christiegr

Tux,
You hit the nail on the head.

Christie

kfusto

I have been to both and prefer GC. I can walk to many places from my hotel and a run by myself in the early morning hours is safe and pleasant.

I find both islands to be highly Americanized and without a Caribbean feel to them but prefer the overall ambiance of GC to any of the USVIs.

gofishtlp

I have been to both and prefer St. John overwhelmingly. I prefer the laid back style of the island, great restaurants, hiking, short day trips if desired, beautiful, lush and hilly and the beaches! We visit a different one every day while there and the snorkleing, in my opinion beats GC hands down.

I have been to STJ twice this year and never felt unsafe. In my previous five or so trips, I have not come across an unfriendly local either. We are as safety minded as we would be at home and have had no problems at all. Heading back in June and I can't wait!

Alwaysvacationing

Wow. Lots of debate. Jkleyeguy should be imprisoned for his comments. I am sure he owns a beat up pickup truck with the Confederate flag on the back window.

Crime in St. John: Haven't been there in a year and a half. When last there I jogged alone throughout Cruz Bay from 6a till 7:30 a. My wife and I (and young children ages 5 and 7) walked the streets of Cruz Bay at night. I thought it was extraordinarilly safe and considered buying a Condo there. But my perspective is jaded. My favorite island is Jamaica and (based on crime rate alone) it is probably the most unsafe of islands. Yet, I can walke around Negril or Ocho Rios or Montego Bay at night with ease. Do I walk the back alleys? No. I use the same common sense in Jamaica (and St. John) that I use when I travel to Chicago, San Francisco, L.A. New York and Miami. And I bet no matter what is happening in St. John, it cannot be as "bad" as these vacation hot spots in our own backyard. St. John is gorgeous. Don't miss it. Going to Grand Cayman for the first time in a couple of months. I can comment on that then (of course the originator of this thread will have already went on his/her trip.

ejcrowe

"Jkleyeguy should be imprisoned for his comments."

Really? There's no more free speech on this forum? I may disagree with everything this poster says, may even find it reprehensible, but why shouldn't s/he be able to post that opinion?

"I am sure he owns a beat up pickup truck with the Confederate flag on the back window."

Really? You think that Southerners have cornered the market on racism, do you? Interesting.

Alwaysvacationing, I applaud you for making up your own mind about which countries to visit and for being level-headed as regards to personal safety when traveling, no matter where you are. I hope your upcoming vacation to Grand Cayman is fun and memorable and that you return to give us a trip report about it to help future travelers. However, your above comments are just as offensive to me as the ones that Jkleyeguy made.

Tuxedocat

Oh, ejcrowe, yet again you point out the subtle ironies of these posts. I do agree with many points of "always"'s post, and I told him so in another post. I am getting a bit tired of defending the island, considering that nowhere in the world is crime-free and was glad to see someone reflecting a positive view. But I do see and echo your points regarding the subjective and perhaps, stereotyping bias expressed in his comments. I think jkleye's form of "racism" definitely happens in every walk and geographical location of life, and "always" for all of his good intentions is exemplifying that very point. By the way, neighbor, my email is: [email protected]

carib

St john needs some time to heal and calm down from past 17 months of crime and other problems..

see this:
http://cbs2chicago.com/seenon/local_...255230953.html

November is too soon...

its a great island...but tensionms are running wild...

christiegr

ej,

I totally agree with you.I am from NC which is in the South and I am NOT a racist.

Always,
You are just as quilty as jk for your comments.

Christie

Alwaysvacationing

I am glad I got all of your attentions. Aren't broad comments so distasteful? Freedom of speech is reasonable. Racist comments are not. Period! If the original poster likes St. John because it is "white" (and it really isn't but it does have its share of American expats) then that should not be posted. This country and the world has suffered too much from the fear generated by racism. Certain things you just don't say no matter how you feel. If you believe differently you are part of the problem. Those who are part of the solution realize that racism is the root cause to such international genocides as the holocost, slavery and even the "settling" of the Americas. My comment was ignorant. It was meant to be so. I encourage you all to be thinkers. And to learn to deal with your fear in an intelligent way.

ejcrowe

Alwaysvacationing, if you would like to get into an offline discussion of racism, I would be happy to engage you. I happen to think that it is one of the two or three most important issues we face in the US today, but also that it is nearly impossible to have any kind of intellectually honest discussion about it. This forum is not the place for it, except perhaps under "Under Topics."

carib

The FBI report has finally been released regarding the rape of the woman i the center of all the past 17 months of racial tension on st john.

read here:
http://www.choice.vi/findex.php?t=a&....com/stjohnvi/

Carrybean

" American expats" isn't really accurate since this is a US territory. Legal citizens here are all Americans. (Just wanted to clarify.)

Tuxedocat

Ditto Carrybean: you can't be an ex-pat in your own country. Just because it's a "territory" doesn't make it any less American. We should all remember that when it comes time to dole out the money or the lashes. Well, that was a spectacularly anticlimactic finish to a nauseatingly grotesque debacle. How confusing for the locals and potential tourists alike. Since Ms. Frett revealed herself and her claims publicly, it's too bad the FBI felt they had to be so vague about the facts of the investigation. It seems the whirlwind of emotions and accusations has now spun out to sea, leaving a wake of damage and destruction. St. John is unique in that the permanent population is almost 50/50 ethnically, and both sides lost in this ridiculous sequence of incidents. I agree that public officials show cowardice in the face of alleged racism. IMO, someone should have the guts to say: "Evidence failed to prove Ms. Frett's allegations of rape, and Mr. Sells' jacka** behavior got him in trouble and embarrassed a community." Case closed.