view from condo, originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.

Trip Report: May 2-3 Travel Day(s) The hotel in Atlanta was a kind of good idea; getting Brenden to sleep was a major hassle (11:30 or so) so none of us were well-rested by the time we got to Hartsfield International at 5:30. Still it beat trying to leave the house at 1 am. Now here's the scary part of this travel day: everything went according to plan! Very spooky.

Security was a breeze, the flights were on-time and pleasant (would it be racist of me to point out the French flight attendants were kinda rude, though?), and Brenden was for the most part amenable. We had to break out the dvd player during the last hour of the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Thomas to quell an attack of the crankies but that was it. We flew Spirit Airlines, by the way, in some of their brand-spanking new A-319 Airbuses. Anyone who is reading this who lives in Atlanta ought to keep them in mind because they have good deals on vacation spots.

So the flights were on-time, the luggage didn't get lost and the folks at Dependable Car Rental came and got us 10 minutes after we called them just like they said they would. We rented a 4-door Jeep Wrangler (yes, a 4 door. They make those now). Once the paperwork was finished, Jon drove from Charlotte Amalie to the ferry dock in Red Hook and we almost immediately backed up onto a car barge. Brenden by then had decided to nap again.





We drove off at the new dock at Enighed pond thus avoiding the chaos near the passenger ferry / national park docks. We made one stop at the Starfish Market for some quick supplies and found the Serendip Condos relatively easy. We had rented Echo unit, and for a less expensive alternative to renting a villa I think we got our money's worth. The condo was small, with the kitchen / dining room / living room being one room, then a bathroom (tiny) and a bedroom. These condos are perfect for couples or really small families.

There were two air conditioners, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The best part of the condo to me was the verandah. It was fairly large and I was able to let Brenden on it without too much fear he would try to climb anything. The view was nice and ironically of the car ferry dock at Enighed pond. I am of the opinion that when they built the dock and dredged the salt pond it helped this view. I spent plenty of downtime on the verandah drinking beer and watching the barges come and go.

I took Brenden for a walk in the neighborhood while Jon took a nap. These condos are in a residential area and most people who live there are working-class (I saw many taxis parked in the driveways). This area is also one big honking hill and all the streets have a steep grade. If you want to get in serious shape, go move to St. John for 6 months and do a casual stroll around this neighborhood every morning.

The condos themselves are older but well-maintained. The architectural style screams 70's to me. They were also freshly painted (white and light blue). The pool looks like the newest addition and someone is going nuts with his or her landscaping project. I showed Brenden some of the native life (chickens, feral cats, and lizards) and he had fun chasing after some of them (all too swift, lucky for them).





Once Jon woke up we took B swimming in the pool to wear him out. We were all wore out by bed-time.