It's Holy Thursday night on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, but much of the activities happening in this once-residential area were anything but sacred. Cold beers, local and imported, were being guzzled from roadside bars, pavements and kerbs. The finer establishments serve wine, cocktails, liqueurs and sushi. Patrons spilled out onto the pavement from La Habana, next to Domino's Pizza. Much lower down at Levels, a bar and lounge at the corner of Taylor Street, which has been attracting an urban crowd, was packed, with more patrons making their way in after 11 pm. The night was young. Gyro carts line the avenue. Double vendors, once a very rare sight on the strip, are as common now as their gyro competitors. Hungry limers also have a choice of Chinese fast food, Wendy's for hamburger and fries, More Vino for sushi and wine, Angelo's, for pasta fare. Add to that creole-style Irie Bites, Frankie's and El Pecos. There was a pavement lime practically at every street corner along the mile-long stretch, which starts at the Princess Elizabeth Home from the west and ends near French Street. Ariapita Avenue has become the new St James, the town that supposedly never sleeps.
Police were out in full force on the night before the holiday, reprimanding or charging motorists who were parked at corners, issuing breathalyser tests and checking bars and restaurants to ensure they had the appropriate licences. Sandbar, a bar and lounge, located at the corner of Ariapita Avenue and Ana Street, was forced to close its doors after it was revealed in court that it was operating without a liquor licence since April 1. A choice of new places to lime is good for patrons and business owners. And hell for many residents who live in close proximity to these establishments. The dramatic transformation of the avenue in the last five years is causing much tension between residents and business owners. Each group is trying to define its own space and claim their right to be there.
Living Hell for residents
Residents complain that the opening of bars and restaurants in the area has created unwelcome behaviour. A female resident in her 50s, who wished to remain anonymous, said she has lived in Woodbrook all her life and that the intolerant behaviour has grown worse in the last eight years. "It's the type of business which sprung up in the area that was attracting the negative elements of the night life, which is changing the culture and redefining the avenue," the resident said. "These open air pubs have encouraged patrons to urinate on our walls and streets, litter our walls with their beer bottles, park and block our gateways and are verbally abusive when we ask them to remove their vehicles," the resident said. Crime in the community has also increased. "A resident of Alfredo Street was recently held up by bandits as she was driving into her gateway. This is our sad reality that we face on a regular basis," the resident said.Residents say that wanting to live in peace and quiet is not unreasonable. "We would like for the nightclubs to enclose their establishments with proper facilities for the patrons and provide parking as well."
She said residents would like to get more support from the police to control unruly behaviour and for the authorities to re-introduce wrecking services, as this will go a long way to maintain order. Newer businesses have sprung up to join the likes of Veni Mange, Jacqueline's, Melange and Nu Pub, each wanting a share of people's disposable income. Levels, Shakers, Coco Lounge and More Vino cater for the young professionals, the hip, the fashion-conscious. Many of the better known places are at corners: Crobar and Coco Lounge-owned by Ronald Moses-are on Carlos Street; Studio, is on Luis Street, and La Habana, on Alfredo Street. They have added a different dimension to entertainment in west Trinidad. No longer are patrons restricted to drinking and liming indoors. The party, the lime, now spills out onto the sidewalk and roadway. Motorists slow down to stare at all the activity, much as they used to along the Western Main Road in St James. Cars are parked on both sides of Ariapita Avenue.
Where all spots are taken, motorists wanting to lime veer off to side streets in search of parking spaces. Loud music booms from sound systems in cars. Most bars play their own music, though not as loud. On a typical weekend, liming on Ariapita Avenue starts off as an after-work Friday lime. Whether you like a cold beer or a daiquiri, the Avenue is the place to be, said a male patron liming outside La Habana. It was minutes to midnight and he had now arrived with a three-member all-male crew. The lime had just started. The patron said the Avenue was no longer a place for the upper echelon in society, but one where people of all classes can hang out. He said that kind of social evolution was good because the avenue can now encourage all types of businesses to operate.
Prostitution resurges
More businesses, more people socialising: the perfect environment for the prostitution business.
One resident said prostitution has been on the increase; this in an area historically known for attracting the world's oldest profession. Residents are seeing more scantily-dressed women showing up on Carlos and Murray Streets in particular, fighting for turf. Groups of threes and fours control the corner spots. Their pimps are usually parked nearby, watching motorists drive up seeking the women's favours.
