STJ...It's about the people

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

It dawned on me as I was writing on another post, that STJ, to me, is about the people we meet there.

I would like to share with you the people I have met on island that made my time there so much nicer. And, who make me come back every year. Perhaps there are those that I failed to mention that have impacted you. Add them, please.

I have to start with Ruth and Ron. Nicest people you ever could want to know. Demetrius at the Banana Deck...good guy. Boo. Toughest, softest person I sort of know. Allen, formerly of Stone Terrace, and now of GastroGrub fame...smart as a whip and seriously fun to talk with. Sharon, also formerly of Stone Terrace (to us)...nice person. Dave, the former bartender at the Beach Bar...left island...what a loss. Speaking of losses, another Dave, again formerly of Stone Terrace (catching a theme here?)...he's my brother. Tom, we met him at Morgan's when he used to sport a goatee, but most recently found him at the Beach Bar. And, of course, Mr. Sutton, his wife and daughters...no visit to STJ is a visit to STJ without them.

We come back for the people we have met over the years. We miss them when we are away, even if they don't know who we are. Or, maybe they do.

So, tell me...who have you met that deserves mention?

[Xislandgirl]

My list is not fair because of my time living on island but....
After being on the forum for a while, I learned that PSWLRW (Paula) is the sister of an old friend from STJ. I took a trip to visit some STJ friends on vacation in Newburyport and the group was staying at her family home there. I was so excited to see my STJ friends but even more excited to meet Paula. We had a great time that night and I am so happy that we will be on-island together in less than 2 weeks.


Oh yeah- Ruth and Ron are the greateste ever, if you are new to the forum and have not met them, you must stop by and say Hi. You will be so glad that you did!

[Boston Mike]

This is a great topic.

Boo and Dougie(doug is gone now i think)at the Beach Bar was great to us. Boo sat with us one night after she got off her shift and we had blast. Although she confiscated my wife's Red Sox Koozie. It was the conversations we had and got to learn about her a bit that had us respecting her. She is all around a real cool cat.

Dougie and his wife Ashley (Ashley from Morgans Mango)were great. Suppose to go sailing with them on our next trip this May but it looks like they are off island now.

My wife actually took a liking to Daniel. Yes, the one that paints the rocks and walks around Cruz Bay at all hours. My wife likes to listen to stories and he was letting them flow.

[AnyTing]

I agree. Friends and family don't understand why we keep going back to the same place. It's not just the place, it's the people that make me feel like it's home in a way. Ruth and Ron top the list. I can't tell you how being greeted by Ruth and Ron always makes me feel like I belong there, and even though they don't like being fawned over, those two people go out of their way for others. There, Ruth. I said it. So sue me. Terry Witham, the villa manager where we have stayed many, many times is another person that always makes me feel welcome and I feel like I could call on her for anything while I am there, no matter how stupid. And I adore Cpt. Clark. We sailed with him on every trip until he took a hiatus to build his house. He never treated us like paying customers. He treated us like friends. The last time we went out with Cpt. Clark, he picked us up at 8:30 am and returned us to Coral Bay at 10:30 pm! That was waaaaaay past the standard sail time. Not only does he always take us to lots of extra spots, he joins us in the fun, and usually sends us home with fresh caught fish or lobster! He's awesome.

I agree that it is the local people that you meet, that go out of their way to make you feel like a part of the island instead of just some visitor, that keep me coming back again and again.

[LMG]

Great idea!

Where to start? Ruth and Ron, who've not only greeted me on every trip but "taken care" of me as well... given me water as I sprint around Cruz Bay looking for a Jeep that never appeared, telling me which table to sit at in restaurants, going to the beach with me.

Pia and Les-- welcoming me into their home, agreeing to hike with me, sight unseen, letting me become auntie to their adorable puppies.

Randy and Marcia-- letting me be the first to ascend the infamous stair tower in their unfinished house, inviting me to dinner, welcoming my friends, making drinks with just the right amount of rum.

Vicki and family-- letting me snorkel with them (to date my best snorkeling experiecnes as A) there were no sharks and B) I had someone to actually point things out to me). Inviting me everywhere, making me feel welcome, sharing the iPhone love.

