DeCastro Street

Although Waterfront is arguably the main drag through Road Town, the beating heart of downtown -- the street where everything gets accomplished -- is DeCastro Street. DeCastro and Waterfront run parallel to each other, so many of the buildings that front Waterfront back up against DeCastro, and vice versa. But most of the entrances and all of the parking is on DeCastro.

At the foot of DeCastro Street is the Main Administrative Complex for the Government of the BVI. This is where the Governor goes to work everyday, and other ... government ... things happen. Ok, so I'm not entirely clear on what goes on here, as I've never actually been in, but it is certainly a big, impressive structure.

Just up the street from the Administrative Complex is the intersection of DeCastro and Nibbs, the heart of the banking district. While there are lots of trust companies scattered throughout Road Town, all of the banks are within a five minute walk of this intersection. First Bank is by far the busiest. At 8:30, the parking lot was already filling up, and the bank doesn't open until 9:00

The BVI Tourist Board, a helpful resource for visitors, cohabits a building with Hezikiah Photography and Fine Art. Hezikiah's is an important landmark because it's the best place to get passport-sized photos in town, something every immigrant needs every year.

Across the street from the Tourist Board are the post office boxes. Keep in mind that the Post Office is nowhere near DeCastro Street (it's about 5km away), so if you have a package, you can't get it here. But it is a convenient place for picking up your letter mail, since you're likely already on DeCastro for some reason.

Perhaps you need some housewares, stationery or toys, or need to pop into the grocery store. Bolo's Department Store and Bobby's Market (the building with the blue trim) form a convenient corner at the top of DeCastro. Bolo's is the most convenient place in Road Town for household items, while Bobby's has the best, and least expensive produce I've seen on the island.

As long as you're on DeCastro going to the bank, picking up your mail, and doing your grocery shopping, you may as well get your car washed, too. This is the only car wash in Road Town, as far as I know. It consists of a tent, a pump truck, and a few guys who, for $10, will wash your car by hand in about half an hour. Just drop your car, run your errands, and it'll be ready to go when you come back.

Finally, at the very top of DeCastro Street is Geneva Place. I have visited this set of five buildings more times in the last two weeks than I can count. On the far left is Eureka Medical Clinic and Pharmacy, where my doctor's office is. The orange building is the headquarters of CCT, a telecom company. The pink building is the department of labor, and the dark blue building on the right is the department of immigration, where I have spent about 4 hours this week.

As I'm writing this, I realize I probably should have stopped at CCT today after I finished at immigration to pay our monthly internet bill. Oh well. It won't be long before I'm back on DeCastro again.