Relocating soon...

I can't answer all but here's my take. Others may have different opinions:

What’s the best way of relocating 2-bedroom house from the mainland (east coast) and 2 cars? I came with 2 suitcases & shipped my car later. I started in a furnished apartment. Mostly you might find stateside furniture just doesn't "go" too well here.

Where’s the best auto dealership (reasonable price w/ good customer service)? Personally, I'm a Toyota fan so I'd suggest the Toyota dealer here across from Tutu Park Mall.

Best bank? Do they offer mortgage loan? When I had a mortgage, I had it with First Bank & really had no complaints.

Where to get cable/internet service? This is our only way to be “connected” to the mainland. _ I'm still on slow dial-up but there's VI Powernet plus Sprint has that air card thing which will work for PC's as well as laptops, or so I'm told. A lot depends on where you live. High-speed is available.

Primary care physicians? Are medical services similar to mainland? Some good doctors here & the hospital has REALLY improved in the last 10 years. I had my eye operated on & was impressed although it was a lot more expensive. Lots of people including me have MASA which you pay for membership in & they will fly you to Puerto Rico or Miami in emergencies.

Best public elementary school? Best private elementary school? Sibilly School seems to be a favorite for public, Montessori & Antilles for private plus Sts. Peter & Paul & All Saints.

What are the reasonable grocery stores? Many like Plaza Extra in Tutu Park Mall. I don't but they have a good frozen food section. Food Center is a huge grocery on the East End & it's expensive. Careful of the meat there. I personally know they changed the date labels on the sealed corned beef packages. Pueblo is another chain but that can be iffy. For high end or more exotic, there Gourmet Gallery in Havensight & Crown Bay & there's Marina Market across from the Red Hook ferry which has a really good meat market. Cost-u-Less & Price Smart are the big box stores & both have good groceries.

I have a compact Korean car and I’m the first owner, 2003 model with less than 20k miles. Is this alright for steep hills of STT? Should be.

Are there places to do exercise (run or aerobics) like gym? I don't "do" gyms but others do & will let you know the good ones.

Lastly, what's the "culture" in VI esp. STT that's only unique to the place or the natives/locals that outsiders/mainlanders does not know? Try to remember that you must adapt. It's most important to say "Good morning, Good afternoon or Good night when you approach a sales person or when you enter the waiting room of a doctor's office, etc. Don't just start a conversation without that greeting. Things will be different but you'll get along better if you don't constantly mention how much better things are done "back home."

For now, that’s all. I know I have thousand of questions to ask.

I will appreciate all answers and suggestions. Thank you so much.

Thanks a lot, Trade! I really appreciate all your honest responses.

Everyone will have some different answers for you. Here are a few of my opinions.

Shipping: Tropical Shipping, but IMO, don't bring much with you. If you read through old threads, you will find that is the opinion of most.

Living near hospital: Raphune Hill Area, Mafolie, Solberg, Frenchman's Bay (depending on your hours), Northside
The hospital is on the eastern edge of downtown and fairly accessible to the north side of the island, east and south. South can be a killer on heavy ship days.

Banks: FirstBank. Yes to mortgages at banks and also mortgage companies.

Internet: Must wait until you know where you will live. I have Choice and really like it.

Physicians and Schools: Ditto to Trade's answers.

Grocery stores: If you live anywhere near the east end, Marina Market. I like Cost U Less too. I would never buy meat at Plaza or Food Center and produce only in a pinch. Plaza and Pueblo have better prices and are fine for canned goods, cleaning products, etc. Actually Kmart is good for cleaning. Gourmet Gallery is over the top expensive, but if you are looking for something "exotic", that's your best bet. Not previously mentioned is Fruit Bowl, which is just across the street from the hospital. Local produce as well as the usual apples, oranges, etc.
You have to join Price Smart for a fee. I was there the week before Christmas, and there were only 2 customer cars in the parking lot, including mine. This was mid morning, approx. 10:00. Obviously the store was EMPTY during the biggest shopping period of the year. I had several purchases, and at check out, my membership card had expired. Nope, can't buy. They used to let you pay either 5 or 10% more if you weren't a member, but not that day. Said I had to renew. Well, I live on St. Croix, we don't have a Price Smart, so I just went to Cost U Less and bought what I needed.

Cars: Some small cars don't do well on the hills.

Gyms: Several on island. Shouldn't be hard to find one you like, hopefully near work or home.

Culture: The onus is on you to make it work. Some people just can't seem to fit in. Others accept and are accepted fairly quickly (island time standards). I may have told this story before. If so, my apologies. Right after hurricane Marilyn devastated St. Thomas, I was new on island and working on the cruise ship dock at Havensight. A couple of passengers asked the "tourist information lady" how to get to Coral World. She proceeded to give them directions, and off they went. I said to her that I thought Coral World was still closed from storm damage. She said "It is."
She was a very nice lady, and it honestly never occurred to her to tell them it was closed. When I questioned her about it, she said, something like..."They didn't ask if it was open, they asked how to get there." And this is what this lady did for a living. I think we have a lot of mis-matched people and jobs here. Probably more than in some places because we don't have the variety of jobs to choose from.

I'm getting a little off track. Anyway, hope this helps.

Global:I have two small pieces of advice.

1. Put your 2 bedroom household stuff in storage for at least 6 months. Most likely you will be able to find something furnished. That way you can get a taste of life here without committing all of your earthly possessions. If you still want your stuff after 6 months, then send it down.

2. Don't worry about how close you are to the hospital. The island is only 13 by 3 miles. Find an area you like, housing you enjoy, etc. You are going to have to commute no matter where you live.

Read all the Moving Stories on the home page here. (Oops, that was three pieces of advice! )

Juanita, thanks! Hmmm, now I have to think more about my car then. We will look into those locations you suggested. Re: you comment about the culture, that's a very good one to know.

East Ender, thanks for your 3 pieces of advice. _