St. Thomas, USVI

I would have to say that St. Thomas has to be my least favorite Caribbean island. It touts itself as being the Duty Free Capital of the World, a shoppers paradise. Personally I don't see it. Maybe they have good prices on jewelry, perfume and booze. I wouldn't know...those items don't interest me. However, one thing I am familar with is electronics. And, in that department, St. Thomas is no bargain. We priced digital cameras, camcorders, and video game systems in a few stores, and without exception, everything was at list price. We can easily get much better deals at home. But more annoying to us is the aggressive nature of the people you meet in downtown Charlotte Amalie. There are barkers and hucksters lining Main Street, trying their best to steer you into their wonderful Duty Free shop. I was wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap, and had one guy tells me they're having an Ichiro special today. Another guy had a Safeco Field special. Some people might find this amusing, but I find it extremely irritating. The taxi drivers are just as bad. We stepped out of the taxi at the downtown stand (which happens to be in the middle of the flea market), and were immediately accosted by 4 or 5 taxi drivers wanting to take us on an island tour. This was stepping out of a cab that this happened! We had one cab driver walk along side us for half a block, talking a mile a minute, not taking No for an answer. Not a pleasant morning at all. There are some scenic places to go, however. Margens Bay supposedly has one of the world's top 10 beaches. And Trunk Bay, over on the island on St. John is a nice place to go snorkling. But, for us at least, we are staying out of Charlotte Amalie in the future.