Some prostitutes can be seen near Me Asia, a Chinese restaurant, though they keep a lower profile than their competitors on Carlos and Murray Streets. A Business Guardian team witnessed two prostitutes pelting bottles and stones over turf at the corner of Carlos Street. Another prostitute jumped into a new model beige Toyota Corolla. "Even though we try to ignore a certain demographic, the homosexuals and transgender individuals have their own place to party," the resident stated.
While this major thoroughfare has become a source of release for many living in or outside of the area, those who live in and around the hot spots say they are being robbed of their serenity. Residents of Woodbrook seem to have Port-of-Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing-who assumed office nine months ago-on their side. He's employed a range of strategies to deal with residents' complaints: wrecking vehicles and charging motorists $1,300, which Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has since written to Lee Sing, saying the fine was illegal. Lee Sing has said he plans to "pedestrianise" Ariapita Avenue by renting two car parks, namely at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and providing a shuttle service from the car park to the Avenue. Neither residents nor businesses owners have greeted the idea with enthusiasm.
Residents said while they appreciate the assistance from Lee Sing and welcome his support, they believed that "pedestrianising" the Avenue will hold them prisoner in their own home. Joshua Johnson, manager of the open-air Sweet Lime restaurant-situated between Nu Pub and Ma Pau casino-said patrons like their own personal space and freedom and would not appreciate travelling on a shuttle service with everyone from a carpark. "Patrons like their privacy and would not feel comfortable with that arrangement. The crime situation is a big issue for them and they will feel more vulnerable to these elements with this kind of arrangement," Johnson said. Johnson said Sweet Lime, which opened 15 years ago and caters mainly to a mature crowd and tourists, including some Woodbrook residents, must co-exist harmoniously. He said there must be collaboration with all stakeholders to have the issues of indiscriminate parking, noise pollution and littering, resolved. Sweet Lime has its own car park on French Street and has partially enclosed its surroundings to provide a more secure and comfortable environment for patrons.
Levels caters for a more urban market that likes to have fun and enjoy a good tasting sushi with a twist of local flavour. The lower level caters for dining and dancing while patrons can drink and lime upstairs.
Don Ross, manager of Levels, which opened its doors only six months ago, said he is not in support of unscrupulous patrons who break the law and distress residents. Ross said Levels is looking for a spot for its patrons to park. In the interim, the management of Levels has hired security to patrol the pavements to ensure patrons do not break the law or distress residents while ensuring their safety. From French Street to Bellsymthe Street, each business has carved a niche for itself. In between the newer restaurants, bars and pubs are older establishments, like television personality Allyson Hennessy's Veni Mange, Mystic Hemp, a food outlet, casinos, such as Sportsman, Winners Club and Diamond, Chinese and Italian restaurants, like China Dynasty and Angelo's, insurance and accounting firms, interior design companies, and banks and mas camps.
Police presence
Compared to the weekend before the four-day Easter holidays, Inspector Williams from Woodbrook Police Station and his troops were out as early as Holy Thursday night patrolling the Avenue, conducting breathalyser tests, random car searches and checking each establishment for their licence. Williams and Acting Cpl Johnson said these patrols would be an ongoing exercise. They have already managed to stop patrons from converging on the streets with chairs and other furniture. The officers said it would be a more difficult task to stop patrons from standing and drinking on the pavement. Williams said the owners of these bars and pubs have begun to co-operate as loud music is now rarely an issue. The sore point, Williams said, was illegal parking. He called on the authorities to reintroduce wrecking services in the area to treat with that problem.
He said 90 per cent of Ariapita Avenue is now commercial and everyone has to learn to co-exist.
He said most homes have turned into commercial entities and that is the reality. The Business Guardian asked three guys liming outside La Habana, formerly known as the Squeeze, if they felt that the presence of the police officers was spoiling their fun. One man said, "No, we welcome the officers. It gives us a sense of security and safety." Another patron said the police's presence will acts as a deterrent for all those who park carelessly. Asked if they also believed that liming on the pavement has devalued the status of the Avenue, he said, "No, this type of entertainment is not new, it originated from Smokey and Bunty, but it is just popping up in different areas."
Read about the economic contribution of Ariapita Avenue in next week's issue.