What do the tourists buy???

There's a store of all Pirate stuff...

Lots of T-Shirt joints...

Booze is cheaper than anywhere else in the world... You can take 5 bottles home.

And of course, duty free shopping with over 200 jewelry stores.

Something for everyone!

There are over 200 jewelry stores alone in Charlotte Amalie.  Counting all the restaurants and T-shirt shops, there are more than 300, all within just 3-4 city blocks.

How do they do it???

The alleys have been restored.  Some are little more than stucco paved walkways.  But the very prettiest is the PALM PASSAGE.

If you make it this far, there is a place called Fish Face in the passage.  Worth a look, a little boutique, but also a gallery of AMAZING ocean creature photography.

Always shaded, the passage has a great bar, perfect for a stop during your diamond frenzy.

Nice contrast to the bustle and un-restored look of Main Street...

Charlotte Amalie for the Afternoon

Only 2 weeks left... Starting to feel nostalgic, had a BEAUTIFUL day, so I thought I would take my last set of "town" pictures...

Even the alleys are beautiful, and convenient rum bars everywhere!

Meeting the needs of pirates for over 500 years.

Here's the bargains, including T-shirts 4 for $10 (just buy them at least a size or two bigger, they will shrink)

All the cool kids get at least one beaded braid in their hair while they are here.

And the tink tink tink of the steel drum band carries for blocks!

Over 200 jewelry stores... And duty free Booze!

And the Local Economy gets another Shot in the Arm

Mom Visits... Mom Shops... Mom Buys

But she buys earrings so complicated two people have to help her into them.  They promised that if she loses these, she will have lost an ear (screwbacks, something new every day).

Something is wrong, Mom gets new diamonds, and my step-daddy gets a hat.

A Couple of businesses

Fruit and Veggie stand

And a Rustic furniture workshop...

Proof

Jackie thought this was very funny, so she insisted I put this in...

It's a 2 plus mile walk to the store.  the sling bag makes it easier to carry a sack of groceries home than a plastic bag.  The sweat stains are real.  The grey hair is photoshopped in to give me character.

Jackie Buys a Wet Suit

Amazon delivered in three days!!!

Shopping in Charlotte Amalie

Here for two weeks, and Jackie and I are doing our part to support the local economy...

Main Street in Charlotte Amalie has dozens of tourist friendly stores...

From upscale stores like Cartier and Tiffany (no tax, wholesale prices and duty free makes this a perfect place to diamond shop.. shhhh, don't tell Jackie)

More than enough stores to fill your postcard and T-shirt needs (so far, we have bought 3 key rings).

My camera was dropped and broke yesterday.  So i made a big (for us) purchase and bought a new camera.  Now, my old one was 9 years old.  Heavy, big and bulky.  Only had a max of 4 Mega Pixels and was badly outdated, so I certainly did not cry about dropping it (shhh... It is possible I dropped it on purpose, but please don't tell my wife). I found a very friendly fellow at the ROYAL CARIBBEAN (not connected to the cruise ship company as far as I know) STORE.  He sold me on a snorkeling friendly, shockproof Pentax Optio W80... Let's see if I got a bargain...

On Ebay, I found a camera only "buy it now" price of $174.  Did not include memory card, battery, chargers or software hookups (they would happily sell these as add ons).  The complete package, as I bought is available on ebay for $249.

On Amazon, I found a "package" deal again for $239.

I paid $209.  No tax, no shipping.  I am sure it will be replaced in two weeks, and the price will drop a hundred dollars, but I am happy and will not be looking up the price again.

back to shopping... there are rum sampling stations everywhere... Half a shot at a time, you can certainly leave with a HUGE buzz.  BTW, on main street, price for a bottle is $10.99 a bottle.  I have found it at "locals" stores for $7.50.  Remember, orange juice is $8 a bottle.  But, tough to hunt the bargain store down.  Price at the "tourist" spots is pretty standard.  But, if it is a slow day, go ahead and ask for a discount.  they might be willing to knock a buck off.

There are beautiful passageways between Main Street and the Oceanfront Street.Essentially alleys, there are as many stores in the alleys as there are on the streets.

And these passages have some of the best landscaping in the area...

And fun little open air bars... Go ahead and ask for a rum recipe.  You bought those flavored rums, use them for something better than rum and cokes!

Eateries that do not have that rushed feeling you get on the oceanfront... Try the Mahi Mahi!

Jackie and I both bought a pair of water shoes... OUR FIRST LOCALS DISCOUNT!!!

A beautiful photo art gallery (many are for sale... OK, All are for sale... Is it still a gallery, or just a store???)

This is on the oceanfront side, lots of bars, T-shirt shops and pirate knick knacks.

And a block away is an open air market with T-shirts 4 for $10 and Gucci and Prada purses for $10  Really, says Prada right on em, so it must be a true bargain!

Tourist dollars are the largest employer on the island, so come visit and open your wallet!