Port of Spain, on the northwest coast of Trinidad island, is the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago.
A bustling and friendly city, Port of Spain is a great place to spend a couple of days and is the hub for Trinidad's famous carnival. It has been the capital since 1757 and is the main administrative center, although not the largest town.

The main shopping area is between Frederick Street and Charlotte Street, running south to Independence Square (Brian Lara Promenade). As well as the bricks-and-mortar shops, there are numerous stalls on the street selling everything from fruit to CDs.

In the evening Independence Square is full of locals liming - hanging around, chatting to their friends and sampling food from the stalls scattered throughout. Wandering through here is a great way to get a feel for what Trinidad is about.

History

The Port of Spain was founded near the site of the Amerindian fishing village of Cumucurapo ("place of the silk cotton trees"), located in the area today known as Mucurapo, west of the city center. The name Conquerabia is also recorded for an Amerindian settlement in this area; this may have been a separate village, another name for Cumucurapo, or the result of miscomprehension by early Spanish settlers, who established a port here: "Puerto de los Hispanioles", later "Puerto de España". In 1560, a Spanish garrison was posted near the foot of the Laventille Hills, which today form the city's eastern boundary.

The part of today's downtown Port of Spain closest to the sea was once an area of tidal mudflats covered by mangroves. The first Spanish buildings here, in the 16th and 17th centuries, were open mud-plastered ajoupas, interspersed between large silk-cotton trees and other trees. The fort was a mud-walled enclosure with a shack inside, a flagpole, two or three cannon, and few Spanish soldiers. The Caribs were transient, traveling to the mainland (now Venezuela) and up the Orinoco River. The French naval commander Comte D'Estrées visited in 1680 and reported that there was no Port of Spain. But in 1690, Spanish governor Don Sebastien de Roteta reported in writing to the King of Spain: In 1699, the alcalde of Trinidad reported to the king that the natives "were in the habit of showering scorn and abuse upon the Holy Faith and ridiculed with jests the efforts of the Holy Fathers".

By 1757, the old capital, San José de Oruña (modern Saint Joseph), about 11 kilometers (7 mi) inland, had fallen into disrepair, and Governor Don Pedro de la Moneda transferred his seat to Port of Spain, which thus became Trinidad's de facto capital. The last Spanish Governor of Trinidad, Don José Maria Chacón, devoted much of his time to developing the new capital. He compelled the island's Cabildo (governing council) to move to Port of Spain, and he limited its powers to the municipality. The 1783 Cedula of Population, which encouraged the settlement of French Catholics in the island, led to a rapid increase in the town's population and its geographical extension westwards.

From the small cluster of buildings at the foot of the Laventille Hills, eleven streets were laid out west to the area bounded by the St. Ann's River, thus establishing the grid pattern which has survived in downtown Port of Spain to the present day. Along the seashore was the Plaza del Marina (Marine Square), a parade ground. By 1786, the town had a population of about 3,000.

Realizing that the St. Ann's River, prone to flooding, was impeding the expansion of the town, Chacón had its course diverted in 1787 so that it ran to the east of the city, along the foot of the Laventille Hills. (During the rainy season the river still had a tendency to overflow its banks, flooding parts of the city; over the decades its channel would be widened and paved. During the dry season the water level drops to a trickle; hence its nickname, the East Dry River.) Port of Spain was now able to continue spreading northwards and westwards, encroaching on the surrounding sugar-cane plantations.

In 1797, Trinidad was invaded by a British force under General Sir Ralph Abercromby. The British landed west of Port of Spain, at what is still called Invaders Bay, and marched towards the town. Realizing his military resources were inadequate to defend the colony and wishing to avoid unnecessary destruction, Governor Chacón capitulated and was able to negotiate generous terms with Abercromby. Port of Spain remained the capital; the new British colonial government renamed most of the streets after British royalty or military figures but allowed Chacón Street (which followed the old course of the St. Ann's River) to retain its name, in tribute to the former governor.

