Historic Devon House: Kingston, Jamaica

When most people think of Jamaica, they often think of pristine blue beaches and easy going vibes. They are right. You get all of this and then some when you visit but my most recent trip to Jamaica was not one where I managed many beach trips, rather I was mostly in Jamaica’s big city, Kingston. This was a real first time for me and did not know where to go or what to expect. Well, Kingston did not fail. What do you do in Jamaica when you are not at the beach? Well, learn about it’s history and eat ice cream at Devon House of course.

6C73C1D3-F3C8-4125-928A-CC90EDDA796C — The most delicious artisan beef patties can be had at the Devon House Bakery.

F29446BF-359C-46EC-9F0C-FCAF4D3E051F — The quaint brick structure that now houses the Devon House Bakery was the original kitchen for the historic home.

D76A0FD2-5597-4F25-A247-6D1C5DE11131 — The Family’s Dining Room at Devon House.

A98620F3-BBB2-4FFC-8F08-5EFD8F6A48A6 — Jamaica’s first black millionaire, Mr. George Steibel.

E25FBCED-B9FD-42E2-B2F2-C287CA963DB1 — The home is spacious and airy but still feels quaint, like home.

63FC3A25-BD12-4B11-B02B-89A4E89E060A — This was the stairway for a secret room. After entering the room, the stairs can be pulled towards the ceiling and concealed. It was positioned like a type of panic or safe room.

352D5DC5-08D0-42C0-9432-0D20772EC99C — The windows are large and everyone has pretty storm shutters lined by light white curtains. The home needs no lights because the sizable windows lets in all of the sun.

D2672958-57A6-4440-81D5-157C333100E8 — The horrific earthquake that sank one of Jamaica’s most notorious ports. Legends say that Port Royal was such an evil and wicked place that God consumed it with the earthquake.

54027948-701C-47E3-A797-6E6D5FF61F86 — I live here now.

BCF1D785-3286-4018-876F-65FB786915BE — We had the docent to ourselves and what felt like a private tour of the home. We felt extremely lucky.

5220E927-9F0A-43EA-8CAD-5A4DB311FBE5 — The size of the key effects the size of the home. This is the docent opening the front door for us to have the most epic view of the home’s front lawn.

3D93B183-27DB-4214-BBEC-094E3055D125 — Ahhhhhhh…Majestic.

216B3A4F-DA0D-49CA-B0E9-886027845D00 — A portion of the from of Devon House.

6F0A1560-199D-41AB-B3DA-7D73641DFD0D — I adore the classic checkerboard flooring and the the Italian style borders.

0459BDEE-881C-4E8D-8E5A-5272A1277A56 — A portion of the rear of the home. I would be in heaven if I can spend the rest of my life on this back porch.

38EAB0D2-CA8D-437C-A84C-F5CD7E133EB2 — The ice-cream is the real tourist attraction at Devon House. Every Jamaican I know lives for Devon House ice-cream on a Sunday. It’s a religious experience of sorts. This is the holy grail of ice-creams, the grape nut.

Check out the historic Devon House online if you are not in Jamaica : https://www.devonhouseja.com

If you are in Jamaica and you love visiting Devon House, drop me a picture or a line in the comments and tell me about your experience. If you plan on visiting the land of wood and water then hop over to Kingston and get a patty and ice-cream for me please 🙂

February 8, 2020

Grace Jerk Festival: NY

Summertime in NYC means it’s time for festivals and cultural fairs and the Gace Jamaican Jerk Festival is one of the best festivities in NYC.

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival festivities went down again this year in Queens, NYC. It really has become a Summer “Must Do” if you are in NYC. The vibes are set up the irie way. You are transported to Jamaica by way of the music and jerk pans, jerking chicken throughout the park. A waft of jerk chicken takes you straight to the feel of being beachside or at your favorite jerk stand in Jamaica.

Image may contain: 4 people — Intense cooking faces on the contestants. Celebrity chef, Winford Patrick Simpson walking the audience through the cooking challenge.

Hard Fi Deal Wid Tv Captured the Essence of the Festival:

Image may contain: 4 people, people on stage and people standing — The Mayor and his First Lady greeted the crowd to start the show.

A Live Stage Show at Roy Wilkins Park with Your favorite Reggae and Soca Artists: Konshens, Alison Hinds, Barrington Levy, Morgan Heritage.

Image may contain: outdoor — Chicken in the pan being jerked.

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, crowd and outdoor — Wave yuh flag!

A fun time was had by all but the star of the show was jerk seasoning. You don’t have to feel left out because you were not at the park. Visit Grace Foods online and pick up their jerk seasoning or hot sauce and bring the heritage of jerk to your own home.

www.gracefoods.com

Don’t miss the next event! Visit www.jerkfestivalny.com for more info.

Get access to the best videos and entertainment at Hard Fi Deal Wid Tv.

August 1, 2017 0

Beat Those Winter Blues: Yoga, Heat, and Jamaica.

Is it just me or does the constant cold weather and limited sunlight during the winter gives you the blues? I live for summertime. The warmth of the sun and the cool feel of the ocean’s breeze. I live in NYC so warm days or hot, balmy nights are only had about two months out of the ENTIRE year. I hold down a J.O.B so I can’t get away as often as I would like in order to soak up some sun. What is a girl to do when the groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter and in reality, it’s cold 10 months out of the year!!!??? You got it, beat the blues right here in the frigid winter.

Here are some ways to beat the blues:

Hot/Bikram Yoga

You don’t have to be a yoga expert to take a hot yoga class but you should be in fairly good health. If you suffer from any conditions it is probably a good idea to check in with your doctor before taking the class. It is not a super strenuous workout but it gets hella hot. I love the heat (not so much the sweat) and this class provides all of the heat and sweat that you may lack in the wintertime. It is also great for relaxation.Savasana and Namaste.

Turn Up the Heat and Invest in Good Lighting

Home is where the heart is and I love going home after a long day to just unwind. I cannot relax if the temperature at home is too low and if my lights don’t set a mood. I love keeping the thermostat at around 75/80 degrees. I slip into a tee shirt and am automatically transported to warm climate in my own home. Also, invest in decent lighting. We have cool lights made by Phillips Hue. You can change the lighting intensity and color.

Just Go Away

If none of those things work…then book a flight to Jamaica! Yeah Mon.That does it every time. I recently watched a really genius video promotion done by Jamaica Tourism and Jetblue for travel to Jamaica. The video really captured life as a commuter in NYC and it was nice to see a little piece of Jamaica set up in the middle of one of the busiest hubs in the city. Let’s face it. Jamaica is always a good idea. Jetblue gave away tickets to Jamaica to 15 lucky commuters. Now they truly have a way to beat the winter blues.

February 3, 2017 2