St. John: Gem of the US Virgin Islands
While the other US Virgin Islands may hustle and bustle, St. John is a laid-back bit of Caribbean paradise. Two-thirds of the island was donated in 1956 to the United States by Laurance Rockefeller for use as a National Park. The result of his generosity created an unspoiled get-away offering tranquil beaches, sleepy lagoons, underwater coral gardens, scenic roads, well-maintained walking trails, lush foliage and fascinating plantation ruins.
Two bright planets dominate the western sky in the early evening. Closest the horizon and brightest is Venus. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and the Moon. Venus is also the object most reported as an UFO. Sometimes the Earth’s atmosphere will make Venus seem to change from white to and then red -- a perfect UFO. Slightly higher in the western sky is a somewhat fainter star-like object, the largest of all the planets, Jupiter. Near the beginning of both November and December the Moon will join these two planets low in the western sky. December 1st will find the three celestial particularly close as seen from Earth. Of course the three objects are not really close to each other, the Moon is about 240,000 miles from the Earth, while Venus and Jupiter are millions of miles away. They just appear to be close together as we seem them.
After a wonderful dinner in the Virgin Islands, go out and look to the southern sky and you will easily spot a bright, yellowish-white, star-like object. This is the largest of all the planets, Jupiter. Just to the west of Jupiter look for a bright red star. The star is Anatares, sometimes called the rival of Mars since they both are bright red.
All beaches in the Virgin Islands are open to the public. A few have dressing facilities and showers – Coki (at Coral World) and Magen’s Bay on St. Thomas; Cinnamon and Trunk Bay on St. John. Some hotel beaches have beach chair/umbrella rentals and restaurant/bars nearby, such as Frenchman’s Reef Morningstar Beach and Sapphire Beach. It is advisable to leave valuables at your hotel unless you have a plastic container to take them along on your swim or snorkeling while at the beach. Avoid the mid-day sun. Start out with a 20 minute exposure with suntan lotion on your first few days. Even sitting in the shade can result in sunburn.
Every year on St. Thomas, French Heritage Week is celebrated in conjunction with Bastille Day. It is a time of festivities and commemoration, and a time to relish in that bastion of gourmet experiences: French cuisine. 