In 1803 Port of Spain began growing southwards, with the reclamation of the foreshore mudflats, using fill from the Laventille Hills. This began with the area immediately east of the diverted St. Ann's River; the district is still called Sea Lots today. Gradually the landfill crept west and the area south of Plaza del Marina became solid land. Further major reclamation efforts took place in the 1840s, the 1870s, and in 1906. In 1935 the Deep Water Harbour Scheme dredged the offshore area along Port of Spain's western neighborhoods, and the dredged material was used to fill in the area south of Woodbrook. Wrightson Road, linking downtown Port of Spain to its western suburbs, was constructed at the same time. These reclaimed lands were originally called Docksite, and were home to US forces during World War II; later a number of government buildings were constructed here.

Port of Spain continued to grow in size and importance during the 19th and early 20th centuries, peaking in size in the 1960s at about 100,000 people. Since then the population within the city limits has declined in size as the downtown area has become increasingly commercial and the suburbs in the valleys north, west, and north-east of the city have grown. Today Port of Spain is the western hub of a metropolitan area stretching from Carenage, 8 kilometers (5 mi) west of the city, to Arima, 24 kilometers (15 mi) east; this East-West Corridor runs along the southern edge of

Trinidad's Northern Range

.

From 1958 to 1962, Port of Spain was the temporary capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation, though there were plans to build a new federal capital at Chaguaramas, on land occupied by the US military base established during World War II. Federation Park, a residential neighborhood in western Port of Spain intended to house employees of the federal government, is a memorial to that time.

In July 1990, an extremist Muslim group held the prime minister and members of parliament hostage for 5 days while rioting and looting shook Port of Spain. The damage was a significant setback to the city's commercial district at a time of severe economic hardship, yet businesses returned. In 2005 there was an unprecedented series of small bombings in Port of Spain which caused injuries to bystanders. They ceased in October 2005 but the perpetrator has not been charged.

Geography

Port of Spain measures about 10.4 km2 (c. 4 sq. mi) in the area and is located in the northwest section of the island of Trinidad, between the Gulf of Paria, Northern Range and the Caroni Swamp.

The Northern Range is the range of tall, biodiverse hills across the northern portion of Trinidad and is considered an extension of the Andes mountains of South America, although that is geologically incorrect. Over 465 species of birds and 100 species of mammals can be found in these mountains, making it one of the most biodiverse mountain ranges in the Caribbean. The Northern Range runs from the Chaguaramas Peninsula in the west to

Toco

in the east and consists mainly of steeply dipping metasedimentary rocks and lush rainforest containing a wide variety of plants and animal species. Port of Spain lies at the western end and the city climbs into the hills and valleys which are settled and largely deforested. The two tallest peaks are El Cerro del Aripo and El Tucuche which top 900 m (3,000 ft).

The 3278-hectare protected Caroni Swamp has long formed a physical barrier to the city's expansion to the south, forcing urban growth relentlessly eastward at the expense of a traffic relieving ring road. This west coast mangrove area is the island's second largest wetland after the east coast Nariva Swamp which is almost twice as large. It has well over 160 species of birds, including the national bird, the scarlet ibis. It is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions with visitor facilities and regular guided boat tours.

Some of the city lies on land reclaimed from the Gulf of Paria, the calm sheltered bay separating Trinidad from Venezuela, while other parts climb into the hills above the city. Geographically, the Port of Port of Spain is ideal for maritime traffic, providing a natural harbor on Trinidad’s north-western coasts where adverse weather conditions are extremely rare. Unlike Chaguanas and San Fernando, Port of Spain has a cool climate due to elevation and the surrounding Northern Range mountains. In the high, misty valleys and mountains that surround the northern outskirts of the city, a temperature inversion is quite frequent and the mountains provide cooling relief from the sweltering heat below. Blue Basin falls, a popular attraction, is located north in Diego Martin. This is the closest waterfall and is invigorating and refreshing.

Climate

The city has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen Aw) climate characterized warm to hot temperatures year-round, with little seasonal variation due to its proximity to the equator, though nighttime temperatures dip somewhat during the winter months from January to March. Temperatures typically range from 19 to 34 °C, rarely above 35 or below 17. The wet season lasts from June to November, and the dry season lasts from December to May of the following year. Despite being in the dry season, December–February can get cold during the night hours.

