Traffic

Traffic sucks. Let’s just get this straight right now. I recently bought a new car with a killer stereo, and it helps make traffic tolerable (at least with the right Led Zeppelin cranking), but it still sucks. Being in the Real Estate business, it is difficult to completely hide from the traffic. But you really can live in the islands and avoid it altogether.

First, St. John doesn’t have any stoplights. Their version of traffic is comparable to you trying to get out of the grocery store parking lot before it clears up and you are out of town. St. Johnians may have the right to complain about parking, but not traffic. When I lived on St. John, I didn’t even have to deal with this issue. Living on my sailboat in Great Cruz Bay allowed me to take my dinghy back and forth from town. Combined with working on a charter boat in the same harbor, I can proudly claim that I used to swim to work!! Beat that traffic.

St. Thomas does have traffic, but it revolves around the Charlotte Amalie area. If you are not driving to and from town during the typical “rush hour” times, it is not too painful. If the master planning had not occurred in the late 1800’s with consideration of horse drawn carriages or bareback burro riding, it could probably be avoided altogether. Because of traffic, I chose to locate our office on the East End of St. Thomas. I can avoid lining up with other “commuters” based on this location. This does cut into my alone time with Led Zeppelin, but it is worth the trade off.

The moral of the story is that, when buying on St. Thomas, traffic and location should absolutely be considered. It may not be an issue for everyone, but I personally enjoy the luxury of not having a long commute. It makes life more peaceful and less hectic. So before you consider a purchase, try to figure out where your typical day will take you, and you too can figure out how to “swim to work.”