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A Drive Around St. Thomas
Stop 1 - Down Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
We'll start our "drive" around St. Thomas right in the heart of Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In this two-frame panorama, the yellow building on the right is the U.S. Post Office, Emancipation Garden Station. Until the late 1970s it was the island's only post office; but now there's a larger main post office and two branch post offices in other parts of the island. The white, 2-story building on the left is the Grand Hotel. This was one of the very first hotels on St. Thomas, opened during the 19th Century, and today houses retail stores on the first floor and offices upstairs. The little grassy area in foreground is Educator's Plaza, which honors three of the Virgin Islands' prominent educators, Antonio Jarvis, Rothchild Francis, and Edith Williams. The street that runs right in front of the Post Office is Norre Gade (most streets in the downtown area still carry their original Danish names), but it is more commonly known as Main Street. Notice, too, that a side street branches off and goes between the Post Office and Grand Hotel buildings. The tree-covered area in the background is Emancipation Garden, a public park honoring the emancipation of slaves in 1848 by Danish Governor von Scholten. I'll be referring to the Emancipation Garden again in a later photo on this page. By the way, the Post Office Square usually has a lot more hustle and bustle than in this picture, which was taken on a holiday when most businesses were closed and there were no cruise ships visiting the island.
Main Street is the main tourist shopping district on St. Thomas. On days when there are four or five cruise ships in the harbor, the foot and vehicle traffic can get a bit heavy. But, here's where you'll find just about everything, from world-class jewelry, to cameras and electronics, to fine linens, to designer clothes, to an unbelievable array of liquor, all at duty-free prices. Another major tourist shopping area is located at the Havensight Docks, which we'll visit later.
Remember in the photo of the Post Office Square (above) that I pointed out the location of the Emancipation Garden? Well, directly behind the park you'll find Fort Christian, which was built by the Danes 1671 to help protect the harbor of Charlotte Amalie. In later years, it served as the main police station and jail. Today, Fort Christian serves as the home of the Virgin Islands Museum.
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1996-2009 Arnold E.
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