Urban structure

Port of Spain's official population is relatively small and reflects the narrow city boundaries including the central business district and a number of economically depressed and a few upscale adjoining suburbs. In addition to the official population, the adjacent East-West corridor conurbation has a population close to 600,000 people and the "big city" feel with its suburban car dominated commuting. The corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, 24 kilometers (15 mi) east to Arima. It includes the towns of Barataria, San Juan, St. Joseph, Curepe, St. Augustine, Tunapuna, Tacarigua, Arouca, and Five Rivers, once distinct communities and now districts within a continuous urban area. For the most part, it runs along the Eastern Main Road, between the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and the foothills of the Northern Range.

Downtown

The oldest part of the city is the downtown area (colloquially referred to as "Town", and pronounced by Trinis similar to the word "tong"), between South Quay (to the south), Oxford Street (to the north), the St. Ann's River (to the east), and Richmond Street (to the west).

The heart of downtown is Woodford Square - formerly Brunswick Square (renamed in the 19th century for British Governor, Sir Ralph James Woodford). On its northern side are City Hall and the Hall of Justice, the seat of the Supreme Court; on its western side is the Red House, the seat of Parliament; the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral is on its south side, and on the block south-west of the square is the National Library. A number of government offices are located in the immediate vicinity, and the blocks north and west of the Red House are home to many lawyers' chambers. Another busy area in Port of Spain is Independence Square, located closer to the waterfront and to most of the high rise structures of the city.

Woodford Square itself is a green oasis in the heart of the city, with a late-Victorian fountain and bandstand, trees, benches, and lawns. It has famously been the site of many political rallies over the decades; former Prime Minister Eric Williams gave many public lectures here, dubbing it "the University of Woodford Square", and near the eastern gate is a spot which has become Port of Spain's Speakers' Corner.

A few blocks from Woodford Square is a historic building which was established in 1940 and is known as The Bruce Stephen's Trust. The building is located in close proximity to the Richmond Street Anglican School and has stood the test of time with respect to preserving the age and character of the building.

Two blocks south of Woodford Square is Independence Square (formerly Marine Square), which runs along the breadth of downtown Port of Spain from Wrightson Road to the west to the Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the east. The section of the square immediately behind the cathedral is called Columbus Square. Before extensive land reclamation in the early 19th century, the city's shoreline ran through Independence Square.

In the early 1990s, illegal vendors who had set up shop in the middle of the square were evicted and major repaving and landscaping was undertaken. The new pedestrian area in the middle of the square was named the Brian Lara Promenade in honor of Trinidad and Tobago's star cricket batsman. Where Independence Square is bisected by Frederick Street there is a roundabout with a statue of Captain A.A. Cipriani, the early 20th-century populist politician and mayor of the city. South of the square, Frederick Street widens and becomes Broadway, which terminates at the waterfront and the Port of Spain lighthouse, no longer used as a navigational aid but considered a major landmark. (For Trinidadians born and bred in Port of Spain or its northern and north-western suburbs, "past the lighthouse" — east of the lighthouse on the Beetham Highway — means outside the city proper.)

On the southern side of Independence Square are the twin towers of the Eric Williams Financial Complex (home of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance) and the Nicholas Tower, a commercial office building. Recently completed was the Richmond street Government Campus Plaza and the International Waterfront Centre Towers including the Hyatt Regency Hotel, with Towers C and D standing as the tallest buildings in Trinidad and Tobago and seventh and eighth tallest in the entire Caribbean region.

Frederick Street, which runs north through the city to the Queen's Park Savannah, is Port of Spain's major avenue, connecting the two downtown squares with the uptown park, and very approximately dividing downtown into retail (east) and office (west) districts. One block east, lower Henry Street is the location of a number of shops selling cloth, mostly owned by members of Trinidad's Syrian-Lebanese community. Another block over, Charlotte Street at its lower end is Port of Spain's Chinatown in all but name, home to dozens of general emporia known for bargain shopping.

