Moving to St. Croix at the end of Sept!

Hey! I'm from Michigan! Where about? What will you be doing here? I will be coming up to Michigan next week to bring my daughter back up. Love to meet you.

Linda

Eric -

Someone else will have to help me out here - the few people I've asked know where I'm talking about but can't remember the name either...but there is a place off Company Street in downtown C'sted that rents by the week and month. Might be a place to base out of until you find what you want...Sorry I can't help you on the price either. If you are downtown you will meet lots of guys and girls your age on the boardwalk and in the little cafes that are around....if you head farther east you'll get to Schooner Bay Market and Sharky's, a sort of pool hall/bar/gathering spot. Will you have a car?

On housing costs, look at the FAQs link on the home page - it's a rough idea. You may have to look and network a bit to find something less expensive but it can be done.

Where ARE you from in Michigan? My son just graduated law school from Michigan State in E. Lansing...he's giving some consideration to practicing law in Puerto Rico and the islands.

Forgot to say - welcome to STX!

Hi! I am from Lansing. I will be opening up the new officemax store in the sunny isle shopping center in christiansted. I will be there about a month before the store is up and built in order to hire and train the staff. Where in MI are you from and how long have you been in the islands?

Eric

Thanks Becky! I know that my job will be helping me out with some of the moving situation but we haven't gotten into many details so all the help I can get is really appreciated! I am also from Lansing-- nice meeting you!

Eric

Welcome to St. Croix. We are all very excited to have an Office Max coming to the island. The restaurants and bars in downtown Christiansted are definitely the place to meet new people. If you like diving or snorkeling, you can meet folks through the various dive shops on the island. And as posted earlier, search through the FAQ to find lots of info on St. Croix.

Eric - I look forward to welcoming you to St. Croix and hope the Office Max opening process goes smoothly for you.

I believe that Becky was referring to the Danish Manor in downtown Christiansted when she mentioned a place that will rent by the week or month at reasonable rates to new arrivals while they are getting situated. It's not a fancy place, but sometimes it will do well enough for your first few weeks on the island.

Sunny Isle shopping district is not quite the same as downtown Christiansted. It's inland a little to the southwest, more in the center of the island. Christiansted is along the northern coastline about five miles away. There are a variety of housing options, both for rental and to purchase, depending on your budget, your needs, and your wishes. Will you be moving to STX alone? Any pets?

Is Office Max paying your moving expenses and giving you a housing stipend? If that hasn't been offered as part of your compensation package, you might want to ask for it! Rental rates on the island are a bit higher than you are likely used to seeing in Lansing and many new arrivals wind up with sticker shock. Savvy companies will offset all or a portion of the housing expense for employees they relocate to the island to fill a management or specialty position. With Office Max being new to STX, they may not yet have considered this need, although I believe they have a store on STT, so should be familiar with the special needs of employees they move to the islands.

It is not difficult to meet people once you are here. Relocatees tend to be fairly social people and most are happy to strike up a conversation with whomever is sitting nearby at a restaurant or bar or on the beach. On Friday and Saturday nights, you are likely to find a large group of young 20's, many from UVI, at Brew Pub on the boardwalk and then later at Bongos, Moonrakers and Club 54 in C'sted. Sharkey's is another popular hangout.

Hey Eric--my name is Val and I am also from Lansing and 24. I run the Caribbean Health and Fitness Complex in Beeston Hill. Let me know if you have questions or want to catch up!

Hi, Joe and Julie San Martin own the Scotia building on King St in Christiansted - they also live there. It is a great place to rent a studio or one bed to start out. Secure ...AC etc.
Call dawn Johns at ReMax st croix - 340 773 1048 (they have a1-800 #) might look on the web for that - she is the rental agent for the building. I think Coldwell Banker - again look on web for # - might have an intown place - ask for Pam McFadden.
The Danish Manor IMHO is pretty bad and not real safe.

Thanks! How costly is it to move large items like furniture vs. just replacing it all when I get there? I really don't have a lot that I can't live without. I honestly could go with just a few suitcases full of clothing. I also have a large dog-- I don't know how this will effect my living situation or how I will travel with him. The other item that may be a problem is I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt that is still under lease. Is there a GM dealership on the island that would be able to take care of this when my lease ends?

As far as my dog goes-- he is a 4 year old 90lb rottweiler and I definitely need to bring him with me. He is a very nice dog, but I am afraid to put him on a plane, if that is even possible. If he went on a plane I would need to give him medicine so that he would sleep for the entire flight because I know if he were alone in a carrier in cargo he would be scared so would probably not act very friendly towards the flight crew. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks alot!!!!

