Sometimes you want to get away without going too far away. You want the feel of a different culture but the familiarity of Taco Bell and Dunkin`
Donuts.
You want to visit another country without fumbling around in another language.
You want a hint? Try Nassau, capital of the Bahamas.
On New Providence, one of the 700 islands and cays that make up the Bahamas, Nassau is a 266-mile hop from the coast of Florida. Whether you hop by ship or by plane, Nassau is small enough to see in a few days.
And with the Bahamas celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus` first landfall, on the island of San Salvador, the party atmosphere is even more intense than usual (and the T-shirts and tacky tourist goodies even more abundant).
The list of must-sees and -dos is brief (hey, it`s not that big a place), which means that if you`re going by sea, you easily can squeeze everything in to a three-day cruise. If you`re flying, you`ll have time for the extras.
Topping the must-do list is the Nassau city tour, which will take you by taxi, van, surrey or limousine through the colorful and scarily narrow streets of Nassau.
The must-sees
Other must-sees: the Water Tower, a 126-foot tall reservoir with an observation platform; Ft. Fincastle, an 18th Century bastion shaped like an old paddle-wheel steamer; the Queen`s Staircase, 65 steps carved by slaves between 1793 and 1794; Ft. Charlotte, the largest Bahamian fort; Bay Street and the Straw Market, home of duty-free shopping; and the casinos and entertainment on Cable Beach and Paradise Island.
If you cruise to Nassau out of Port Canaveral, Fla., Premier and Carnival Cruise Lines offer city tours at an additional charge that include the Queen`s Staircase, the Water Tower, Ft. Charlotte and the shopping areas.
A word of warning: Make sure you take lots of change and $1 bills when you go sightseeing in Nassau. For the most part, your tour guides will be youngsters who will rattle off their well-rehearsed spiels with varying degrees of enthusiasm and who will invite you to tip them. They won`t demand it, but it is expected.
Among the places of interest on the city tour are Vendue House, a picturesque building with a Corinthian portico flanked by stone arches. At the head of Bay Street, Vendue House at one time was an auction house for cattle- and slaves.
Also on the tour is Malcolm Park, the former site of Charles Town, the Bahamas` first city. In days of yore, the park area was the place to be for public executions. According to one tour guide, ”They`d hang the bad guys, then bury them in the same park.”
Sure enough, part of the park is an extension of St. Matthew`s Graveyard, where the tombs date to the 17th Century.
Rawson Square and Parliament Square also are among the highlights of the city tour, with their Colonial buildings and colorful facades.
Churchill Building
The Churchill Building in Rawson Square houses the offices of the Bahamian prime minister, treasury department and Cabinet ministers.
In Parliament Square you`ll see the House of Assembly, where the Bahamian Parliament meets every week. Directly behind a statue of Queen Victoria is the Senate Chamber and the Supreme Court Registry.
For a panorama of Nassau, fork over 50 cents and ride the elevator to the top of the Water Tower, built in 1928. (If you have something to prove, you can climb the stairs to the top.)
Then c`mon down from the Water Tower and climb to the top of Ft. Fincastle, whose 90-foot deep walls were chiseled by slaves in 1793. From there you can see the Crystal Palace on Cable Beach as well as the statue of Christopher Columbus that stands before Government House.
Besides Columbus, Queen Victoria is the most popular historical figure in these parts. Victoria reigned for 64 years and enforced the Emancipation Act abolishing slavery, and Bahamians revered her.
That`s why the 65 steps carved out of Nassau`s limestone cliffs were named the Queen`s Staircase.
Originally intended as a passage for troops stationed above at Ft. Fincastle, the staircase now leads down to a shaded grotto surrounded by high mossy walls and trees.
Hawkers, of course
Of course, this is Nassau, so at the foot of the Queen`s Staircase you will encounter vendors hawking their straw goods.
In fact, you can`t go anywhere in Nassau without seeing straw handbags, hats and fans and bodaciously bright T-shirts sporting the inescapable ”Don`t worry; be happy” as well as ”Hey, Mon!” and ”We be jammin` ”.
Over at Ft. Charlotte, the T-shirts ought to read ”We be stretchin,`
” in honor of the torture chamber with stretching rack and mannequin tied down at both ends.
A dry moat surrounds the fort, which was built in 1787 and named for the wife of King George III. The wooden bridge you cross to get into the fort originally was the drawbridge.
If shopping is your bag, you`ll find bliss on Bay Street in the heart of downtown Nassau. Some 300 shops carry duty-free goodies, including booze, perfume, Irish linens, designer watches, Wedgwood china and Baccarat crystal. Also downtown is the Straw Market, a collection of booths displaying handcrafted straw wares. You`ll find everything from baskets and mats to dolls. Come prepared to dicker, especially if you want more than one item.
After a day of spending money, you may as well spend a night losing money at Carnival`s Crystal Palace Resort & Casino on Cable Beach or Merv Griffin`s Paradise Island Resort & Casino.
Vegas-style revue
The Crystal Palace is a gigantic mauve and peach structure, Disneyesque in its dimensions and color scheme. The palace, built by Carnival Cruise Lines, features a Las Vegas-style revue with show girls, Bengal tigers, comedy, magic, and, of course, gaming tables.
Merv Griffin`s 30,000-square-foot casino also boasts a Vegas revue, including ice skating and, yup, show girls.
To see Nassau`s one truly native nightclub show, head for Peanuts Taylor`s Drumbeat Club. You`ll get a feel for Bahamian culture rather than Vegas culture. The Drumbeat Club`s show features calypso singers, fire dancers and limbo dancers.
If you have an additional day or two, which you surely will if you fly to Nassau rather than cruise, take in Ardastra Gardens, the glass-bottom boat tour and Coral World.
Ardastra Gardens is noteworthy for marching flamingos, which, at the command of ”Attention!” strut their stuff for guests. No kidding. When commanded to do so, they`ll even circle visitors who want to take a photograph.
No trip to Nassau is complete without an exploration of the crystal-clear, blue-green waters. If you`re not into snorkeling or scuba diving, at least take the glass-bottom boat tour.
The glass-bottom boat tour will take you through Nassau`s harbor. Along the shore you`ll see the mansions of the rich and ostentatious; through the glass you`ll see the tropical fish and plant life that make the Bahamas the Bahamas.
Coral World
For even more of a fish-eye view of things, visit Coral World, on a manmade island known as Salt Cay.
Allow about two hours to cover this low-key theme park, which includes a reef tank, stingray pool, shark tank, turtle pool and ”marine encounter pool,” where you are invited to fondle the starfish and other sea critters.
The highlight of the park is a 100-foot tall observation tower, which features an underwater observatory at its base.
