What do you love about the Virgin Islands?

I love the night:
thick and dense
stars
sounds

seeing the local guys getting all excited playing a game of dominos
local food: conch, buttafish, stuffin, plantains, tostones, potfish, lechon, ital stew,
local drinks: seamoss, passionfruit juice, tamarind juice, golden apple juice, mauby, roots wine, mango wine, sea grape brandy, guavaberry
local phrases: wuk up, bahn here, bus a lime, I deya, de man, wha?, current mash up
Carnival
Festival
Island hopping
Rum drinks
Not needing to own any winter clothes
Not needing to own more than one pair of shoes
Goats on the side of the road
Horses grazing in the projects
Year round refreshing ocean water temperatures
Farmers markets
boaties, rummies, and characters of the VI

the smell of fresh cut cassia bush
the smell of burning wood
amazing sunrises
amazing sunsets
coral beaches, fine grained sandy beaches, course grained sandy beaches
coral reefs
sea turtles
Dolphins!
ghuts / guts (places where the rainwater is funneled down the mountains)
mahogany trees
monkey no climb trees
brazillian rainforest trees
sandbox trees
baobob trees
flamboyant trees
coconut trees
moringa trees
friendly locals
grateful transplants
tourists with smiles reminding us why this place is so great
cactus candy
driving down de road and seeing the infinite shades of green and incredible variety of colors from all the flowers

Everybody here is crazy the same way I am. Something really beautiful is blooming all the time. The beaches (all with different things to offer) the clear water, the cool breezes, island hopping, the wildlife, how everybody seems to know everybody, the hiking, kayaking, and of course, snorkeling.

The only things I don't like are the complacency and stupidity. Everything else is FANTASTIC! 🙂

I love:
Coming down a winding road and suddenly catcfhing sign of the ocean
Belly laughs emerging from a group of women (never heard that in FL)
The courtesy of old men and old women (young people not so much)
Sitting under trees with a nice cooling breeze
Hanging clothes out on a line and having them dry in half an hour
Measuring my cistern and finding more water than I expected
Flamboyant trees
Mango Melee and the Ag Fair
The LaReine Farmers Market
Walking down Strand Street in F'sted on a Sunday morning
Sunday morning everywhere on STX...
gotta stop before I get maudlin!

Phizz, you never heard a belly laugh in Florida. Did you get out much. I lived there for 6 years and heard them often.

I like all of your list of things you like.

Green Parakeets and Hummingbirds flying around the yard, Hawks soaring, red throated pigeons in the trees, morning doves cooing thoughout the day, listening to the coqui's and crickets at night, the tortoises that stop by for a snack, the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks below the house, the quiet and serenity in my location from man-made noises,
The views of the ocean wherever you look and the many beautiful days we have to enjoy throughout the year.
The way the islands quickly go from brown to green when there's rain.
The sound of rainwater pouring into my cistern. (like now)
The wonderful friends and family I still have living in the islands.........and all of the above from other posters.

Music:

- Quelbe
Stanley and the 10 Sleepless Nights

-Fungi
Lashing Dogs
Jamsie

-Calypso
Cool Session Brass
Jam Band
Daddy Jones and the Crew
Sugar Band
UMB Soldiers

-Reggae
Niyorah
Abja
Inner Visions
Mada Nile
Dezarie
Midnite
Army
Bambu Station
Pressure
Fyah train

- Caribbean Rock
West Lindy!!!!
Web Fingors and his patented Flip Flop Rock

Soca
Merengue
Salsa
Blues

Can i play? I'm not on island yet but my PMV last month changed my life, as I figured it would!

Local smiles and Good days
Turning a corner or coming over a hill to see the beautiful Caribbean
Trade winds
Rain in the afternoon and all the critters that come out after
The WILDLIFE! I'm in love with it, skeeters and all!
Afternoon snorkeling, catching a glimpse of a spotted eagle ray, hawksbill, or a flying Gunard.
Lime in the coconut drink at "Eat" at cane bay. We've been trying to replicate these since we got back!
The Tines special pizza at Dogs
Buying local fruit and goods on the side of the road. Bought some honey on east end from a nice lady. Used it to flavor my coffee, DELICIOUS!
The colors of the houses
calypso reggae music

Finally: I love being lucky enough to experience life on an island that has such beauty in its people and it's land.

