# I'm headed to St. Maarten for business. Yes, you can hate me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269 "2010-09-10T05:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/1 "2010-09-10T05:13:57Z")
Last night I found out that tomorrow I’m going to St. Maarten until next Wednesday for a business trip. I will be doing a lot of work while I’m there but I’m hoping that I have time to play a little as well. I visited St. Maarten once as a stop on a cruise back in 2006 and I remember it being very pretty. The down side is that I have to wake up at 4:30am to leave the house by 5:00am… it’s 1:15am and I’m not even a little bit tired yet. _le sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/2 "2010-09-10T10:55:40Z")
Ugh. For international flights they tell you to arrive 2 hours early. Now I’ve got 90 minutes to kill at my gate. Bleah. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/3 "2010-09-10T11:16:06Z")
Get a picture of the highway as you land. [Link](http://harsharajgatty.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/st-maarten.jpg?w=455) Happy traveling! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/4 "2010-09-10T14:59:37Z")
Conference rooms look the same the world over. :(😉 Get out and see the island as much as you can. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/5 "2010-09-10T15:06:27Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Last night I found out that tomorrow I’m going to St. Maarten until next Wednesday for a business trip. I will be doing a lot of work while I’m there but I’m hoping that I have time to play a little as well. I visited St. Maarten once as a stop on a cruise back in 2006 and I remember it being very pretty. > > The down side is that I have to wake up at 4:30am to leave the house by 5:00am… it’s 1:15am and I’m not even a little bit tired yet. _le sigh_ We have a time share on the island where we spend two weeks every year. If you have a chance, go to Friar’s Bay and look up Kali (owner of Kali’s Beach Bar). And have dinner at Yvette’s (French Quarter). On the Dutch side, have a grilled fish at Lee’s. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/6 "2010-09-10T17:14:47Z")
Indian restaurants on the Dutch side are fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/7 "2010-09-10T22:14:04Z")
Oooo! If you hear anything about the national anthem there, let me know! My pages on the anthem ([French](http://www.nationalanthems.info/mf.htm) and [Dutch](http://www.nationalanthems.info/sma.htm)) probably could be expanded. Did y’all know that after October 10 of this year, the Netherlands Antilles will be no more? St. Maarten and Curacao will be separate Dutch colonies, like Aruba, the other three islands will be integral parts of the Netherlands. [/geography geek] ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/8 "2010-09-11T03:44:24Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Conference rooms look the same the world over. :(😉 > > Get out and see the island as much as you can. No conference rooms, it’s just me in a hotel room working on video editing. I need to be here because the videos are in several languages that I don’t speak, and my client who I’m doing the work for needs to be there to help with final editing since she speaks the languages. > [@kayaker](#): > > We have a time share on the island where we spend two weeks every year. If you have a chance, go to Friar’s Bay and look up Kali (owner of Kali’s Beach Bar). And have dinner at Yvette’s (French Quarter). > > On the Dutch side, have a grilled fish at Lee’s. I have no access to a car (though we did drive all the way around the island when we were here on a cruise) …also, I’m a vegetarian, so no fish for me. I’m actually a little worried about what food I will find to eat aside from what I cook for myself in my room (I have a kitchenette). My hotel room looks over the water, which is nice. I look over a smaller building and out into a bay of some sort. My seat on the plane was a “window seat” but I had no window, so I didn’t get to experience landing. However, when I was here on the cruise we did stand on that little stretch of beach at the end of the runway for probably an hour watching the planes land and experiencing the incredible wind of planes taking off, so I know what I would have seen, more or less. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/9 "2010-09-11T12:43:22Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I have no access to a car (though we did drive all the way around the island when we were here on a cruise) …also, I’m a vegetarian, so no fish for me. I’m actually a little worried about what food I will find to eat aside from what I cook for myself in my room (I have a kitchenette). Look up Tropical Car Rental. Ask for Mickey. He can rent you a dinged up car very reasonably and he will deliver it to your place. Vegetarian, huh. Skip Rancho (Argentine meat house). Ever eaten [christophene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote)? There are several restaurants that do a great job with it, especially a place called **Tuta Pasta**. I also wanted to say that a cruise visit to the island shows off the worst parts (IMHO), namely the capitol of the Dutch side which caters to the cruise ship business. Oh, ask someone when Marigot’s market day is happening (Wednesdays I think). Fresh fruit, veggies, fish, artwork, etc. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/10 "2010-09-11T13:52:18Z")
