USVI-On-Line

Here's a link posted today in response to "Curb Appeal" on the onstj.com blog. It's an article by Debra A. Klein in the November Conde Nast Traveler Magazine called “An Island in the Balance”. Reading it makes me wish I could have known the island years ago.

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/art ... geNumber=1

That article is fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

I really enjoyed reading that article. I also wish that I would have experienced St. John in earlier years. I love it now, but I can't imagine how nice it would have been before all of the development. Thanks for posting the link!

What a wonderful article. I truly wish I could have come to St John back in the 70's before the "big rush" started. It's a beautiful place to me, but I can only imagine what it must have looked like then.

Great piece! This subject, especially Peter Bay, always gets me emotional. I think the construction referred to on said hillside looks like a festering zit.

I have to say this is one of the best articles I've seen about STJ. Although I'd rather see pieces that say STJ is a horrible place with filthy beaches and locals that prey upon visitors, where crime is rampant and everything is terrible. Hey, you guys, I thought we were trying to keep his place our little secret . Someone is blabbing waaaay too much.

Thank you for sharing the article. That was a great read.

Having gone to St.John since the late 80's,the change has been dramatic. It's ashame that paradise can be ruined with progress and I wish we who care could save Mr. Rockerfeller's vision for St. John. I enjoyed the article and also wish I could have experienced St. John sooner and I yearn for the days of only one flush!
Scott

I know change is inevitable and change is good....I just wish there was not SO much overdevelopment on STJ.
I know we do not have enough hotels and so people build rental villas and of course you need to pay your morgage and then more people want to come and then developers get into it and build more. To me most of the problems stems with the administration and how STJ has not had a planner.
Gov Turnbull was a joke when it came to STJ and so far the new admin is not doing that much either.
Bottom line someone needs to be held accountable for all the building and the approvals and no one is.
I am happy Leona is up at bat and working towards helping STJ get a planner......but soon come is not soon enough.

To me after reading this piece in Conde Nast, I wonder how many people do get it?
Stanley and the Gibneys and the Rockenfellers and whomever that one single donor who gave 26 millions does. I do not want to see what happens to Maho in 2011. I want someone to come forward and let it stay the way it is, not some hotel chain or some developer but someone that knows change is good sometimes but sometimes you just have to let the beauty of nature be.
Remember that old phrase yrs ago 'it's not good to piss off mother nature'...........