Laventille

East of the St. Ann's River, more commonly known as the East Dry River, is the working-class neighborhood of Laventille. For visitors entering Port of Spain from the airport, this neighborhood dominates the city as it spreads over the surrounding hills. The area is unfortunately portrayed as one of the most violent in the country due to drug, gun and turf wars among gangs (financed arguably by illicit drug wealth which does not remain in the community), but it is also the birthplace of the steelpan and, some would argue, the spiritual capital of the city since calypso. Steelpan and carnival are the life source of many Trinidadians who live in the capital. South of Laventille are Beetham Estate and Sea Lots, two other economically depressed neighborhoods.

Belmont

In north-east Port of Spain, Belmont, at the foot of the Laventille Hills, was the city's first suburb. In the 1840s–50s, parts of the area were settled by Africans rescued by the Royal Navy from illegal slaving ships. In the 1880–90s, the population swelled rapidly, and the characteristic Belmont street pattern of narrow, winding lanes developed. The black professional class built large homes in Belmont, as they were excluded from the more expensive neighborhoods such as St. Clair and Maraval; Belmont became known as "the Black St. Clair". Many of these large homes have been renovated and converted to business use, but some remain in family hands. Belmont currently is a lower-middle to a middle-class residential neighborhood. It was the birthplace and early home of many important Carnival designers and bandleaders. Belmont has 9.035 inhabitants.

Cemeteries located in Belmont

Although taxi drivers who ply the Belmont route speak of the number of cemeteries which are located in the area, the website "Burial Grounds, Cemeteries & Cremation sites in Trinidad" lists one cemetery with an address which is located in Belmont, under the heading of Port of Spain. The cemetery which is being referred to is "St. Margaret of Antioch Anglican Church Cemetery, St. Margaret’s Lane, Belmont". Although the address of the cemetery is listed as St. Margaret's Lane, the church and cemetery are also accessed from the Belmont Circular Road, Belmont as the property is situated on a corner.

Noteworthy Buildings - Homes, Churches & Educational Institutions- Primary, Secondary, Tertiary

One of the more recent renovations in Belmont which was done with a view to preserve the historic character of the building is Myler House. The image in the attached link is that of Myler House. This house is located on Myler Street and Belmont Circular Road, Belmont. According to "Let me tell you about My Island site, "the first President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was born on Myler Street".

Other buildings which are either historic due to the age of the existing building or the principle on which the property was established to be used are as follows: ~St Jude's Home for Girls located on the Belmont Circular Road. This Home was established in 1923 according to the image which is located on the website. ~The St. Dominic's Home located on the Belmont Circular Road in close proximity to the St. Jude's Home. The Home has been located in the St. Dominic's Compound and has been in existence for approximately one hundred and forty-five (145) years. ~L'Hospice - This Home for the aged is located in close proximity to Charlotte and Park Streets. The Home has been in existence for approximately one hundred and fifty-nine (159) years. For many persons, the L'Hospice is known for being dedicated to two (2) of the causes of St. Anthony of Padua, which are housing the sick and the elderly and feeding the poor. A chapel which is open to the public is attached to the property.

Belmont is famous for having one of the few churches in the island which is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. This church is located on the Belmont Circular Road and is approximately one hundred and fourteen (114) years old.

North of downtown

North of downtown, the area occupied in the earlier 19th century by the Tranquillity sugar estate was formerly residential, but in recent decades has become essentially a district of office buildings, functioning as an extension of the downtown area. Oddly, this part of Port of Spain — between Oxford Street and the Queen's Park Savannah — has no name in common usage, though a century ago it was known as Tranquillity. Port of Spain General Hospital is on upper Charlotte Street, as is the Memorial Park, while nearby on Frederick Street is the National Museum and Art Gallery. West of here is Newtown, laid out in the 1840s, bounded by Tragarete Road (south), the Queen's Park Savannah (north), Cipriani Boulevard (east), and Maraval Road (west).

Buildings and Places of Interest

For many years, the Government Printery Services was located at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Tragarete Road until it was demolished between 2013 and 2015. According to information which was provided at the "Feature Address for the Commissioning Ceremony of the new Government Printery Building, "In 1881, it moved from Mr. Clarke’s residence on Chacon Street to a new office in what was then known as the Tranquility District. That office, which was built especially for the Government Printery, was its home for one hundred and thirty-three (133) years."

