Mad Bull posted about Downtown Kingston.
Now that is a subject that brings back memories!
Back in the mid sixties, my mother would take (force?) me, my older brother and sister to catch a Jolly Joseph (JOS bus) from our house near August Town to go shopping in downtown Kingston. We would tow behind her through Orange Street, King Street, Parade, you name it. She was a real battleaxe when it came to dealing with the merchants, and I remember numerous occasions of wishing I could sink throught the floor, rather than be present for her tirades. The original consumer advocate!
On one occasion, when I was perhaps 7, I remember ending up at the Myrtle Bank Hotel, right on the waterfront. There were kids diving off the dock for coins thrown by the ‘merican tourists, while I drank a coke (normaly a Sunday treat back then). A Jazz band played background music, with one guy strumming the biggest violin I had ever seen!
Fast forward to the mid seventies…..Me, my brother and two dark skinned uptown bways were downtown, near the Instituite of Jamaica and heading east on foot (can’t remember why). The neighbourhood was going from dilapidated to sinister, when an old lady in a doorway advises “whereever you are going, turn back now” We complied with her suggestion.
Now to the 90’s! My wife and I arrived in Kingston to attend a family wedding. My brother (who lives in the UK but was in Kingston weeks in advance) picked us up at the airport. He tells me that instead of Mountain View Avenue (the normal, uptown direct route) , we will be going via downtown Kingston, for safety reasons! Hello?
Apparently there is some kind of war between security forces and gunmen in the Montain View area. Back in the seventies, there was an infamous shoot-out between (reportedly) machine gun weilding snipers and gun-club members off this highway. I don’t remember the body count, but it was a ducks in terms of the latter. Still, this was the way that, as teenagers, that we drove at night to and from the drive-in theater.
So back to our trip through downtown Kingston, near the Bellevue (mental) Hospital, I notice that there is a cop car in front of us, and also that my brother is hanging back about 200 yards, ”AK47s are not very accurate” was his comforting explaination!
All a unu, back-a-yard, or elsewhere, tek care!
May 11, 2007 at 1:47 pm |
I live near to the said mental institution, halfway between downtown and mountain view ave and across the harbour from the airport. Depending on what thrills you, lets just say a week barely passes without some “action”.
PS – glad to have you posting again
May 11, 2007 at 4:31 pm |
Hey Jamaipanese, plenty people reading your response might say “that figures”. Not me mind you! Is that where the old Royal Jamaica Yatch Club used to be? I am not that old, but I remember people telling me it was in that area one time.
I might need to take up your offer of help organizing this blog!
May 11, 2007 at 5:34 pm |
I have no idea
I am quite the youngster and moved to this area almost 10 years ago.
the offer to help organize your blog still stands, just hit me up via email
May 11, 2007 at 6:42 pm |
Glad to see you’re back. I hope to see some more of you.
May 12, 2007 at 8:09 am |
Cayman Firefly, I have a challenge for you: Do the “Great Imperative” meme! I am interested in hearing what you have to say on this. See Geoffrey’s “Great Imperative Meme”, follow some of the links there for an idea of what its all about.
May 12, 2007 at 9:46 am |
I travel through said Mountain View area on average twice weekly…private practice is in the area. I do manage to earn a bread from people who live in these communities and their environs. It is only on a few occasions that I have had to drive ‘alternate’ routes due to gun violence. Coming from the airport, I do not drive ‘downtown’. Now, I am not saying that it is impossible that ‘ruption could happen while I am in the area one day, but if you listen to how some people go on about this, one might think that Mntn View and its environs are constant war zones. I don’t think it is quite that bad. Perhaps sad that we do have communities in Jamaica that I term ‘inflammatory’. Doh tek much fe ’swell dem up’.
May 12, 2007 at 5:25 pm |
Hey Dr. D,
Just for clarification, I was not trying to say Mountain View Avenue is always a war zone, but it was at the time of my visit, and the idea that the downtown route was supposedly safer was what shocked me. Thanks for the comment!
May 12, 2007 at 5:29 pm |
Hi MB, I will check out that Meme ting. I tink me did already tell yu sey, me and Geoffrey were at JC sixth form together, back in the mid seventies?