bahama shopping
Bahama Islands News, Articles and Information
A spelling dilemma
Because of The Bahamas' close proximity to the United States, the American influence on Bahamian culture has been very pervasive. What has been referred to as the Americanization of The Bahamas has been facilitated to a great degree by the fact that Bahamians frequently travel to South Florida on shopping expeditions and over the years have adopted many American habits and customs.What's more, The Bahamas is one of the world's leading tourist destinations, attracting millions of visitors to our shores annually, with more than five million visiting last year and surely their on-going interaction with the local population would have contributed to the adaptation of some aspects of the American way of life by Bahamians.
One particular area where the American influence has been very profound is in the area of education.
Boys' trip: Island hopping on the St. Lawrence River
It started a couple of years ago when my son Dougan said to me, ''Dad, let's go on a guy trip, just you, me and Paul.'' Paul is our other son.It would be a male thing. No wives, no sisters, no dressing up, no shopping excursions. A lot of reminiscing, a lot of guy talk, a lot of outdoor stuff.
We all thought it was a great idea (even our wives), but it's easier said than done. First of all, there was the timing thing. Both Dougan and Paul have jobs and all three of us are married, so we had to find a few days when all of us could get away without disrupting home and work.
For months we let things slide, but early this year we finally set a date well in advance. We would go the third week of August.
Then came the debate: what kind of trip would we take?
A driving trip to the North Carolina mountains? What about renting an RV and touring New England? We could take Dougan's boat to the Bahamas, or go on a cruise.
MIA's south terminal getting retail face-lift
Touring Miami International Airport's South Terminal concessions area is hardly the ultimate shopping experience. There are empty stores with exposed electrical pipes, unpainted walls and cement floors, all covered with dust and dirt.But this spring, when the 1.5-million-square-foot terminal opens, passengers will see curving walls with colorful storefronts, where they can buy a portable DVD player, grab a guayabera, snag a travel iron or slip in a manicure.
The Miami-Dade County Commission recently awarded contracts for 24 stores in the terminal, representing all but one of the planned retail shops. The national and local retailers will cater to passengers on about 23 airlines operating in the South Terminal, carrying an expected 25 percent of MIA's travelers.