Independence Square
Independence Square
3
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Also called Brian Lara Promenade, this crowded area runs the width of the center of Port of Spain.
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3.0
176 reviews
Excellent
15
Very good
39
Average
70
Poor
36
Terrible
16
Hampshire123
Hampshire, England91 contributions
I visited Port of Spain without my family for a meeting. I found it quite an alien place. There is a big problem with crime at the moment - a kidnap victim was found in a field minus his head one day I was there. There is a daily body count relating to gun and gang crime on the island. The local paper offers a big listing of doberman, pitbull and rotweiller puppies.
Having said that, I did not feel too much under threat and wasn't approached every few minutes, as happens in some places. I only went out in the daytime. I wanted to get some photos of Independence Square but was not comfortable with getting my (small) digital camera out when it was busy. I went back at 8am and rattled off a few shots quickly - there's not a great deal to see!
The square is really a long rectangle with footpath and road each side and a long pedestrianised walkway in the middle. I believe this is the Brian Lara Promenade but I cannot see the great man walking down there very often. The paved middle bit has benches, tables with chess boards on the top and that is about it. At the docks end, nothing much happens - though I can recommend the souvenir shop at that end - begins with K, nice stock and helpful. There is also a pharmacy (watch your change) and a sort of bakery that looked quite good. You can get your bottled water there. (This end is just a short walk from the Crowne Plaza hotel so is quite useful - out of the hotel turn left and turn left at the 2nd traffic lights).
At the downtown end there is the KFC, which seems to be a big deal in Trinidad. There are some street traders - newpapers, T shirts, jewellery etc and some shopping malls but they cater for local trade. If you want a sequinned halter neck top or a manmade fibre sports clothing then this is just the place for you. There is a very friendly little area called Drag something which sells nice beads and interesting sandals. You can see the guys making them on the 2nd floor. It's supposed to be a rasta outfit but the lady selling beads has a Jesus poster up.
Personally, I wasn't enamoured of the area. There were lots of street people - apparently the government doesn't have any provision for them. This is an oil revenue country so I don't understand this. There were a fair few people with physical disabilities who didn't seem to have any proper health provision. Another group just wearing shorts - no shirts or shoes. One guy was filling an empty beer bottle from stagnant "water" in the gutter. There were quite a few guys smoking weed just yards from the elevated police pod (!) at the downtown end of the square. Some of them had obviously done this a great deal over the years. There were more people asleep on the street during the day than you would imagine. They don't find a sheltered bit away from pedestrian feet - they just bed down in the middle of the footpath and you have to walk in the gutter round them. This is quite upsetting - they were obviously in a very bad way and no-one seemed to give a fig about them.
The most amazing thing I saw though (remember the drinking water from the gutter and the people asleep on the pavement) - was that a reasonably dressed woman broke her stride, squatted down, picked up her long skirt and urinated in a shop doorway. It was a busy walkway and I caught the eye of a local young woman who was absolutely mortified!
I'm sorry if this causes offence but it seems some of Port of Spain's residents had gone a little further down the path of erosion of dignity and self respect and compassion than is good for the place. Be careful. Do not stay out after sunset. It seemed quite a unique place but not in an way that would make me want to return - but I am glad I went. Try Maracas bay - that is a real beach. The road through the mountains was beautiful. Don't hire a car though - hire a driver and get a commentary too.
Having said that, I did not feel too much under threat and wasn't approached every few minutes, as happens in some places. I only went out in the daytime. I wanted to get some photos of Independence Square but was not comfortable with getting my (small) digital camera out when it was busy. I went back at 8am and rattled off a few shots quickly - there's not a great deal to see!
