Lulu and Friends' Trip Report
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:25 am
(This is day one. It's turning out much longer than I thought. I'll work on that.)
Here it is: my trip report. I figure that it's a good way to remind me that while it snowed last night in Tennessee, a week ago I was still in paradise...
Before we get started, here are a few disclaimers:
1. I don't snorkel.
2. There is no food porn (actually, at this point there are no photos because I've had lots to do since I got back).
3. You don't know most of the other people. But they're lovely, honest.
Now, on to St. John Adventures with Lulu and friends.
(Originally, I had made clever nicknames up for everyone. Then I got drunk and forgot them. So, you get real names. I have faith that you will choose not to stalk us.)
Travel Log, Saturday, Nov. 8:
What made me think that I could drink whiskey with boys when I was getting on a plane in just a few short hours?
I'm not sure, but now I'm the person that everyone loves and hopes they get to sit next to: Hungover Lady on the Plane.
Here I am, sitting at gate D9 in a big, scary airport (Hartsfield in Atlanta) waiting to get on my plane to paradise. When I stopped at the little store to get Tums and water (hungover, remember?), I picked up the latest Caribbean Travel & Life. Yes, I am reading ABOUT St. John while I'm waiting to get on the plane to St. John. I have a problem, but the headline on the magazine leads me to believe that this article could give me some insight into my addiction issues.
I got to Fort Lauderdale rather uneventfully, except that these two people with an odor got on the plane, and I knew they'd be sitting next to me. Really, the last thing Hungover Lady on the Plane needed was to sit next to people who smelled. Really bad. So of course, they were sitting next to me. That is, until the precise second that I fell asleep (did I mention I didn't sleep last night because I was out drinking whiskey with boys?). That's when they got up to "go to the bathroom" (I totally thought Mile High Club at that point). Then the husband came back to get their bags, and I never saw them again. Apparently they were scooping out new seats on the plane so they didn't have to sit by me anymore. I swear they were the ones with the odor. I swear. Anyhow, I read the CT&L article on the plane, and I am still not sure why we're all addicted to St. John. I suspect it is just the pristine beauty of the land and sea, along with the laid-back attitude. It's a nice place to escape.
And believe me, I was looking for an escape.
But before my escape, I had a four-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale. It works out well that all of the eateries in that airport are outside security, because my brother and my sister-in-law met me at the little Caribbean restaurant and we had some cocktails and some Cuban sandwiches. Yes, indeed, the transition to island time has begun. I know I wasn't technically in Miami, but whenever I go down there, I just always want to play that "Miami" song by Will Smith. It gets me in the mood. For what, I'm not sure. Hello, iPod!
As we were walking out of the restaurant, there's Rosi heading toward the security check point. Perfect timing! My brother and sister-in-law are interested in St. John, so I gave them some brochures I'd gotten from Private Homes for Private Vacations and told them to pick where we were staying next time. We all chatted for a bit, then they headed back to Kendall, and Rosi and I headed toward the plane.
I just want to say here that I like Spirit. Yes, they make you pay for ginger ale and they have no blankets, but they're cheap and they're friendly. I had heard horror stories, but it went well. The only problem I had was that they didn't put me in a seat next to Rosi, even though we paid for seats together. That's OK, though. I got a free aisle seat, and she met two new friends on the plane. (The people next to me slept the entire way. But then again, so did I, so that worked out, too.)
We landed on STT around 4:15 p.m. We took a quick cab ride downtown and had a quick (by island standards) drink at that little bar in Drakes Passage while we waited for the ferry. Our super-cute bartender made a lime and coconut for Rosi and a bushwacker for me. I invited him to the Beach Bar the next day (hey, he said he was going to be on St. John), and then we posed for a super-touristy picture that I would post here if I had uploaded my photos - soon come!
The ferry ride was quick (30 minutes from downtown to Cruz Bay), and we even got to watch the sunset from the boat (weren't we paying the Breath folks to do that tomorrow?). We met up with the other girls on the ferry dock and ran up to St. John Spice (where we'd just missed Ruth) to pick up coffee and Cruz Bay Grill Rub so I could make supper. We went to Starfish and got some deli salads and meat for the grill (and Coke Zero for the bottle of Black Strap left at the villa - that's my new addiction!).
The villa (Tesseract) is very close to town (Rock Ridge Road - the first left after the Westin Dumpster), and it's very quaint. The kitchen is small, but well-equipped and has a great view. It passed my test, and the making of dinner commenced.
(I have a whole bunch of stuff about the villa written at this part in my notes. Let's just say "villa review soon come" for now, and I will tell you that my friend Rosalie and I stayed in the room downstairs, which had two full-sized beds and a couch and a roomy en-suite bathroom. The view that I saw first thing in the morning was gorgeous. Actually, ALL the views at Tesseract were amazing.)
I fired up the grill and made chicken and brats for supper. I am now officially addicted to Cruz Bay Grill Rub. It's awesome. I may never use my Montreal Steak Seasoning ever again!
