Discover Port Of Spain : Neighborhoods

Port of Spain, a port city with a population of 50,000, if we count only the downtown area, is concentrated between the shore of the Gulf of Paria to the south, the first foothills of the mountain range to the north, a hilly terrain to the east and a land of dried mangroves to the west. The Port of Spain agglomeration has a population of 150,000. The city is centered around its historic downtown and has been built on land reclaimed from the sea (Woodbrook, St. James), as well as on the hillsides (Newton, St. Clair, St. Ann, Cascade). The capital has grown so much in recent years that it is now almost the same size as the country's second largest city, Arima, with which it shares a total population of about 600,000. There are about ten districts in the metropolis, each with its own specificities, which we would like you to discover here. These districts were formed over time and their populations are diverse.

Downtown - the business district

Downtown " begins near the harbor and runs all the way up to Savannah. This is the historic, administrative and commercial district, where all strata of the population meet. As its history and development have progressed, the city has absorbed the former plantation estates that surrounded its center, transforming them into new neighborhoods. Urbanization initially took place to the west, where today's Woodbrook and Saint Clair, the embassy district, are located. The small district of Newtown, which flanks the Savannah on its south-western side, acts as a buffer between Saint Clair, Woodbrook and downtown.
This central district resembles that of many American cities: at the port, skyscrapers (including the twin towers), then streets delimiting the blocks up to the Savannah, the local "Central Park". During the day, Downtown is bustling with activity, and the bustle of workers and businessmen alike makes it a lively and pleasant place to be. In the evenings and at weekends, however, the center empties out and the atmosphere becomes creepy, very creepy. It's forbidden to walk in the street, as the sidewalks are badly used. In any case, don't come here at night - there's nothing to do.

Frederick Street. Cutting through downtown from north to south and connecting Savannah with the harbor, Frederick Street is the main shopping street in downtown. Its sidewalks and facades feature a motley mix of small boutiques, restaurants, street vendor stalls, administrative buildings and newer, Western-style stores with windows displaying international brands. At the corner of Frederick Street and Queen's Street is the People's Mall, a sort of flea market filled with small stalls selling the latest American fashion, rap and reggae music, painted T-shirts, incense, Rasta crafts... Just before Queen's Street, opposite the junction with Prince Street, is Woodford Square, a beautiful garden in the administrative heart of the city.

St Clair - the middle-class neighborhood

This upscale neighborhood on the heights of Port of Spain has historically been a neighborhood of wealthy whites since its development in the 1880s to 1900s on previously rural land. Today, it is home to a wealthy mixed-race population. St. Clair is a neighborhood lined with luxurious mansions and a park at its center: King George V Park. In recent decades, many embassies have moved here, turning St Clair into a diplomatic quarter.

New Town - the neighborhood on the move

Bounded by Queen's Park West, Cipriani Boulevard, Tragarete Road and Maraval Road, New Town is a tiny neighborhood that finds its identity in its strategic positioning at the crossroads of major roads. Numerous cafés and restaurants have opened in this residential area, where different communities come to mix. A number of mas bands and music bands have set up shop here, including Wayne Barekeley.

Woodbrook - the quiet neighborhood

Woodbrook is certainly one of the most pleasant and safe neighborhoods to stay in and to discover the Trinidadian capital. It stretches for a kilometer, bounded at its western end by the Lapeyrouse cemetery and at its western end by the Maraval River.
It is served by three roads: Tragarete Road, to the north, connects downtown Port of Spain with the neighborhoods of Cocorite and Saint James; Wrightson Road, to the south, is a kind of expressway along the coastline in the continuation of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and leading to the Western Main Road in the direction of Chaguaramas; Ariapita Avenue, in the center of Woodbrook, is the main shopping street of the neighborhood. It is on this avenue that the vast majority of the restaurants that make Woodbrook famous are located.
Woodbrook was originally a sugar plantation owned by the Siegert family, the creators and owners of the famous brand of Bitter Angustura, and some of the streets in the neighborhood are named after historical members of this famous family (Alfredo Street, Carlos Street, Luis Street...).
In 1911, the area was rehabilitated to serve as a residential neighborhood for the emerging middle class. Today, Woodbrook appears to be an unlikely mix of an American-style suburban area and a planter-style area. Its wide, right-angled streets and leafy squares are regularly dotted with old colonial houses with painted wooden walls and verandas sometimes overgrown with garden vegetation.
A practical and functional neighborhood, Woodbrook is also one of the centers of Port of Spain's carnival culture, housing a few mas camps, the workshops used to design and make masks and costumes, as well as two or three of the island's main panyards . However, mas camps and panyards are not active all year round and the best time to come and experience the atmosphere of a carnival preparation in Woodbrook is from November to February.