~ The Lapeyrouse Cemetery is located along Tragarete Road and stretches from Philip Street to the corner opposite to Cipriani Boulevard. While the cemetery is not considered to be within the "Tranquility area", due to its proximity to this area, it is located on the opposite side of the Tragarete Road which is included in the Tranquility area, it is mentioned in this section of the piece. This cemetery serves as a melting pot of the people of Trinidad and Tobago as described in the following extract from The Caribbean History Archives by Gerard Besson of Paria Publishing Company Limited, "There are rows of graves with Chinese inscriptions, as well as small mansions for the French aristocratic dead. Elegant monuments commemorate the more conservative British, and imposing rotundas and tall obelisks eminent free masons of a previous century."

Woodbrook

The large Woodbrook neighborhood, west of downtown, formerly a sugar estate owned by the Siegert family, was sold to the Town Board in 1911 and developed into a residential neighborhood, with many of the north-south streets named for the Siegert siblings, some of whom were Carlos, Luis, and Alfredo.

In the last twenty years the main east-west thoroughfares, Ariapita Avenue and Tragarete Road, have become almost entirely commercialized, and Ariapita Avenue west of Murray Street has become a relatively upscale dining and entertainment "strip". A few small parks are sprinkled through the neighborhood; Adam Smith Square and Siegert Square are the two largest. The Woodbrook Community Association held a series of events in August 2011 to celebrate its 100th Year Anniversary.

Just north of Woodbrook along Tragarete Road is the Queen's Park Oval, a major Test cricket ground, which is owned by the private Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC). At Woodbrook's western end, at the edge of Invaders Bay, is the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the national venue for football and track and field events.

St. Clair

The upscale St. Clair neighborhood in north-west Port of Spain, between the Queen's Park Savannah and the Maraval River, was developed in the 1880s, 1890s, and 1900s on former agricultural land. It is the location of some of the city's grandest mansions. At its heart, just north of the Queen's Park Oval, is Nelson Mandela Park. In recent decades St. Clair has become home to various diplomatic missions.

Just northwest of St. Clair is two upscale residential neighborhoods, Ellerslie Park and Federation Park. Duncie Park is located 200 meters west of St Clair.

St. James and Mucurapo

Port of Spain's last major municipal expansion occurred in 1938 when the St. James district north of Woodbrook and west of St. Clair was incorporated into the city limits. In the late 19th century, Indian indentured laborers on nearby sugar estates established houses here, and St. James gradually became the center of Port of Spain's Indian population, with many streets named after cities and districts in India. Western Main Road, the area's major thoroughfare, has long been the city's main nightlife district, sometimes nicknamed "the city that never sleeps".

Long Circular Road, which curves north from Western Main Road then east to meet Maraval Road, forms part of the city boundary. Its "circle" encloses Flagstaff Hill, a small rise with the US ambassador's residence at its summit, which lends its name to an area of apartment buildings at its southern foot.

South of St. James and near the seashore at Invaders Bay is Mucurapo, a mostly residential district which also contains the city's second-largest cemetery.

V.S. Naipaul, a winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, grew up in St. James.

Singer, songwriter, and actress Nicki Minaj was born in St. James and lived there until emigrating to the United States.

Queen's Park Savannah

Port of Spain's largest open space — and the world's largest traffic roundabout — is the Queen's Park Savannah, known colloquially simply as "the Savannah". It occupies about 110 hectares (260 acres) of level land, and the distance around the perimeter is about 3.5 km (2.2 mi). Once sugar land, it was bought by the town council in 1817 from the Peschier family (except for a small parcel near its center that served as the Peschier cemetery, which remains in private hands).

At first, it was used as a vast cattle pasture in what was then the town's suburbs, but by the middle of the 19th century, it had become established as a park. Until the early 1990s, horse racing was held frequently at the Savannah race track, and it also contains several cricket, football and rugby pitches. Apart from a ring of trees around its perimeter, the Savannah was never really landscaped, except for the small area in its northwest corner called the Hollows, a former reservoir now drained and planted with flowering shrubs.