Wishwewerethere- Again, meeting up with me and hiking with me, sight unseen, sailing with me, obsessively talking about how missing our dogs is the only difficult thing about going to STJ.

And all of the above for calling/emailing with me for random, odd reasons or to just let me whine that "it's 20 degrees here again and why haven't I won the Powerball?!"

Then there are those here on the forum that I haven't even met, yet we share a lot of laughs and nostalgia, too.

And that's just forum people. Wow! Feeling a little touchy-feely today, I guess.

[djmom]

My daughter adores Linda at the Pink Papaya. A few years ago my daughter got her finger stuck in a ring at the shop (at closing time of course). It was a very "dramatic" event for all as the finger swelled up immediately and no amount of pulling, ice, dishwashing liquid, windex, vegetable oil would get it off. Finally I was ready to call the rescue squad to "cut it off". My daughter freaked, thinking I was talking about her finger...

Finally, Linda called her husband (John?) and he came to the shop and somehow got that thing off. Then of course we had to do a massive shopping trip in the store

We return every time we visit and Linda still talks about the drawings my girls brought her afterward. You know how many people visit and it really makes the girls feel special to be remembered. (even if it is for something idiotic!) But that is just what it is like in St. John. People take the time to remember you and recognize you when you walk in.

[byado18]

Kim the bartender at Asolare

Barb and Cary - Paradise Massage

The wait staff at the Westin beach restaurants who greet us like long lost friends each year when we arrive

The people on this board who keep responding so generously to calls for help whether it's school supplies, Christmas presents or support for an "angryboob" - if you missed this one -- check out.....http://www.angryboob.com/

Can't wait to finally get to meet some of you in June!

[lprof]

First trip to St John...husband rented flippers at Crabby's in Coral Bay. The usual sort of pleasant conversation occurred: how you doing? where you going? where you staying?
Second trip to St John...husband stops in at Crabby's for flippers. The conversation is something like: hey, welcome back. what do you need? staying out at ___'s place again this year?
We were blown away to be remembered after a year had passed.

I honestly can not think of any unfriendly encounter while on St John. We have always felt welcome, that our happiness in business transactions was desired and that for any need someone would willingly give us help.

[aroobagirl]

Our experience is a little different - but in a sweet way. Our daughters are African American and when we are toodling around town, the local islanders call our kids "cuzz". I know my girls like it. Also, once when trucking through town my husband thought it was a good idea to put our youngest up on his shoulders. I told him she was too young and didn't have the back muscles for that yet. Being my husband he ignored me, until a elderly island woman yelled at him stating, "that baby is too young for that!" Needless to say the little one was taken down off his shoulders immediately, that old woman was a force to be reckoned with. It does take a village...

[LysaC]

this is a great topic!

i always have great conversations and discussions while on stj- with fellow visitors, house mangers, store owners, captains, etc. at home, conversations are cut short cuz someone always has to be somewhere else. on stj, there's not a lot of "somewhere else" to be so everyone seems open to a real good chat.

ruth and ron. they do go above and beyond whether they like to admit it or not. i know from personal experience. they rock!

i second the guy at crabby's (whose name i have forgotten). really nice and very chatty- lots of great island tips too.

barr lewis at syzygy. great artist. great chat with her and i think she is leaving (has left) the island after 10 years.

capt clark- met him for like, 15 minutes, and he treated us like old friends. truly genuinely nice person.

cathy noonan (clark's wife), the perfect fit for clark as a really open genuine nice person. they both made us feel like we came back home on our last trip.

there was young couple working one of the jewelry stores in town on our last visit and we chatted with them, for like, a 1/2 hour about where we are all from, what they were doing on-island now, etc, etc.

so many more...

[Nic in KC]

Wow, if I hadn't already decided to go back, this thread would've made me do it. On StJ it always feels like there is someone to help if needed.

Staying at Sailview with Mike and Eileen during Omar and visiting with Doug (Skinny Legs) and his wife Jamie as we waited that night to see what the storm would do made us feel like we belonged and were friends.

The guys at Woody's who since we are from MO tend to remember us and last time when my car got blocked into Courtesy's lot helped me figure out who the owner was and track him down to get it moved.

Ruth and Ron obviously and just the people you meet each time you are on island! I've never traveled anywhere else and felt like if I needed something, someone on island (or by putting the word on this forum) would be able to help me figure out what to do!

