usvi-on-line
Those who don't get it
Those who don't get it
St John is spoken of as a place that either one “gets” or doesn’t “get.
Let me tell you a tale about 2 in the latter group.
Last week, my parents were on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday. In their typical style of maddening insanity, they booked a 2BR penthouse suite.
Of course they did.
I called ahead to NCL and had the room decorated for her and had some fruit and wine basket-thing delivered. They were happy.
So, on Wednesday morning, I was on the phone for work when an unfamiliar number rang on the home line. My wife answered from upstairs. 2 minutes later, she was bounding down the stairs, hair on fire, looking like a wild woman. Making this even more fun was the fact that one of her cousins in FLA had simultaneously butt-dialed me. Thinking that another relative had died, I was in a full panic.
“Your father is at St John Spice. He wants to know what we want”
“Umm…I don’t know. He’s what?”
They’ve been on plenty of cruises that have called upon St Thomas and I don’t think they’ve ever visited “that little island of yours”. And they do mean to condescend when they say it that way. They’re Maui people. We are not. They can’t for the lives of them understand why we don’t want to go to Maui (cost and time spent traveling are not things that should be worried with apparently).
My wife gave him ma very basic order and then they got off the phone.
I finished up my call and called my father back to thank him and provide some day-trip pointers for St John. I was going to tell them to get a cab and go to Honeymoon for a while. Then I was going to send them to Patton for another string for my frog necklace. Some sightseeing and some chores.
“We’re on the ferry”
“You’re on the what?”
“Yea. We’re on the ferry going back. It looked like it might rain so we’ll go back to the ship.”
“You realize it rains one cloud at a time down there, right?”
So, they proudly arrived on a ferry from Red Hook, hopped into St John spice, met Ruth, called us, bought some stuff and then got back ON THE SAME FERRY.
To go through the effort of getting a cab to Red Hook just to spend 10 minutes on St John?
I'm glad they went. I was able to get some steak spice and some Calypso Sprinkle, but I'd give a finger for 10 minutes on St John right now.
They are the 1%.
Let me tell you a tale about 2 in the latter group.
Last week, my parents were on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday. In their typical style of maddening insanity, they booked a 2BR penthouse suite.
Of course they did.
I called ahead to NCL and had the room decorated for her and had some fruit and wine basket-thing delivered. They were happy.
So, on Wednesday morning, I was on the phone for work when an unfamiliar number rang on the home line. My wife answered from upstairs. 2 minutes later, she was bounding down the stairs, hair on fire, looking like a wild woman. Making this even more fun was the fact that one of her cousins in FLA had simultaneously butt-dialed me. Thinking that another relative had died, I was in a full panic.
“Your father is at St John Spice. He wants to know what we want”
“Umm…I don’t know. He’s what?”
They’ve been on plenty of cruises that have called upon St Thomas and I don’t think they’ve ever visited “that little island of yours”. And they do mean to condescend when they say it that way. They’re Maui people. We are not. They can’t for the lives of them understand why we don’t want to go to Maui (cost and time spent traveling are not things that should be worried with apparently).
My wife gave him ma very basic order and then they got off the phone.
I finished up my call and called my father back to thank him and provide some day-trip pointers for St John. I was going to tell them to get a cab and go to Honeymoon for a while. Then I was going to send them to Patton for another string for my frog necklace. Some sightseeing and some chores.
“We’re on the ferry”
“You’re on the what?”
“Yea. We’re on the ferry going back. It looked like it might rain so we’ll go back to the ship.”
“You realize it rains one cloud at a time down there, right?”
So, they proudly arrived on a ferry from Red Hook, hopped into St John spice, met Ruth, called us, bought some stuff and then got back ON THE SAME FERRY.
To go through the effort of getting a cab to Red Hook just to spend 10 minutes on St John?
I'm glad they went. I was able to get some steak spice and some Calypso Sprinkle, but I'd give a finger for 10 minutes on St John right now.
They are the 1%.
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SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
My thoughts exactly! Wow. Guess they really believe "the getting there is better than the destination". At least they got to see one of STJ's gems (STj Spice) but sure missed a whole lot more of them!PA Girl wrote:Wow, they didn't even walk around?!?!?! This might take the "didn't get it" prize.
Look at the bright side Pip, they could have loved it and followed you on every vacation!
Wow!
Amazing! I set foot on the Westin Beach 17 years ago and cought the "bug" and I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think about the rock.I have sent friends and co-workers down there,and no one has ever came back with the island fever like my wife and I have.But that's o.k.,and at this point I don't try to talk people into going,I keep it to myself unless they ask.
HELLO FROM MICHIGAN...
On my first trip I didn't start to get it until I rounded the curve and looked down from up high on Caneel. I really, really started to get it a bit down the road with a view of Hawksnest. And by the time I had passed Maho, I had no stress left in my body. For a lot of folks, Cruz Bay just doesn't really do it at first glance. But this is a good thing and (perhaps this is a bit selfish of me) I shudder to think of STJ turning into a big end destination like STT, or worse.
LOL on the parents, mine are of the same species. They prefer St. Maartin for the shopping and never venture out to the beach. To each their own...
LOL on the parents, mine are of the same species. They prefer St. Maartin for the shopping and never venture out to the beach. To each their own...
I feel your pain, my parents are Maui people as well. Not that Maui is bad, it's incredible, but it's very different than STJ. They are even Starwood (westin) owners on Maui - so they could trade for a week on STJ in a heartbeat, or use the millions of points he has accrued over the past decade. Would they like the beaches - yes, but would they "Get it". Not likely.
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Need2GetAway
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:52 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
It's just so odd to think of being excited to NOT spend time on the island and to "flip a ferry" like they did. Has anyone ever done that?
AND...I got my spices Saturday evening. They were in a tied-up plastic bag, screwed into an insulated coffee mug. This was done to avoid having the smell from the seasonings in their cabin.
Isn't the whole aim of going there rubbing yourself in seasonings so you smell awesome?
AND...I got my spices Saturday evening. They were in a tied-up plastic bag, screwed into an insulated coffee mug. This was done to avoid having the smell from the seasonings in their cabin.
Isn't the whole aim of going there rubbing yourself in seasonings so you smell awesome?
where did you come from?pipanale wrote:It's just so odd to think of being excited to NOT spend time on the island and to "flip a ferry" like they did. Has anyone ever done that?
AND...I got my spices Saturday evening. They were in a tied-up plastic bag, screwed into an insulated coffee mug. This was done to avoid having the smell from the seasonings in their cabin.
Isn't the whole aim of going there rubbing yourself in seasonings so you smell awesome?
Are our fathers related? My dad could not stand anything that smelled good (yet had moth balls in every nook and crany of the house.)pipanale wrote: They were in a tied-up plastic bag, screwed into an insulated coffee mug. This was done to avoid having the smell from the seasonings in their cabin.
Isn't the whole aim of going there rubbing yourself in seasonings so you smell awesome?
The smell of the STJ Spice store should be made into a candle. I love it. But then again, I have eaten Grill Rub off the spoon.