Immediately north of the Savannah — also the northern limit of the city of Port of Spain — are the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Emperor Valley Zoo, President's House (recently abandoned after one end fell down), the official residence of the prime minister, and Queen's Hall, the city's major performing arts venue. Lady Chancellor Road, which ascends the hills overlooking the Savannah, is one of Port of Spain's most exclusive residential areas and is the current home of former West Indies cricketer and record-breaking batsman, Brian Lara.

On the Savannah's southern side is the Grand Stand, formerly used for viewing horse races, now used for various cultural events, most notably Carnival, when a temporary North Stand and raised stage are constructed in front of the Grand Stand, creating the "Big Yard", Carnival's central location since the early 20th century (previously, the main viewing area for Carnival was in downtown Port of Spain). From this location the Parade of Bands is broadcast live to the nation on Carnival Monday and Tuesday; it is also the venue for the Calypso Monarch and Carnival King and Queen Competitions and the finals of the Panorama steelpan competition. The architecturally soothing arches and curves of the Port of Spain National Academy for the Performing Arts (see picture and caption) dominate the south boundary of the Savannah between the green trimmed landmarks of Memorial Park (in remembrance of fallen soldiers during World Wars I and II) and the gingerbread styled, limestone built, colorful splendor of the Knowsley Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building.

The western edge of the Savannah, along Maraval Road, is the location of the Magnificent Seven, a group of late Victorian and Edwardian buildings built in an eccentric and flamboyant variety of styles. These are the recently well restored Queen's Royal College; the residences of the Anglican bishop and the Roman Catholic archbishop; Whitehall, once a private residence, then the office of the prime minister from 1963 to 2010 ; Mille Fleurs, once a private residence, is undergoing full restoration as a public museum and headquarters for the National Heritage Trust and was sold to the Government in 1979; Roomor, an ornate black-and-white château-like building that remains a private residence; and Stollmeyer's Castle, a turreted house supposedly modeled on Balmoral Castle. The slow pace of building restorations over the years remains a concern.

Suburbs

Immediately north and northwest of Port of Spain lie the suburbs of Cascade, St. Ann's, Maraval and Diego Martin. The last two districts fall outside the municipal boundary but are sometimes considered extensions of the city. St. Ann's is notable for being the location of the Prime Minister's official residence and diplomatic center. Cascade, a mainly suburban area with treed lot type housing is located to the south-eastern area of St. Ann's. Cascade borders St. Ann's by a hill named Mount Hololo, a neighborhood of both the middle class and exclusive housing developments.

Maraval is home to the exclusive Trinidad Country Club and right next door to the popular Long Circular Mall. Further afield, west of Diego Martin lies the suburb of Westmoorings, which is known for its expensive Miami style highrise apartments facing the seafront. One of Trinidad's poshest shopping centers, The Falls at West-Mall, lies at the center of these developments. As you head west beyond Carenage settlement is sparse, however, the peninsula known as Chaguaramas, which was once a large US Army Base, has become a mecca for hundreds of international cruisers and a world major yacht storage and repair hub.

To the east along the east-west corridor, also falling outside city limits, lie the large towns of San Juan, Tunapuna and Arima. With congestion rendering downtown inaccessible during peak hours, major shopping centers like Valsayn Shopping Centre, Grand Bazaar and Trincity Mall have sprung up at highway intersections. The last two are noted for being among the largest shopping centers in the country and in the Caribbean, with 60,000 square meters (600,000 sq ft) of commercial space in each. Two large Universities have been established in the eastern section of the E-W corridor – the regional University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus and the multi-campus local University of Trinidad and Tobago whose main campus is on the Arima outskirts.

Culture and entertainment

Trinidad has a rich tapestry of cultures which create occasions for celebrations beyond many's expectations for a small Caribbean island; thus there is much to see and do after work hours in Port of Spain, even long after the annual Carnival celebration. While the popularity of the major shopping area around Frederick Street as a nightspot center has remained steady or declined, expansion of entertainment venues into the malls and outlying towns has occurred. St. James, 'uptown' Port of Spain (St. Clair and Woodbrook) have seen a boom in nightclubs, sports bars, and fine dining restaurants as workers from Government offices and large corporations disgorge on evenings from high-rise headquarters built in newly commercialized formerly upscale neighborhoods.