CAN'T WAIT TO BE THERE!!!!!

All of the above and more! Like ever having to wear shcks.

Reading all these actually brought a tear to my eye. OK, lots of tears. I've been here for two years and have gone through the "I'm in love with the island" phase and the "WTF did I do?" phase and the "I guess I live here" phase. I think I'm back to the "I LOVE STX" phase.

ISS - Intern'l Space Station - It's appearance, like a bright star, against the beautiful night sky over the Virgin Islands...
Swan

The people. The weather. The beaches. The culture. The laid back attitude. Beautiful sunsets (almost every night). The food. The friends. The collegues. The politics. The laissez-faire business dealings. My neighbors (well maybe not all of them). Jump Ups! Sunday Brunch on the Beach. Partying on Sunday at Rainbow. F'yah Train. Lifestyle....

I feel free here. In NJ, I always felt like I was about to be arrested or pulled over for any little thing. Here, I feel more alive. Yet, at the same time, more grounded and calm. I like that I can focus more on survival (like having back ups and canned food) than being too dependent on the local grid and paying attention to what the Jones are up to.

Also, it's freaking beautiful here.

Jamison why do I feel so akin to you? We've never even met but It's weird, In a good way....not a stalker, crazy chick kinda way lol! All your posts are like what I'm thinking before I type it. I think we share many of the same ideas. What you said about the jones's is spot on and one of the BIG reasons I chose STX.

That children can be outside 360 days a year and those other 5 days are because there's a hurricane or they are off island

The good mornings, good afternoons, good nights

The smiles

The smells

The breeze

The beautiful sparkling water

The fact that if your tire blows out, 10 people offer to change it before you even get out of the car

The solid friendships

The fact that if you live here long enough everyone knows your kids and they can't do anything with you as the parent knowing it before they get home.

The freedom that kids have to explore, run wild through the fort green, run way down the boardwalk and no one is going to mess with them.

The possibilities.....

I love St. Croix because it's far away from the banal US mainland of Suburbistan and its paved over Zombie Zones of chain stores and restaurants. I also really love the diversity of people and faiths.

St. Croix
Savant
The Buccaneer

Way too expensive....
Dusty....
Crime.....
Tired of saying "Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night"!

I love St. Croix because it's far away from the banal US mainland of Suburbistan and its paved over Zombie Zones of chain stores and restaurants. I also really love the diversity of people and faiths.

You need to travel more. There are tons of places on the mainland that have nothing in common with suburbia. Actually, many locations on large bodies of water have nothing to do with suburbia.

There are always positives and negatives to every place. People who think this is 'paradise" obviously haven't traveled enough. The key to happiness in a location that you live relies on your willingness to let the "negatives" go.

I will end this post on a positive note ---I get to chill at a beach every weekend if I want to. For my wife and I, that is paradise.

Chance of snow always zero
Watching sea turtles
Being able to make out whole constellations
St Patty's Day, STX-style
EZPass account not required
Mangos -lots and lots of mangos
Swishing palm tree white noise
The mills
Finding a cool piece of chayney when I'm not looking for it
So many good restaurants, so little time
Seeing at least a sliver of ocean every day
More friendly people than not

What I love the most is waking up and seeing the Ocean everyday. It's so peaceful.
Love the amazing musicians here.
Playing bingo on Tuesday nights with all of our friends.
Watching the tall grass sway in the wind on the N. shore.
Love the cool breeze in the winter months.

This thread is almost all positive, except for a few posters. I must be on a different site. 😀

Waking up and seeing the Caribbean every morning
Watching my 3mo. old daughter watch the palm tree in our yard.
Rainbow season
amazing night skies
The friends we met on our first day on Island are still our best friends on Island
Asha
Yoga at the Kalima Center
Jack + Isaac's beaches
buying locally grown foods
knowing the proprieters of all our favorite spots.... if not by name, by smiles.
(for my husband) Ultimate 2x a week.
The amazing community that bound together over a lost pet and was able to collectively pool resources to reunite owner + dog a month later!
frangipani caterpillars
the scent of night jasmin

I can find a beach, spend the entire day, and see less than 10 other people...all day long!