Online junkies without a place to connect might check out the five new Internet cafes on St. Thomas, created largely from the market of cruise ship staff and homesick or working travelers.
Yet all of us have moments when we can't access our online server. Rest assured. A panoply of businesses have you covered from 7 a.m. through 4 a.m. You'll figure out the peak hours by the occasional lines, or ask.
If you want to shop for a favorite venue, start on the north side of the road at the old Tramway building inside Phone Card Center (774-4518). Owner Jones George offers two terminals with internet services (minimum 15 minutes for $3) from Sunday through Sunday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., except on Sunday when he closes around 5 p.m. or when the last person logs off. In addition to offering the side pleasure of West Indian cuisine from chicken rotis to kingfish with sweet root vegetables, the owner offers some of the best rates for color printing: $.35 per page.
The next stop on the same side of the road traveling east may be AT&T of the Virgin Islands Inc. Calling Center (776-6000). You can't miss their sign next to Buccaneer Mall Shopping Center. As you might expect, their hours and three terminals are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The rate for online service is $10 per hour.
A few steps further in the Guardian Building, across from Havensight Mall, you'll find Parcel Plus Global Shipping & Communications (776-9134). A pleasant mother-son team manage the front desk where you are assigned to one of five terminals. The site is so popular that there's a half- hour minimum of $5; printing is $1 per page. The service is available from Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
In Al Cohen's Discount Liquors Mall, you'll find The Shipwreck Tavern (777-1293). You don't have to drink booze to use their two terminals, tucked in a small room in the back. It's the only online service on the island for night owls with Sunday through Sunday availability from 11:30 a.m. through 4 a.m. Rates are $5 for a half-hour of online use; printing costs $1 per page. For those who might want to sip while they answer e-mail, happy hour drinks are served from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.
If you are on the east side of the island or are yearning for a homey café replete with books, magazines, homemade baked goods and a good cup of coffee, check out The Grateful Deli (775- 5160) in Red Hook Plaza, near Duffy's Love Shack. Owner Daniel Sheffey plans on adding to the two terminals currently available from Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. The café, which was even open on Easter, charges $2 for 15 minutes online and the bargain basement $.25 for a printed color page.