[PA Girl]

A few brief encounters that are happy memories:

When we stayed at Kallaloo, Catered To sent a guy named Ari to fix the screen door. He picked us small fruits (passion fruit I believe) and showed us how to cut them open, improve with a bit of rum and scoop out the insides.

Once in Coral Bay, a man openned up a coconut and gave my then 18 month old a little cup of coconut water and some coconut meat. When you have a child, you appreciate people who are willing to give your kid an education/new experience.

While staying at Caneel, my husband spends a lot of time poking around the landscaping. He chatted up one of the crew who spent quite a bit of time teaching him about the plants and Caneel's landscaping practices.

The lovely hostess at Morgan's Mango who upon seeing my toddler's giant goose egg forehead lump, wrote out a homeophatic (sp?) rememdy for bruises. We tried it and I am convinced it worked.

[mahobayb]

Oh I love this.

First of course, Ruth and Ron. Have to stop in at SJ Spice to see them. Purchase our "rub" and the best priced T-shirts on Island.

Look for Capt Phil and Tarn. Has to be pretty early to catch them cruisin' thru the park.

Try to see where Arletha has her tent set up. Buy some trinket.

Watch for the BIG bus that Paulie drives and blow him a kiss. By the time he gets to his drink "stand" (just past Woody's) we are kicked back in the villa.

There is a sweet young woman who just kinda stands by the info booth, she is full of info (ex: "did ya hear, Kenny's on Island?")Real fun to talk to.

Stop by the jewelry store and look for the puppy dog that has his/her bed right there in the store. What is the name of that store?

The cook at JJ's cafe'. He likes to have his picture taken.

We look forward to seeing and chatting with Solar Jeff, his wife and their team. They take care of The Mahogany Tree Villas for us. If we need directions or just anything they are there for us.

The day of our WOW we spend time just relaxing in the park. Lot's of interesting people watching. Sometimes we get "treated" to a one man conversation. That probably goes on day and night

God, I LOVE St John!!!

[pswlrw]

Aw X - love right back at ya I can't wait to see you!! I'm gonna PM you my cell phone to make sure we don't miss each other.

Other folks on St. John that make it feel like home:

Captain Kevin on Born to Rhumb. Our day on the water with him is our favorite tradition and whenever we approach Sandy Spit he says "Here it is Paula, your favorite place on earth!"

We had a waiter named Caleb a few years ago at Cafe Roma. He was a real personable guy who happened to be ... a fire eater! After we were done eating he came outside with us and ate some fire - seriously! Then he came over to Woody's and bought us a round of shots!!

My best friend Tom. He has been on every St. John trip with me and he totally gets it. We were at Starfish last year and a woman in front of us stiffed the cashier on some cigarettes. A co worker tried to find the woman but she had taken off. The cashier was quite upset as she was going to be short the money. My friend Tom took the money out of his pocket and paid her (yeah, I pick good best friends!). The cashier was so grateful, she flashed him a big, shy smile and said "God Bless You".

[Kentuckygirl]

Great topic, and an excellent point too. We have people ask us why we love St. John so much and why we don't want to always be trying new places. We have just been twice so far, but now we always have a future STJ trip in the plans. Besides the natural beauty of the island, we have met some wonderful people.
Of course many of them have already been mentioned, such as Ruth and Ron(such wonderful people!). I'd like to add Captain Truman from Flyaway Charters and his part time captain, Stan. They are great. Stan has been our captain both trips and we have enjoyed the company of both he and his wife. We were fortunate enough last time to meet Captain John as well, although we didn't make the connection until we got back.
Tim at the Big Belly Deli is from Paducah Kentucky. We really enjoyed talking to him. The Dove family is very nice too. We met them our first year, then ran into her again this year.
It was fun to meet a few forumites at the Beach Bar that we hadn't met yet...Xislandgirl (very sweet and welcoming), San Diego Mark and his wife (also very nice!) There were a few more, but I'm so bad with names!
Rachel was our driver from the airport to the Red Hook and back and she is another that makes the trip to the island so special. I really do love getting to know the people and I agree that's part of what is pulling me back.
Oh, I've got to get our next STJ trip booked. I want to go back to the island!!!