Eric

Eric - go to the SEARCH function on this website and put in the keywords "transporting dogs" and you will get the results of many threads on the topic of how to go about moving pets to the island. Becky can fill you in further from personal experience on her exploits in bringing multiple large Rotties to STX a year ago.

Having a large dog does complicate your rental property search fairly significantly. Many landlords won't allow pets and very few condo complexes will allow pets at all, much less a large dog. You will probably need to seek a house to rent or a guest cottage somewhere with a lenient landlord. Alternatively, you can look at purchasing a house where you can set your own rules!

Most rentals and most properties for sale come furnished. Sometimes you get furniture you don't care for all that much and choose to replace as time goes on. There are quite a few furniture stores on the island. Some are sort of reasonably priced and others are quite expensive. Sometimes you can get used furnishings also if you get lucky enough to come across something you like.

Some people have been able to ship down cars that are not yet fully paid for. I'm not sure about ones still under lease. Check that out with your leasing company to see if they are willing to sign off on you bringing the car to the island. There is a Chevrolet dealership here, so you don't have to worry about that side of things.

Eric--

If you would like to PM me I would be glad to tell you what I know about transporting dogs, but let me throw this out for you - the airlines do not want your dog sedated if at all possible because of the change in the medication reaction due to air pressure fluctuation. They can and will refuse to transport a dog that shows any sign of aggression whatsoever. I faced an entirely different set of challenges in moving 5 Rottweilers to the island, but they are all fairly good humored dogs and the least of my worries was one of them going off on the airline crew. I also understand transporting these days is a little more difficult - one professional mover told me because of the increase in checked baggage it's been a little more of an obstacle course.

My suggestion would be to leave Rover with mom and dad or a sibling, if possible, come down and get settled...you may have to sell youself to a landlord to be able to have your large dog here - you will surely return to the States at some point and perhaps by then you will have been able to weigh out the pros and cons of having him here. Sounds like you will be working a lot when you first arrive anyway.

Thanks Jane - Danish is what I was groping for.

Eric, just click on my name if you need any other info regarding the dog and I'll assist from this end as best I can.

Hi Eric, welcome to STX.

Have you visited the island before? I would suggest leaving the dog, the car and the furniture in Michigan for a while. Bring down your clothes and maybe mail yourself a few boxes of belongings. Arrange temp housing and rent a car for a week or two. Get your bearings, find a perm place to live - many come furnished, and then decide about bringing your dog and stuff.

And we are ALL excited about the OfficeMax!!!

Spirit Air seems to have great prices one way (rt for that matter) detroit to stthomas - the last few I've bought were about $190. each way. Then a $70 seaplane to STX. I'll be up next weekend. Battle Creek/Marshall area heading up to Gaylord to deliver my daughter and see my grandbaby!

See you soon!

I was not going to pursue this, but I feel I must. Eric, these comments have NOTHING to do with you. You sound like a nice young man and I hope this all works out well for you. We are anxious to have your company on St. Croix.

Does it make sense to anyone that OfficeMax is sending a 24 year old man who has not traveled much to open what sounds like a rather large store and hire and train employees? Maybe I'm not reading the thread correctly, but it sounds like Eric has been given very little information about STX, what he needs to bring or what he can expect.

He is planning on bringing a really large dog, which he is going to have trouble transporting and finding housing for. He has a leased vehicle, which will present problems. And all this by the end of September, 6 weeks from now.

Now I know I am old and grumpy, but if I were this young man's parent, I would be throwing a FIT.

don't leave your dog it may be harder to find a place but don't let that stop you we moved down here six months ago with two dog yes it was hard to find a place but not impossible i guess it just depends on how much you love your dog there have been many rocks in road so to speak so far since being on st Croix but i can always come home to my wonderful dogs and my day feels complete

Hello there and in advance, welcome to STX! I have a funny feeling that I, as well as a number of posters, will be lined up at your door when you arrive and set up shop! I have an odd affinity for office products. Probably comes from working for the judicial system in CT about 100 years ago, and having to steal each others pens and paper (and yes, even carbon paper back then!).

If you find you are at a loss as to where to live, I have a PMV (Pre Move Visit Room/guest room) that will be going under expansion in the beginning of Sept., and might just be done in time for you. It is .5 miles from C'sted, and spitting distance from Sharkey's. It is in the same neighborhood as Linda from Michigan. It will be one large bedroom, a sitting room/living room with a kitchenette set up, bathroom and a patio. All is furnished, the garden off the patio is beautiful (I am a plant freak) and is very private. It has a seperate entrance from the rest of the house, and from the studio apartment on the other side.