Sports

Port of Spain hosts major sporting venues including the Queen's Park Oval, Hasely Crawford Stadium, the Jean Pierre Complex and various sporting fields on the Queen's Park Savannah. Port of Spain was among the host cities of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The city hosted the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championship and the finals of the 2001 Fifa Under 17 World Cup.

Green Spaces - Squares & Places

There are a number of well placed green spaces which have been preserved in Port of Spain. Many of them are referred to as squares or parks. Some of the more famous squares are as follows:

Lord Harris Square which is located between Pembroke, New and Abercromby Sts. was "established in the early 1900s, (and) is named as a tribute to Lord Harris, governor of Trinidad between 1846 and 1854".

Woodford Square is located between Frederick, Abercromby and Hart Sts. It's bounded by the Old National Library, The Red House and the Trinity Cathedral. Woodford Square is sometimes referred to as the University of Woodford Sq because of its occasional use by soapbox speakers and gospel preachers, this is the symbolic center of downtown. Dr. Eric Williams, Trinidad and Tobago’s first prime minister, lectured to the masses here about the importance of sovereignty, which later led to the country’s independence from Britain.

Woodford Square was formerly known as Brunswick Square". However prior to 1808, "Woodford Square was first known as the Place of Souls by the native Indians who fought a bloody battle on this open space..... With the coming of the French settlers to the island, they called the Place of souls – Place Des Ames. Place Des Ames means Place of souls. Place Des Ames later became known as Brunswick Square. Brunswick Square was used as a parade ground for soldiers. Many of these soldiers were Germans. Brunswick is a German name, and so it is believed that this open space was named after the German soldiers who used it.
Marine Square, while not a designated green space serves as a meeting place for many visitors coming into Port of Spain. Plaza De La Marina was the name given to the area extending from the Wharf in the west to the Roman Catholic Cathedral to the east. When the British came in 1797 the name was changed to Marine Square. In the 1880s a fountain was erected in the middle of the square. 1962: Marine Square becomes Independence Square. In the 1980s this area was the site of the statue of Captain Arthur Andrew Cipriani (1875-1945), one of Trinidad and Tobago's celebrated political leaders and sportsmen......The area was then renamed the Brian Lara Promenade in honor of Trinidad and Tobago's most celebrated cricketer and record-breaking batsman, Brian Charles Lara (1974-). The Promenade was completed in three phases and finally opened in August 1995.

A little more of the history on Marine Square is revealed in the following extract "the square was the early home of the Syrian/ Lebanese communities when they started to arrive in Trinidad during the early 20th century. They were fleeing from the harsh religious and political persecution of the Turks who had conquered their lands. The original number of these immigrants was small but it grew larger when a confrontation erupted between a Muslim religious sect and the Christian Maronites.

Annette Rahael, a third generation Syrian living in Trinidad explained, when the early settlers arrived and saw the cathedral on Marine Square they immediately claimed it as the House of God and adopted Catholicism as their religious affiliation, since there were no churches in Trinidad celebrating the liturgy of the Antiochan Orthodox religion which they had practiced in their country.

Tamarind Square - This square is located between Nelson and George Sts. It is located in close proximity to one of the local banks which was established in Trinidad and Tobago, "Workers Bank". This bank merged with the Trinidad Cooperative Bank and the National Commercial Bank to form First Citizens' Bank.

Victoria Square is located on Duke St. West, Park St, and has been categorized as a Park located in Woodbrook according to WOW City. However, because of its location on Duke St. West which starts on Wrightson Road and ends on Charlotte St, it is included here.

Kew Place is one of the smallest "squares" in Port of Spain. "Kew Place has a length of 0.12 kilometers" and is large enough to hold a statue of Gandhi. It is located just opposite the main entrance to Lapeyrouse Cemetery on Philip Street and is within walking distance of Victoria Square.

Arts, entertainment, and nightlife

Nightlife and restaurants

Port of Spain offers a range of nightclubs and entertainment complexes; a few of the best and most expensive ones arguably being Zen, 51 degrees, Coco Lounge, El Morocco and Shakers; however, the list changes frequently as partygoers' tastes change. International and regional performers such as Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Rihanna, Cascada, Akon, Usher, Maroon 5, Kumar Sanu and natively born Trinidadian International Super Star Nicki Minaj to name a very few, have visited Port of Spain.