The square is really a long rectangle with footpath and road each side and a long pedestrianised walkway in the middle. I believe this is the Brian Lara Promenade but I cannot see the great man walking down there very often. The paved middle bit has benches, tables with chess boards on the top and that is about it. At the docks end, nothing much happens - though I can recommend the souvenir shop at that end - begins with K, nice stock and helpful. There is also a pharmacy (watch your change) and a sort of bakery that looked quite good. You can get your bottled water there. (This end is just a short walk from the Crowne Plaza hotel so is quite useful - out of the hotel turn left and turn left at the 2nd traffic lights).
At the downtown end there is the KFC, which seems to be a big deal in Trinidad. There are some street traders - newpapers, T shirts, jewellery etc and some shopping malls but they cater for local trade. If you want a sequinned halter neck top or a manmade fibre sports clothing then this is just the place for you. There is a very friendly little area called Drag something which sells nice beads and interesting sandals. You can see the guys making them on the 2nd floor. It's supposed to be a rasta outfit but the lady selling beads has a Jesus poster up.
Personally, I wasn't enamoured of the area. There were lots of street people - apparently the government doesn't have any provision for them. This is an oil revenue country so I don't understand this. There were a fair few people with physical disabilities who didn't seem to have any proper health provision. Another group just wearing shorts - no shirts or shoes. One guy was filling an empty beer bottle from stagnant "water" in the gutter. There were quite a few guys smoking weed just yards from the elevated police pod (!) at the downtown end of the square. Some of them had obviously done this a great deal over the years. There were more people asleep on the street during the day than you would imagine. They don't find a sheltered bit away from pedestrian feet - they just bed down in the middle of the footpath and you have to walk in the gutter round them. This is quite upsetting - they were obviously in a very bad way and no-one seemed to give a fig about them.
The most amazing thing I saw though (remember the drinking water from the gutter and the people asleep on the pavement) - was that a reasonably dressed woman broke her stride, squatted down, picked up her long skirt and urinated in a shop doorway. It was a busy walkway and I caught the eye of a local young woman who was absolutely mortified!
I'm sorry if this causes offence but it seems some of Port of Spain's residents had gone a little further down the path of erosion of dignity and self respect and compassion than is good for the place. Be careful. Do not stay out after sunset. It seemed quite a unique place but not in an way that would make me want to return - but I am glad I went. Try Maracas bay - that is a real beach. The road through the mountains was beautiful. Don't hire a car though - hire a driver and get a commentary too.
Written 28 September 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
j2z2ec
Sarasota, FL90 contributions
We went against all suggestions from Locals, Hotel and Police and went walking around during the day to get some sights and shopping in. When we went a HUGE cruise ship was in so the place was crawling with people, including police but we were still followed by a pick pocket in one of the shopping areas (although not a victim) and you could see tons of other just watching the tourists waiting to pounce (it was creepy). The recomendation from the police is do not carry any bags or wear and jewery they will snatch and grab in a heart beat. We kept our hands on our kids at ALL times even though they are 11 and 8. The police suggest to stay off the side streets however we did not (thats were the shops are). If the cruse ships has not been in we would not have braved it, There is nothing worth while to see unless you want lunch at the highest selling KFC in the world.
Written 6 January 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cante87
Albuquerque, NM236 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
Many reviews say not to come to this location as a tourist and even some locals I met advised me not to come here alone as it is not the best place for a single foreigner to be. I really think that Trinidadians are a little embarrassed about this couple of blocks. It reminds me of downtown Kingston around Coronation Market. My friends in Kingston absolutely refused to take me there and say they themselves don't like it.
For me, in the day time with a local friend, there was nothing particularly scary or unsettling about Independence Square. We just passed through on the way to the Maxi Taxi place or to get a car to some place else. As a tourist, I thought it was fun to see all the action and the different local places to drink and little stalls and shops to look at things. I jokingly told my friend we should get a beer at one of the places near the Square. He refused. That says a lot.
It's cool to see, but it's not really a great place to stop and eat or drink or sight see for a tourist or for many Trinis who see themselves as middle class or above.
