Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the local government and the most cosmopolitan of the
three major islands.
Three small islands lie in Charlotte Amalie's harbor.
Water
Island
, now officially the fourth-largest Virgin, has lovely
beaches and biking paths.
Hassel Island
, which had a fort
on it, is now part of the US National Park. It has hiking
trails.
Buck Island
is a wildlife preserve.
St. Thomas is 1,600 miles south-southeast of New York and
1,100 miles south-southeast of Miami. It is part of the Lesser
Antilles island chain, which divides the Atlantic Ocean and
the Caribbean Sea. Excellent beaches on the north shore are
washed by Atlantic waters and others on the south are
washed by Caribbean waves. The island is home to 51,000
people - native Virgin Islanders, emigrants from nearby is-
lands and transplanted mainlanders.
Charlotte Amalie
Key Streets
Waterfront Drive
This four-lane thoroughfare girdles the harbor and is the
site of monumental traffic jams at 8 am and again at 5 pm.
The harbor sidewalk, a lovely promenade with terminals for
inter-island ferries and day-charters, was once part of the
harbor. Before it was filled in to build the drive, the water
came right up to the warehouses that once stored pirate's
treasure and now house boutiques.
Local fishermen and farmers hawk their wares at makeshift
stalls, and there are kiosks where you can arrange a wa-
ter-based tour. Across the road, the street is crammed with
parked cars, shops, banks and eateries.
Dronningen's Gade (Main Street)
The town's major shopping street runs from Emancipation
Park to Market Square. Both sides of the street are
crammed with shops selling merchandise garnered from all
