STT - best/worst

IMHO, assuming you're asking about STT vs. STJ and STX:
Best: Flights to the states, and ferries to STJ and BVI. Job opportunities.
Worst: Traffic.

The weather !! most days the best -- and on the rare occasion when we experience a major storm the worst.

Okay funny answers. Traffic?? That really can't be a serious answer, I'm from DC where traffic is hours long, down here its minutes. The best thing about STT is the lifestyle. Its less stressful down here, more laid-back, and just a dream. If you are ever having a bad day, just look up and look at the ocean, the mountains, the clouds, carnival, special events, no judgments, fantastic music, not caring that your car is beat up, no open-container policy, everybody is from somewhere else, lots more freedom, best snorkeling in the world, boat trips, the clear water, cheap booze! People spend years saving up to take their families here for a week, and we live here! The beaches, saying "Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, good night no matter what, the breezes, the neighboring islands, so many amazing things.

The negatives: Things take a while to get here via mail, things are more expensive here, we depend on rain for water, drivers suck, things get expired in the stores, some things don't exist here, flights to the states can be tricky and expensive, humidity, internet, electricity is super-expensive, public transportation (safaris) end at sundown, crime, roads are windy and dangerous, bugs, dengue fever, laziness.

Obviously my "Pro" paragraph is much longer than my "Nay" paragraph. I would absolutely suggest moving and living here, I love it here, it's amazing, but it's not for everybody, most people can't handle it, but the few select few who can make the most of it and fall in love with the island. This place is magical.

-TD

For me, the best is the weather. I love hot and humid! The worst is grocery shopping. Most fresh produce looks old and it's mostly very expensive. Leeks are about $5 a pound. Bought broccoli today at Plaza Extra on STT and it was $1.99 a bunch. Some bunches looked kind of old, so I'll cook mine today. You'll find lots of old produce so you should have a phone that lets you google recipes while you're in the store so you can maximize your grocery shopping dollars. For example, I need more parsley recipes so I can use the rest of the bunch I bought for soup. I'll probably try parsley walnut pesto to use up the rest of the parsley.

Gjax70, depending on how we interpret the question, there are two completely different sets of possible answers.

Are you asking what's best/worst about STT compared to STJ and STX, or are you asking what's best/worst about STT even if the answers also apply to all of the USVI?

The best: Its a LONGGG list. but mine is...
Floating with my boyfriend in the crystal clear, aqua blue ocean with a cooler of libations any time you want

Worst: People who complain about living here and people who litter.

Gjax70, depending on how we interpret the question, there are two completely different sets of possible answers.

Are you asking what's best/worst about STT compared to STJ and STX, or are you asking what's best/worst about STT even if the answers also apply to all of the USVI?

All of the above! lol

The best thing about STX, aside from the weather and the beaches, was the community of friends we found there. We both worked in a large resort and made friends with other staff. We frequented a couple of bars near our home and made friends with the owners/servers. We played Trivia twice a week - another excellent way to connect with people. We had more friends on STX that we did or do in Kentucky. And people on STX tend to reach out and help neighbors and friends more easily that in the states. When you were in a group and mentioned that you were flying somewhere, someone ALWAYS offered to take you to the airport, without exception.

There is of course a lot of info on this board, so I'll put how my experience so far compare to what I was led to expect from posts on this board (St. Thomas specifically, the islands are very different from each other)

Biting bugs - slightly better than expected. You need to use repellent (or Skin so Soft) or especially if you are near the sand near sundown you will be eaten alive, but other than near sunrise and sunset not bad.

Traffic (again STT) - from hearing people bitch about traffic I thought it would brutal. the people who complain about STT traffic (near town and Havensight) have no idea what traffic actually is 😉 It is not at all crowded.

Stuff to do - lots more to do than I expected.

'Town' (Charlotte Amalie) -nicer, safer, and better kept up than I expected.

Racism - much better than expected. We've had experiences with sour people (screwface as alana calls them) but having nothing to do with our relative lack of a tan. I would venture to say (YMMV) less racism than in the states themselves. There are come Caribbean folks who may have had their fill of tourists, or who get concerned that a continued influx of US newcomers will dilute and erode their island culture, but I don't see the racism I expected from reading these boards.

Friendliness of people in STT - the same, and that's a very good thing. It was one of our biggest drivers.

Food, groceries, etc -- cost was the same to higher than we expected. Selection was way better than expected. From reading these boards one might expect shopping for food was like living in the 1970s USSR. It's not 😉 A bundle of grapes might cost $6, but you can have them if you want.

Anything to do with the government or utilities - just as awful, corrupt, and incompetent as posted here, but there are people who specialize in dealing with such things that (for a fee of course) can make it a lot easier.

Overall STT has been meaningfully better than portrayed here in my experience. This is a good thing. It's good that there are plenty of people here who not only tell it like it is, but make sure potential newcomers see all the dirt and cobwebs too.