Round-the-island Trinidad tour part 3: suburbia

Port of Spain was built around a harbour protected by the western hills of the Northern Range. Its residential communities and suburbs fan out to the valleys and hills around.

On the eastern side of the city, Belmont and Laventille were established by formerly enslaved Africans after emancipation in 1838. They have guarded and nurtured the African strand of Trinidadian culture, particularly the Carnival traditions. The Trinidad Theatre Workshop, founded by Nobel prizewinner Derek Walcott, is based in Belmont.

Laventille, sprawling up the hills beyond and crowned by the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, is the cradle of the steelpan and home to one of the best-known steel orchestras, the Desperadoes. Fort Chacon and Fort Picton, named after the island’s last Spanish governor and first British governor respectively, still stand on the Laventille hillside overlooking the island’s central plains. At Fort Chacon in 1792, Don Cosmo Damien Charruca fixed the first accurate line of longitude in the New World.

On the western side of the city, Woodbrook and St James teem with restaurants, bars and music. Ariapita Avenue is the city’s biggest restaurant district. Many of the top Carnival bands have their mas camps there. Music throbs from calypso nights at De Nu Pub, formerly known as Mas Camp Pub, and (seasonally) the panyards of the Woodbrook bands. The Little Carib Theatre [under renovation] on White Street, founded by the legendary dancer Beryl McBernie, pioneered a cultural renaissance in the 1940s and 50s promoting indigenous over imported art, and still hosts some of the country’s best theatre and dance.

The Western Main Road through St James is lined with casual bars and food stalls that stay open until the wee hours of the morning, if not all night. This is a favourite district for hanging out (“liming”). Street food vendors offer jerk chicken, grilled sandwiches, roti and other fast foods. With its strong Indian presence, St James is the main venue for Trinidad’s Hosay (Hosein, the Shia Muslim festival), when elaborately decorated tadjahs (tombs) are paraded over four days and nights. In June, the “WeBeat” cultural festival is staged at the open-air amphitheatre.

As in many other parts of Trinidad, St James has Hindu temples, Muslim mosques and Christian churches side by side. At the Pachimtaashi Hindu Mandir on Ethel Street, the pundit can be prevailed upon to show you around.

North of the city, St Clair, Maraval, St Ann’s and Cascade are middle and upper class residential districts. St Clair hosts several diplomatic missions, corporate offices, clubs, and intimate restaurants. Queen’s Hall (1959) stands at the entrance to St Ann’s and Cascade, next to the brand new diplomatic centre and residence of the prime minister.

In a nutshell

Belmont

The city’s oldest suburb is a maze of winding narrow streets creeping up the slopes on the north east. It’s a stable community of strong African traditions, and the birthplace of much of modern Carnival.

Laventille

Rising from the most densely populated area of the city, the crowded “Hill” is crowned with two important icons of its residents: the Shrine to Our Lady of Laventille and the panyard of one of Trinidad’s leading steelbands, Desperadoes. Visitors are welcome to rehearsals in the Carnival season. Just below the shrine is Fort Picton, a Martello tower dating back to 1800, named after Trinidad’s first British governor, Thomas Picton. Views to west and south are spectacular.

Newtown

To the south-west of the Savannah, Maraval Road runs into a well-ordered district featuring modest homes, services, small businesses, restaurants and a popular pet shop, within the few blocks bounded by Cipriani Boulevard and Maraval Road. The US Embassy and Information Services are on Marli Street.

St. Clair

Wide tree-lined avenues feature gracious homes with spacious gardens. Canadian, British and French embassies, the national television and broadcasting network and one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the Caribbean are found in this suburb. St Clair extends west into Federation Park, a residential development from the sixties in tribute to West Indian fellowship.

Woodbrook

This area lies south of Tragarete Road and extends from Lapeyrouse Cemetery to Woodbrook Cemetery on Mucurapo Road. It is staunchly middle-class and regarded as the breeding ground for the Carnival and creole arts. Ariapita Avenue, which runs the length of Woodbrook, east to west, is being rapidly reoriented to small businesses and services, cafés and restaurants.

St. James

Settled mainly by East Indian immigrants, this district extends along the Western Main Road to the sea at Cocorite. The main road is a busy commercial and shopping artery. The district features a distinguished Hindu mandir on Ethel Street, Muslim mosques, Christian churches and Baptist evangelising. The most famous St James street festival is Hosay, which commemorates the martyrdom of two Muslim brothers.

Fort George, rising 1,100 feet above St James, was built in 1804 by the British. The fort overlooks Port of Spain, the west coast to Chaguaramas and the Caroni Swamp. Across the Gulf, in one direction you can see San Fernando, and in the other, Venezuela. Open to 6pm. Free.

Maraval

North from the Savannah, Maraval is a valley settled first by French families. From elegant St Clair through busy Boissiere, the valley rises to the steep and heady kitchen-garden community of Paramin, where mountain springs feed the source of the Maraval river.

Boissiere features attractive shopping plazas (Ellerslie Plaza, Shoppes of Maraval, Royal Palm Plaza), restaurants, bakeries, and several popular guest houses. Interesting Roman Catholic churches include Assumption on Long Circular Road; Our Lady of Lourdes in upper Maraval; and the new Our Lady of Guadelupe in Paramin.The Saddle Road through Maraval connects with the North Coast Road to beaches and villages on Trinidad’s north.

St. Ann’s & Cascade

Two valleys, each with its own river, run north-east from the Savannah. Proximity to the city makes these suburbs sought-after residential areas, with new condominium and apartment complexes being constructed. The Bellevue Estate “in the pines” at the top of the valley is being developed as an eco-resort, offering accommodation, day tours and a campsite for small groups. The Horticultural Society on Chancellor Road operates a flower market, Tuesday-Saturday mornings.