St James - the city that never sleeps

Its current formation dates back to 1938 when it was incorporated as a neighborhood of Port of Spain and was greatly expanded. At the end of the ^20th century, Indian workers from the surrounding sugar plantations settled here and St. James gradually became the little Bombay of Port of Spain. Many of the streets have Indian names. Western Main Road is a very lively place in the evening until late at night, it is one of the best places to go out in Port of Spain, sometimes called, "the city that never sleeps". Long Circular Road, which curves from Western Main Road to Maraval Road, forms the boundary of this neighborhood, which includes Flaggstagg Hill, home to the U.S. Embassy.

St Ann's and Cascade - the quiet neighborhood

These two very middle-class residential areas have a number of ultra-confidential villas hidden in the forest, all of which enjoy a superb view of the city. There is not much to tell about these neighborhoods built on the hillside, except that today the most luxurious and trendy hotels and restaurants are located here.

Belmont - the working class neighborhood

Belmont is the historic African quarter. The first suburb of Port of Spain developed in Belmont in the 1840s to 1850s, and much of the neighborhood was populated by Africans who had landed here on illegal slave ships and been rescued by the Royal Navy. They were joined by slaves who had fled other West Indian islands still under the yoke of less philanthropic colonies. After their emancipation, a Rada religious leader from Dahomey (now Benin in West Africa) bought land here and founded a community. Representatives of the most important tribes in this part of Africa (Yoruba, Mandingue, Ibo and Kroumen) came to settle here, founding the first black community in the West Indies. This organization favored the survival of African traditions, unlike on many other islands, such as belief in the Orishas, whose syncretistic rites are still practiced here.
By the early ^20th century, the population had grown considerably, and the neighborhood has retained its original character, with narrow, labyrinthine streets unlike any other in Port of Spain. The black working class, then excluded from neighborhoods like St Clair and Maraval, responded by building large, beautiful gingerbread houses in Belmont, so beautiful that the neighborhood was nicknamed "black St Clair". Today, these period houses are being restored, many having been renovated and converted into offices, while others have been preserved by the families who own them. This ever-popular district has a bad reputation due to recurrent problems of violence, less frequent than in Laventille, the neighboring ghetto, but enough to dissuade tourists from visiting on their own. To visit, ask a local guide. It's worth noting that many of the key carnival leaders come from Belmont.

Laventille, the black ghetto

Laventille is the black ghetto that inspired carnival pioneers. The neighborhood owes its name to an Old French expression "la ventaille", due to its direct exposure to the northeast wind that blows hard over Trinité, making it a very exposed area. It is a historically black and very poor district, and quite dangerous due to its haphazard geography - wastelands, squats - which makes it a breeding ground for drug trafficking, crime... Its rehabilitation is a long way off. But Laventille does enjoy some happy times during Carnival, as this is the birthplace of steel bands : Desperados Steel Orchestra is one of the oldest in the world. It's also here that steel pans were born, and some of today's most renowned musicians, such as Rudolph Charles, Bertie Marshall or Roland Harrigin, and of course the pioneer Winston "spree" Simon. Many famous steel bands come from Laventille, such as Laventille Hilanders, Courts Laventille Sound Specialists... In all styles of Trinidadian popular music, Laventille has distinguished itself, as has soca singer Destra Garcia.