
Kingston - The Heartbeat of Jamaica
Kingston is the heartbeat of Jamaica and sets the pulse for the rest of the Island. Vibrant and lively but chaotic and brimming with gumption and gusto, Jamaica capital city is an untamed and unwieldy territory that requires strong nerves and fearlessness to survive. Through earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes, Kingston, like its people, has fought back with a certain fierceness and determination that help it, not only to survive, but flourish.
Profile
Nestled between one of the world largest natural harbor and the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Kingston is a sprawling urban city of over half million people. It stands in stark contrast to the rest of the Island in terms of crowds, traffic, and character. Moving to the capital Kingston from anywhere else in the Island requires a mental reconditioning and learning new survival skills.
The streets of Kingston are a disorderly chaos of vehicles, people, and sometimes, animals. Yet they move among each other with the remarkable ease of a well choreograph dance that will puzzle outsiders. Streets that was once built for horses and buggies, now carry thousands of vehicles each day. A Journey from the suburbs of St Andrew to downtown Kingston was a smooth 25-minute drive in 1980. Today, that same journey is a fighting hour-and-a-half commute on a good day.
Kingston was established in 1693 on the waterfront in downtown after a massive earthquake destroyed, Port Royal, the former capital. Since then, the city has never stopped growing. It has fanned out like wild fire, gobbling up the entire Liguanea (pronounced lig-a-nee) plains as well as the surrounding hills. These outlying areas includes New Kingston, Half Way Tree, Constant Spring, Liguanea, and Mona, among others. The hills beyond the Liguanea plains includes Red Hills and Coopers Hill to the Northwest and Jacks Hills, Beverly Hills, and Warieka Hills to the Northeast. Beyond these are the foothills of the Blue Mountain. When all those areas were exhausted, Kingston expanded across the harbour to the hills of Hellshire and Portmore. Today, Kingston has literally outgrown itself.
Downtown Kingston was once the city commercial center. It still houses many banking, commercial and government institutions including "Gordon House", Jamaica's parliament building. The city major town square, "Parade", along with Ward theatre, the island's main theatre for plays, are all also here, although both have lost their importance and prominence. "Parade" was so called because it was here that the British redcoats used to parade for the locals.
Today, downtown Kingston, with the exception of the major business corridor, is a sprawling squalor of ghettos and a place that you should not venture unless you have a good reason to do so. There is, however, a major revitalization project underway for many downtown areas.
Manufacture and Commerce
Most of Jamaica's major commercial and industrial companies are located in Kingston. It is where the Island insurance, banking, information technology are head quartered. New Port West in the west end on the waterfront, is where the city's Industrial and manufacturing center is located. This is also where the Jamaica main shipping port is located.
New Kingston, an area bordered by Half-Way Tree Road and Hope Road, has emerged as the city's financial and commercial center. It is adorned with skyscrapers, malls, shopping centers, and hotels. This is where you'll find all the insurance and banking centers and where you will find the major part of the city's professionals. Along with the uptown area of Constant Spring further west and Liguanea to the East, these areas together provide the bulk of Kingston's commercial and retail activities.
Shopping
Although it is Jamaica's capital, Kingston is not a tourist destination, but there are places where tourists can find good bargains at in-bond and duty-free stores. The major tourists shopping areas can be found in New Kingston, Constant Springs, and downtown. At Devon House in New Kingston, you can shop for liquor, tobacco, coffee, and spices as well as arts and crafts. Duty-free watches and jewelry, and perfumes can be found in Bijoux Jewelers in Dominica Drive across from the Hilton in New Kingston as well as the Swiss stores in Mall Plaza on Constant Spring Road and Habour Street in downtown. Major shopping can also be found at Sovereign Centre in Liguanea, which is Kingston's newest shopping complex, with cinemas, banks and a food court.
Attractions
Kingston is not a tourist town and have very few attractions that appeal to tourists. Therefore, you should not venture into Kingston unless you truly want to explore the underbelly of Jamaica that you won't read about in glossy tourist's magazines and brochures. And you better be bold, adventurous, and fearless. If you do, however, you will be rewarded with a rare glimpse into a side of Jamaica that few outsiders have seen. Beyond that, Kingston has many places of interest where you can explore some of the significant historical an cultural aspect of Jamaica.
Accommodations
Kingston hotels are mostly located in and around New Kingston and varies in term of amenities and price. Many cater to business travelers offering facilities for conferences and seminars. Compare to the places like Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, the number of available hotel rooms in Kingston is limited.
Restaurants & Night life
Kingston is a very active metropolitan city that never sleeps. It caters to young professionals, college students, and business people of every kind and has a great deal of entertainment and cultural activities. From clubs and discos to theatres, comedy houses, dances, and live performances at many indoor and outdoor venues, Kingston is alive with action for everyone.