As the finishing touches may be going on still at the end of Sept., I would certainly lower the rent to accommodate. Yes, bring your dog but no, don't bring furniture. If you can't pack it in a box and USPS or UPS it, forget it. I paid 9K to move stuff, and I honestly can't remember what it was that I moved. Somehow, it seemed important at the time, but it surely was not. Oh, well. 9K down the toilet.

For you, this might be a starter apartment, and a place to get to know the island, the people and begin work. Later, you might find something bigger and more expensive to purchase or rent, but I would suggest not plunging until you have actually seen things, and how they will work with your social and work life.

That being said....this is a 'just in case' kind of thing. If you need it, let me know. If not, that is fine, but will still look forward to meeting you.

Best wishes, and it sounds like you have a great attitude in moving,

Dan

Please remember you may have difficulty moving your dog due to weather restrictions at that particular time. If you can get him/her to San Juan they are pretty lenient, but up until then the airlines are pretty picky. Try booking to San Juan or STT and then flying Cape Air. I do not know if the seaplane can take a crate the size you will require. I doubt it. Over 85 degrees at any point you stop, and Fido doesn't come. The determination is made by the Weather Channel forecast for the departure point and layover points, and also the endpoint.....that was something we really had to work with when bringing ours down, since it doesn't get below 85. The airlines look at the high only and didn't factor in nighttime or early morning flights when the temp might be lower. This was only our experience, someone else may have done better. Also, with all of the recent Homeland Security and TSA changes, I would imagine dogs are somewhere close to the bottom of the heap in terms of priority shipments....now that everyone is having to check so much baggage, that has to go first. Check, check and doublecheck...and do research the board on different ways to move your dog. If the dog and crate together weigh over 100 lbs. (which he will), they may not be coming into STX anyway due to plane size, unless they come as cargo. Most planes that fly in don't have the big bellies to hold a large dog crate....at least that is what I am finding while trying to arrange the reverse trip.

That's the only reason I suggested leaving your dog with mom and dad or someone for a while - the weather isn't right and you can't plan ahead like you can in November. Also, with season comes larger planes. Much will depend on where you layover at and the temperature there. I would be the last to discourage anyone from bringing their beloved pet, but overall the situation is not optimal for an end-of-September move.

You can find housing with a large dog. Absolutely, and faster than you might think. Don't be discouraged on that front, but do be prepared to look a little harder for affordability and acceptance all rolled into one package!

hi there,

we moved to STX and brought our dog so i thought i'd post our experience:

in mid-july we flew from newark to PR on continental. i did extensive research on pet travel and continental has the best that i could find. it cost $299 ow (ouch but if the company's paying for it...). the cargo and all transfers have A/C. not sure if you can use them from michigan but definitely look into it.

we then rented a car and picked doggie up at an obscure cargo place (definitely PM me if you do this b/c i have directions as nobody at the airport seemed to know where it was).

after the pick up we drove to old san juan, returned the rental car, and flew on seaborne airlines. they put the large crate 36"L x 24"w x 26"t and 50 lb dog in the back facing outside and loaded luggage over/behind the crate. also, seaborne makes a stop in STT before landing on STX. they charge $40 plus weight (.75/lb over 30 pounds, dog and crate included).

a few airlines fly from PR to STX w/out temp. restrictions but i didn't feel comfortable flying our dog in the cargo with the hot weather. it was a long day of traveling but worth it! i'm happy to answer any questions if need be.

Hi Linda.

I know that two years ago Office Max sent a young man in his twenties named Steve to STT to reorganize things at the Tutu store and get the place back into shape. He was here for a year and had done the same thing at other stores in the FL Keys, someplace in the Midwest, California and elsewhere. Thereafter he took several months off and traveled through the Caribbean, Central and South America. I think Office Max may recruit young adults without families to live a year at a time in places where the company is setting-up a new store or overhauling an older one that isn't functioning optimally.

And he sure changed that store around. Seems to be better now!

RL

Good to know. Thanks. We REALLY want this store!!!

Dan I really appreciate the offer. I should be talking with officemax today or early next week to get more details on how much they are going to cover for me and if they have something in particular in mind. I will keep you informed. Thanks!!

Eric

Thanks everyone for all of the advice. So far everyone has been extremely nice and helpful! 🙂

Check with the big airlines, not the commuters, for a companion animal, you do not need to be blind or disable to have a companion animal. I have been told many a time that I could have my dog in the cabin with me if it was necessary, but she never was. Large retriever, who has several thousand miles on her airline tickets!

AA flies all the way to both STT and STX with climate controlled 737's and 757's, so there is totally room for pets, it is just the temperature that sets the embargo...the airlines can tell you before hand what the temperature is along the route. Some time you have to travel and then ship the pet at a non-embargoed day.