiest who wanted to celebrate in the old holiday way were staffers at villa rental agency Catered To.  They received turkeys as gifts from the Boss, Eileen.

Farris (aka "FlipFlop" on a Virgin Islands On Line forum) was also on island the previous week, when she and her husband ponied for $100 tickets to attend Rotary Club's tasty fund raiser, Flavors.  Zozo's was her favorite among the almost two-dozen restaurants and caterers which offered a smörgåsbord of samples.  She gave a second place nod to a dish from Ted Robinson, now running his in-villa dinner business, Ted's Supper Club.  Rotary raised a reported $20,000 for its scholarship fund and other island projects.

You can listen to the interview with Smith.
Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.

Artists Association: new space, new shows

Amanda Smith, the new Gallery Director for the Artists Association of St. John, is drawing up some big plans. 

Suspecting there's a little bit of artist in many locals, she's hoping that, eventually, the group's gallery will host not only regular exhibits of members' work but also daily classes.

"Everybody thinks you have to be a pro, but that;'s not true," Smith explained in an interview.  While she started painting nine years ago as a hobby, "When you constantly (keep at it), you improve."  By having classes in many media ranging from oil painting to watercolor to sculpture to jewelry making, she hopes to "reach people who are even just looking for a hobby. I don't want them intimidated."

You can listen to the interview with Smith.
Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.

Smith signed on as Gallery director earlier this year, just as the group was moving from the Marketplace to larger space at the Lumberyard, where Polli's Mexican restaurant used to be.  The Association has 152 members, most of whom are full-time residents.  Each is given 16 square feet each month to display their work.

Each month's featured artists are given an entire wall. The current exhibit highlights photography and paintings by Janet Cook-Rutnik.  December will highlight the paintings of Smith, the gallery director, and Lucy Portlock, a watercolorist.  An opening reception is planned for Dec. 13th at 6 p.m.

Smith also plans to open a small art supply shop next month, adjacent to the Gallery, Pirates Paradise Art Supply. Inventory will include "better and best" lines of acrylics, watercolors, oils, brushes, canvases and paper.

The Association's Web site is http://www.stjohnarts.org/

Flavors: an evening of food, wine and music

The annual "Taste of St. John" is set for Saturday evening at the Westin Resort and Villas.  It's an annual fund raiser for Rotary Club of St. John. 

Rotary is a service organization focused on doing good works.  It's helped renew the playground at Coral Bay's school, while this weekend's "Flavors" event will fund a $15,500 college scholarship for a St. John high school senior.

Joan Bermingham is the group's President.  In an interview, she talked about the upcoming event which will include a smörgåsbord of food and wine under a tent and dancing on the beach, to the music of Greg Kinslow and the In the Sand Band.  You can hear samples of Kinslow's music in the podcast, below.) Press the "Play" arrow to listen to it.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.

Flavors, of course, is open to anyone, local or visitor. Tickets: $100 donation per person, available at: Connections, Kaleidoscope Video, and online at http://www.flavorsstjohn.com/ticketpage.html.

Picking up the pieces at Villa Tesori

New Podcast!

Michael Mullen just wanted a 4-bedroom villa at Rendezvous Bay.  What he got was an argument with his builder, a barely-started project, the opportunity to nearly go broke, a 5-bedroom retreat called Villa Tesori and an awful lot of experience.

Mullen stepped in when his builder walked out.  He tells the story in a soon-to-be-published novel, "Keep Left." He describes the story as "the transformation of an uptight executive to being a laid-back person living in a world which says 'No Problem, Mon'."

But Mullen had plenty of problems.  His workers left the job. He had to beg them to return. He did lots of employee recruiting at Island Blues and the Beach Bar.

"I walked around with dollar signs on my forehead" which, he said, told any workers he was desperate.  How desperate?  He avoided running out of money only by taking $5,000 advances on 20 credit cards.

Mullen talks about his experience in this conversation.  Press the "Play" arrow to listen to it.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.

Order Mullen's book by e-mailing him: mtbgroup@hughes.net

See Villa Tesori

Panini Beach: Countdown to closing

It's 10 years and out for Janet Kleiner and Joe Guarise.  They'll be closing their Cruz Bay beach-side trattoria at Wharfside on August 17th. Their moderately-priced restaurant's menu included inventive Bellinis to start, excellent pasta and hot Italian sausages (my favorite),  linguine and clams for an entree, and a Cioccolato Panino for Dolci.

They are not leaving happily.  They arrived in late 1997 from Chicago, full of energy and optimism.  But developments like Sirenusa, Grande Bay, multi-million dollar villas, rising rents, a demanding landlord and other changes have been troubling. "It's still beautiful, but I'd rather leave and remember it as it was," Kleiner explained.

She talked about her experience in a forthright, even controversial, interview.  To listen, click the "Play" button below.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.