For me, in the day time with a local friend, there was nothing particularly scary or unsettling about Independence Square. We just passed through on the way to the Maxi Taxi place or to get a car to some place else. As a tourist, I thought it was fun to see all the action and the different local places to drink and little stalls and shops to look at things. I jokingly told my friend we should get a beer at one of the places near the Square. He refused. That says a lot.
It's cool to see, but it's not really a great place to stop and eat or drink or sight see for a tourist or for many Trinis who see themselves as middle class or above.
Written 22 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mapsrfun
USA23 contributions
Jan 2015 • Business
Port of Spain downtown (inner city) shopping area. Visit in daylight only. Not for the naïve visitor. A rather sketchy area. Be sure you have smaller denominations of TTDs to pay for any purchases (skip using your credit card or other currency). Bakery had tasty baked goods, albeit there are vertical bars from the counter tops to the ceiling to prevent "customers" from accessing the employees or behind the counter areas. We passed our payment through the bars and in turn the baked goods were passed through the bars to us. Bakery cashier was in a locked booth behind the bars. Liquor "store" and it's cashier was located in a locked small cage area within a grocery store. Grocery store had a security person and sign instructing you to leave any bags at the entrance in a cubby with the security person. We did NOT leave our bags at the entrance and were not challenged to do so as we entered the store. Stopped in to a few other shops and booths to peruse items for sale. Many stands of fresh fruit for sale. We did NOT wear any jewelry (not even a watch) or carry a purse/backpack or a camera or carry anything in our pockets while in the area as advised by locals prior to this excursion. Only carried a small nondescript nylon shopping bag. We enjoyed watching a pre-carnival dance competition in the square. Music, sites and sounds abound here as with any large city shopping district. Encountered a few homeless and/or mentally ill people lying on the sidewalks as you often see in cities throughout the world. It is distressing and you feel helpless to assist these humans in need other than to hand them water and food. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the Caribbean and yet poverty and crime exist as in many other locations throughout the world.
Written 2 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GiorgioGermont
Wiesloch, Germany10 contributions
Aug 2012 • Business
Independence Square is not a welcoming place at all. The surrounding architecture is mostly extremely ugly, and the square does not seem well kept. There is simply nothing here that is really worth seeing or doing. It is easy for a foreign visitor to feel quite unsafe here; one will stand out from the crowd, and one does not have wait long to be asked for money etc. - given Trinidad's enormous crime problem, it's all to easy to imagine how things might then escalate. Not a good way for the country's capital to represent itself.
Written 19 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gyulfriend
Farnborough, UK11 contributions
Jan 2012 • Friends
Being a Trni to heart it felt good going back and driving around the Square. There;s the same amount of litter and people walking to and from like Oxford street in London but the atmosphere is great if u can just stand with a solo sweet drink in yuh hand and hot doubles in the other and reflect on how things havent changed much ... the beggars are still around, the vendors are still there on the pavements, the traffic is non-stop but the atmosphere man is great! And that's without a spliff!
Written 12 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The World is My Oyster
Orlando, FL21,671 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
I really expected way more then a bunch of American fast food restaurants all around. There is a few landmarks and ironical statues, but overall, I'm ok not walking around KFC, Churchs Chicken, and Burger King.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Juanita
82 contributions
Dec 2019
Wow, although this is the heart of the city and was once a beautiful site is now filled with homeless folks, drunks and loud cussing, filth and just plain noise smog that stinks. You should never go at night since its an unsafe part of the city that has little to see except street vendors all selling the same things.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GeneralShamu
New York City, NY1,174 contributions
Dec 2019
Do this as part of a general city tour. Nothing amazing about it, but why not see it while you are here. It's about the history behind it that matters anyways.
Written 29 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PHILLIP M
60 contributions
May 2019 • Family
This branch of KFC has the world record for the sale of fried chicken per year but that's it. The service is bad, the options are scarce, there is always a queque, the people that come in here are not the best behaved. Not a place to stick around for too long.
Written 16 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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