After supper we watched a little TV in the family room and then headed to bed. We had an early day Sunday, because it was Ivan Time!
Here it is: my trip report. I figure that it's a good way to remind me that while it snowed last night in Tennessee, a week ago I was still in paradise...
Before we get started, here are a few disclaimers:
1. I don't snorkel.
2. There is no food porn (actually, at this point there are no photos because I've had lots to do since I got back).
3. You don't know most of the other people. But they're lovely, honest.
Now, on to St. John Adventures with Lulu and friends.
(Originally, I had made clever nicknames up for everyone. Then I got drunk and forgot them. So, you get real names. I have faith that you will choose not to stalk us.)
Travel Log, Saturday, Nov. 8:
What made me think that I could drink whiskey with boys when I was getting on a plane in just a few short hours?
I'm not sure, but now I'm the person that everyone loves and hopes they get to sit next to: Hungover Lady on the Plane.
Here I am, sitting at gate D9 in a big, scary airport (Hartsfield in Atlanta) waiting to get on my plane to paradise. When I stopped at the little store to get Tums and water (hungover, remember?), I picked up the latest Caribbean Travel & Life. Yes, I am reading ABOUT St. John while I'm waiting to get on the plane to St. John. I have a problem, but the headline on the magazine leads me to believe that this article could give me some insight into my addiction issues.
I got to Fort Lauderdale rather uneventfully, except that these two people with an odor got on the plane, and I knew they'd be sitting next to me. Really, the last thing Hungover Lady on the Plane needed was to sit next to people who smelled. Really bad. So of course, they were sitting next to me. That is, until the precise second that I fell asleep (did I mention I didn't sleep last night because I was out drinking whiskey with boys?). That's when they got up to "go to the bathroom" (I totally thought Mile High Club at that point). Then the husband came back to get their bags, and I never saw them again. Apparently they were scooping out new seats on the plane so they didn't have to sit by me anymore. I swear they were the ones with the odor. I swear. Anyhow, I read the CT&L article on the plane, and I am still not sure why we're all addicted to St. John. I suspect it is just the pristine beauty of the land and sea, along with the laid-back attitude. It's a nice place to escape.
And believe me, I was looking for an escape.
But before my escape, I had a four-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale. It works out well that all of the eateries in that airport are outside security, because my brother and my sister-in-law met me at the little Caribbean restaurant and we had some cocktails and some Cuban sandwiches. Yes, indeed, the transition to island time has begun. I know I wasn't technically in Miami, but whenever I go down there, I just always want to play that "Miami" song by Will Smith. It gets me in the mood. For what, I'm not sure. Hello, iPod!
As we were walking out of the restaurant, there's Rosi heading toward the security check point. Perfect timing! My brother and sister-in-law are interested in St. John, so I gave them some brochures I'd gotten from Private Homes for Private Vacations and told them to pick where we were staying next time. We all chatted for a bit, then they headed back to Kendall, and Rosi and I headed toward the plane.
I just want to say here that I like Spirit. Yes, they make you pay for ginger ale and they have no blankets, but they're cheap and they're friendly. I had heard horror stories, but it went well. The only problem I had was that they didn't put me in a seat next to Rosi, even though we paid for seats together. That's OK, though. I got a free aisle seat, and she met two new friends on the plane. (The people next to me slept the entire way. But then again, so did I, so that worked out, too.)
We landed on STT around 4:15 p.m. We took a quick cab ride downtown and had a quick (by island standards) drink at that little bar in Drakes Passage while we waited for the ferry. Our super-cute bartender made a lime and coconut for Rosi and a bushwacker for me. I invited him to the Beach Bar the next day (hey, he said he was going to be on St. John), and then we posed for a super-touristy picture that I would post here if I had uploaded my photos - soon come!
The ferry ride was quick (30 minutes from downtown to Cruz Bay), and we even got to watch the sunset from the boat (weren't we paying the Breath folks to do that tomorrow?). We met up with the other girls on the ferry dock and ran up to St. John Spice (where we'd just missed Ruth) to pick up coffee and Cruz Bay Grill Rub so I could make supper. We went to Starfish and got some deli salads and meat for the grill (and Coke Zero for the bottle of Black Strap left at the villa - that's my new addiction!).
The villa (Tesseract) is very close to town (Rock Ridge Road - the first left after the Westin Dumpster), and it's very quaint. The kitchen is small, but well-equipped and has a great view. It passed my test, and the making of dinner commenced.
(I have a whole bunch of stuff about the villa written at this part in my notes. Let's just say "villa review soon come" for now, and I will tell you that my friend Rosalie and I stayed in the room downstairs, which had two full-sized beds and a couch and a roomy en-suite bathroom. The view that I saw first thing in the morning was gorgeous. Actually, ALL the views at Tesseract were amazing.)
I fired up the grill and made chicken and brats for supper. I am now officially addicted to Cruz Bay Grill Rub. It's awesome. I may never use my Montreal Steak Seasoning ever again!
After supper we watched a little TV in the family room and then headed to bed. We had an early day Sunday, because it was Ivan Time!
