St. Thomas' secret.Here's the best of capital city Charlotte Amalie Charlotte Amalie (əmäl`ē), town (2000 pop. 11,044), capital of the Virgin Islands of the United States, on St. Thomas Island. It is the commercial center of the islands, a free port, and a popular tourist resort. Had Shakespeare ever visited St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he might have had his tempest-tossed protagonists wash ashore here. St. Thomas has endless ribbons of pristine beaches, rolling emerald hills and a temperate tropical climate A tropical climate is a type of climate typical in the tropics. Köppen's widely-recognized scheme of climate classification defines it as a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above 18°C (64.4 °F). . Nestled between three sloping hills and kissing the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea (kâr'ĭbē`ən, kərĭb`ēən), tropical sea, c.970,000 sq mi (2,512,950 sq km), arm of the Atlantic Ocean, Central America. , the capital city Charlotte Amalie is actually known as the Virgin Islands' industrial hub, as well as the place to duty-free shop duty-free shop Noun a shop, esp. at an airport, that sells duty-free goods until you drop. You can save 30% to 50% on items such as spices and Waterford crystal. * Who's who: St. Thomas is 85% black. A hidden but living St. Thomas treasure is Glenn Davis (340-775-6380). This oral historian gives impromptu recitations and makes this enchanting island even more magical through his renditions of Ashanti Jumbi (ghost) and Anansi (trickster trickster, a mythic figure common among Native North Americans, South Americans, and Africans. Usually male but occasionally female or disguised in female form, he is notorious for exaggerated biological drives and well-endowed physique; partly divine, partly human, ) tales. * Good eats: Virgilio's (340-776-4920) Italian seafood dishes and pasta can be enjoyed in this intimate setting on 18 Dronningens Gade ... Traipse up Government Hill to Hotel 189 (340-7761829) to experience the continental cuisine and elegant ambience of this restaurant situated in one of Charlotte Amalie's historic buildings ... Then head over to the Greenhouse (340-774-7998) on Veterans Drive for daiquiris and other tropical drinks. * Music & more: It's jazz and traditional West Indian cuisine at Glady's Cafe Jazz Club (340-774-6604). This sister-owned spot is located at Royal Dane Mall West ... For a Dockside Jamboree, drop in at the Havensight Shopping Mall on Friday evenings from 6 to 9. It features steel pan music, Mocko Jumbi (stilt stilt, common name for some members of the family Recurvirostridae, shore birds including the avocet. Stilts, as their name implies, have the longest legs of any bird except the flamingo. dancers) and quadrille quadrille Dance for four couples in square formation, fashionable from the late 18th through the 19th century. Imported to England from Parisian ballrooms in 1815, it consisted of four or five contredanses (see (square) dancing. Contact the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism Office (340-774-8784) for more information. * On the radio: Listen to WSTA-AM 1340 for calypso Calypso, in Greek mythology Calypso (kəlĭp`sō), nymph, daughter of Atlas, in Homer's Odyssey. She lived on the island of Ogygia and there entertained Odysseus for seven years. , R&B, hip-hop and talk, and WGOD-FM 98 for gospel. Chitown disc jockey Tom Joyner hosts a syndicated show (Monday-Saturday, 6-10 a.m.) on WWKS-FM 101.3. * Where to worship: Located on Garden Street, All Saints Cathedral is an Anglican church that recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, which coincides with the emancipation of the island's slaves who built the church to commemorate their freedom ... A Catholic church, St. Peter & Paul's Cathedral, is located on Main Street. * Making connections: The Chamber of Commerce (340-776-0100) sponsors an annual late-spring dinner dance ... St. Thomas' Howard University Alumni Association hosts jazz-centered networking gatherings throughout the year ... Carnival--an annual, post-Lenten, festive event--is sponsored by the community. * Sleepy time: Slumber on a hilltop overlooking the harbor at Bluebeard's Castle Hotel (340-774-5511 or 800-524-6599). Prices range from $170 to $295 nightly. * Additional details: Surf over to www.onepaper.com for the latest news on St. Thomas. |
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