I’m not going to rent a car. I really am not here to be a tourist, I’m here to work. I can’t afford to rent a car even at a reasonable rate, and like I said I’m here to work, not to drive around the island by myself looking for things to do. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/11 "2010-09-11T14:05:59Z")
Thanks **kayaker** those ideas sound great and yummy. I’m noting them in my phone as some friends have a very nice boat we bum rides on about a week a year. Mmmm food… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/12 "2010-09-11T14:06:18Z")
**OP** :: Well, have fun anyway. In your shoes I would likely say “fuck work”, sell my return ticket, and never deal with snow again. But I’m like that. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/13 "2010-09-11T14:08:32Z")
Answer to op’s question is not at all. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/14 "2010-09-11T21:09:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > **OP** :: Well, have fun anyway. In your shoes I would likely say “fuck work”, sell my return ticket, and never deal with snow again. But I’m like that. I LOVE snow. It’s my favorite kind of weather. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/15 "2010-09-11T22:37:28Z")
I’m in a hotel room with a kitchenette and I have a not-quite-full-size refrigerator in my room. When I close the refrigerator it creates a suction so that I can’t immediately re-open it, but must instead wait for a while or else peel back the rubber gasket thing to break the seal with my fingernails. The first time I tried to open it shortly after closing it, I actually pulled the whole fridge away from the wall, the seal was so strong! Kind of crazy. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/16 "2010-09-12T03:36:31Z")
My boyfriend’s parents have that kind of fridge. They got it because of all the grandkids going in and out of it. I hate the damn thing. If I am trying to put the leftovers away after dinner, it sometimes really hurts my bad elbows to try to open it not realizing it’s “locked”. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/17 "2010-09-12T03:42:20Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Ugh. For international flights they tell you to arrive 2 hours early. Now I’ve got 90 minutes to kill at my gate. Bleah. > [@OpalCat](#): > > No conference rooms, it’s just me in a hotel room working on video editing. > > I have no access to a car…also, I’m a vegetarian, so no fish for me. I’m actually a little worried about what food I will find to eat aside from what I cook for myself in my room (I have a kitchenette). > > My hotel room looks over the water, which is nice. I look over a smaller building and out into a bay of some sort. > > My seat on the plane was a “window seat” but I had no window, so I didn’t get to experience landing. > [@OpalCat](#): > > I’m not going to rent a car. I really am not here to be a tourist, I’m here to work. I can’t afford to rent a car even at a reasonable rate, and like I said I’m here to work, not to drive around the island by myself looking for things to do. > [@OpalCat](#): > > I’m in a hotel room with a kitchenette and I have a not-quite-full-size refrigerator in my room. When I close the refrigerator it creates a suction so that I can’t immediately re-open it, but must instead wait for a while or else peel back the rubber gasket thing to break the seal with my fingernails. The first time I tried to open it shortly after closing it, I actually pulled the whole fridge away from the wall, the seal was so strong! Kind of crazy. Nope, don’t hate you at all! But seriously, I hope you get a moment or two to enjoy something while you’re there. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/18 "2010-09-12T06:24:37Z")
Oooh, have fun! My grandparents used to have a vacation house there, and it’s got a really nice butterfly farm. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/19 "2010-09-13T11:53:13Z")
Well no offense, but you are going to a nice tropical island and won’t have the time or transportation to do anything fun that was suggested? I guess I’d put my vote at “not hate”. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269/20 "2010-09-14T21:01:20Z")
BoBettie: no offense taken. I haven’t left the hotel since I got here. I’ve been working all day every day, which is what I expected. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-headed-to-st-maarten-for-business-yes-you-can-hate-me/553269.md?page=2)