Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nassau
Who needs Red Bull when there's downtown Nassau? This cacophonous blur of bouncing
jitney buses
,
hustling cabbies, bargaining vendors, trash-talking pirates and elbow-knock-
ing shoppers is a guaranteed pick-me-up for even the sleepiest of cruise-ship day-trippers.
And it's been luring high-energy hustlers for centuries. From the 17th-century pirates
who blew their doubloons on women and wine to the dashing blockade runners who
smuggled cargo from the Confederacy during the American Civil War, the city has a history
of accommodating the young and the reckless. The trend continues today, with bankers
dodging between downtown's international banks as they manipulate millions on this off-
shore banking haven. But Nassau's not just for those wanting to earn or burn a quick buck.
Banished royalty and camera-fleeing celebs have found refuge in Nassau, too, with the dis-
graced Duke and Duchess of Windsor keeping tongues wagging in the 1940s and the ulti-
mately tragic Anna Nicole Smith hiding out here in 2006.
Today, duty-free shops jostle for attention on Bay St with jewelry, coins, perfumes and
rum cakes. Just east, historic Georgian-style government buildings glow like pink cotton-
candy confections. West of the wharf, the informative Pompey Museum describes the
slaves' journey from Africa to the Caribbean while faux buccaneers set a rowdier mood at
the Pirates of Nassau museum a few steps south.
Nassau has a grittier vibe than you might expect from a cruise-ship destination, but don't
be put off by the initial hustle. Slow down, look around, then embrace its unabashed verve
- it might be the perfect high-energy antidote to your lingering case of cabin fever.
NASSAU IN…
TWO DAYS
Start your day with a Bahamian breakfast at
Café Skan's
followed by a stroll
through historic downtown before getting your 'arrg' on at the
Pirates of Nas-
sau
museum, then jumping on the
jitney bus 10
to explore the island.
Then laze on
Cable Beach
, sipping a rum cocktail at sunset before treating
yourself to fine dining and even finer wine and cigars at the
Graycliff Restaur-
ant
.
The next day, shop for duty-free goodies along
Bay St
. Salute the marching
flamingos and snoozing iguanas of
Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation
Center
before jumping on the ferry to paradise island for an afternoon of
splashes and thrills at atlantis' massive
Aquaventure
water park.
Fuel up on avant-garde sushi and sake at Atlantis' celebrity chef-run
Nobu
,
followed by bootie shaking at the hotel's ultrahip
Aura
.