A great variety of restaurants including Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, Thai, Venezuelan-Panyol, French, Japanese, Chinese, Creole, American and Indian can be found in Port of Spain with many concentrated on Ariapita Avenue, a popular entertainment strip, which also includes a Jazz Lounge and a Wine Tasting restaurant. MovieTowne's Fiesta Plaza, a tribute to Bourbon Street New Orleans, on the city's foreshore, features many new restaurants, open-air dining and a bandstand with live entertainment. Port of Spain's award-winning restaurants provides a wide range of local and international cuisines, accompanied by the traditional fast food chains. Many of the city's restaurants can be sampled at the Taste T&T Food Festival hosted at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex annually in May.

Arts

Port of Spain is also a cultural hub for the country. Regular dance and theatre productions occur at:

• The Little Carib at the corner of Robert and White Street which has provided a cultural center for Woodbrook for the past fifty years. It is one of the oldest theatres in the country, established by local dance legend, Beryl McBurnie, in 1947.
• Queen's Hall was built in 1959 through the efforts of the music community led by Mrs. May Johnstone, a music teacher and partially funded by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago. It is designed as a multi-purpose facility to accommodate theatrical presentations and various community activities including sport and has seating for 782. The Hall is located on 1.4 hectares (3 1⁄2 acres) of land in St. Ann's. Its eminent neighbors are the President's House on one side and the Prime Minister's residence on the other.
• The Central Bank Auditorium at the Eric Williams Plaza constructed in 1986 stands as one of the finest facilities of its type in the country. The facility was constructed not only to serve the Bank's needs but also as a civic contribution aimed at enhancing the performing arts in Trinidad and Tobago. The Auditorium is located at the South-East corner of the Central Bank building. It has a seating capacity for 400 and provides computerized lighting and sound controls. The Auditorium also boasts of an infra-red listening system designed to facilitate the hearing impaired.
• The Port of Spain National Academy for the Performing Arts (see picture and caption) is the city's newest Arts center and is meant to be the home for the development of talent in the performing arts, with a particular focus on Trinidad and Tobago's national instrument, the steel pan. The architectural design is reminiscent of the national flower the Chaconia. At its highest point, the grand, modern building rises up to 100 feet (30 m) enhancing the state-of-the-art acoustics and offering an inspirational setting for the enjoyment and training of the performance arts. A performance and teaching academy, the Port of Spain National Academy for the Performing Arts features an array of open vistas for the enjoyment of the performance arts as well as contemporary classrooms, teaching halls and other practice spaces for the cultivation of future performance artists. The 39,864.0-square-metre (429,093 sq ft) facility features a 1500-seat acoustically designed performance hall and a hotel for visiting performers. The performance center was completed in November 2009 and hosted Queen Elizabeth II and other leaders of the Commonwealth for the opening of the Commonwealth meeting in Port of Spain.
• The proposed National Carnival and Entertainment Centre which is a state-of-the-art, locally designed 15–18,000-seat cultural center to be built in the Queen's Park Savannah, the setting for the array of celebrations that are the highlights of the city's diverse national cultural calendar.

Port of Spain is the center of one of the largest Carnivals in the world, with tens of thousands participating in the pre-Lenten street party.

One of Port of Spain's most prominent artisans is Peter Minshall, who creates 'mas' or masquerade costumes for Trinidad's annual carnival. Internationally, he helped design the opening awards ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1994 Football World Cup and the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Museums

The National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago is the country’s most important museum. It displays depictions of national festivals, Carnival, life during the World War II and artifacts from the country’s earliest settlers, the Amerindians. There are also displays by leading local and international artists. The museum was established in 1892 and was originally called the Royal Victoria Institute, as it was built as part of the preparation for Queen Victoria’s jubilee. The National Museum has two smaller branch museums; Fort San Andres which is located on South Quay, opposite City Gate and The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Museum which is located at the Old Police Headquarters on St. Vincent Street.