ATL 2 STX Impressions

Hi all. Well, here I am, a couple of weeks into my pmv, and I’ve got to say…. I’m going to hate going back to Atlanta at the end of the month, even if it is only temporary. I’ve already fallen in love with the islands.

I spent the first few days on STT with my new lover, Kate, which I enjoyed immensely (both). Can’t really understand the rivalry yet, but it’s funny to hear people’s comments about either island… St. Traumas was a good one. I soaked in the hustle and bustle of the morning rush, as I strolled down to the café at the waterfront to grab a cup of coffee and a slice of banana bread, thinking it could be a good transitional location, with me coming from the big city and all.

Ronnie was wealth of info, and I loved hanging out on the porch (or veranda) at Crystal Palace, taking in the view, as he corrected me on my direction slips… East end instead of East side (it’s a city thing), or over to STX, as opposed to down to STX. I meant to say thanks before I left, but you had gone to some breakfast thing that morning, so…. Thanks, Ronnie. You’re the Man. Take care of all the girls!

Had a lovely dinner with Loyal Reader and J, too. Can’t remember the name of the place up near Magen’s, but that bacon wrapped pork loin (pork on pork) stuffed with herbed cream cheese was the business!!! It was great meeting you guys…. Now if I could have a job, I’d really appreciate it!

The rest of my time there was spent zipping around with my main squeeze, Kate, taking in the sight, sounds, and smells, and the only thing I could really complain about were the food prices, which I’d been warned about… so, I can’t really complain, can? I think it made me enjoy my $9 bacon blue burger at Molly Malone’s a little more, especially with the 3 foot iguana eyeballing me from under the next table.

The real pmv came when I arrived on STX for the house-sitting gig. Located up near the top of the hill on Mon Bijou road (or is it Betsy’s Jewel?), I’m pretty centrally located, which is cool. I’m a short drive from Cane Bay so I’m there daily, soaking up some rays, in the water, and wishing I worked for the dive shop. I can also be found bellied up to the bar at Off the Wall, which has become one of my favorite places so far. Linda J and Ric were waiting to greet me when I first arrived, so thank you guys for the warm welcome.

I’ve spent some time in both C’sted and F’sted, so I wanted to comment on my impressions, as the topic has come up in this forum before. True, F’sted isn’t nearly as developed as C’sted, but I really think once the waterfront project gets done, it’ll be awesome over there. I didn’t feel unsafe at any time, day or night, so I’m now thoroughly convinced that MDS comments stem from sheer paranoia and they should just go back to wherever they came from… Chicago, I think it was. Also, I’m finding it funny that I’ve read some folks on here slam F’sted while making C’sted sound like some gleaming gem of a town, when in fact, it has it’s own share of grime, and it only takes a couple of turns before you find yourself in an area you might not want to be in. Anyway, I’ll definitely be back to F’sted soon… especially as Changes has free hotdogs on Wednesday evening!!

I also wanted to address the topic of racism, which I’m sure exists, although I’ve yet to find it. I was told there might be a few stores here and there that I might experience it in, but haven’t managed to find them yet. Everyone has been extremely cool, friendly, and helpful, with the exception of the phone company.

I’ll add more later, but right now I need to start my calls to Innovative so I might be able to actually post this. The phone has been screwball since I arrived and I can’t make or receive calls or get online most of the day. This company is an absolute joke, and this has been a great lesson in island life. I’ve called daily, talked to “supervisors”, gone to the office, but they are useless!!! This company wouldn’t last 2 days in Atlanta. I saw a commercial with David L Sharp, the Innovated CEO, so I looked in the phone book and found his number. Maybe I’ll give him a call.

Cheers!!!