Everyone talks about the ‘good old days’ when times were simpler. Take a look at this map from yesteryear – do you remember some of the businesses mentioned that no longer exist?
Artist map of Grand Cayman (1990s)
Wow. When I saw this map posted on Facebook by Jeremy A. Powery, the first thing I remembered was being in the dentist chair at the late Dr. David Godfrey’s office on Crewe Road.
He was a wonderful dentist and I was a terrible patient, which is why I appreciated that he had the full-sized version of this map on the ceiling. While he tried to sort my damaged teeth, I was distracted by looking for places I knew on it.
I’m actually pretty sure I still have a copy somewhere in my house, and I don’t think I appreciated until now what a time capsule it is of businesses that were around about 30 years ago.
To pore over it is to indulge in a bit of a treasure hunt. Speaking of treasure, look at the hot air balloon branded with Ramada Treasure Island. There is also a Treasure Island Divers boat running a parasailing operation in the water along Seven Mile Beach in the lower third of the map. For those who don’t know, Treasure Island was where Margaritaville Resort was recently located. The former hotel and its dive operation are definitely names from the past.
Next thing I spotted was Coconut Car Rental – which used to have an office off West Bay Road – and the Jolly Roger pirate ship that was running booze cruises until it sadly packed up its sails about five years ago.
I found a sign for Barclays Bank… remember Barclays? And Hobbies & Books, which was one of our top stores on the island for gifts, games, puzzles, and – as the name implies – books. It was in George Town for years, and Grand Harbour. Always loved that shop.
Beyond finding businesses that have disappeared since this map was created, it’s also interesting to see just how many have stayed afloat, with many of them thriving. Seven Mile Shops, Pizza Hut, Sunset House, Kirk Freeport, Bank of Butterfield, Subway, Foster’s… and hey, Z99.9FM! Gotta give a shout out to our radio station, still going strong.
I don’t know the name of the artist who created this, do you? Would be great to find out. Also, please note that it was clearly not done to scale, nor are some businesses located on the map where they were in real life. Still, it’s terrific fun to take a close look. A sort of Grand Cayman ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Just make sure you get your magnifying glass out.
If you have some old photos that you’d like to submit, we’d love to see them to consider them for publication. Be sure to include the credit for the image and any information you have about it. Email to [email protected].
Related Videos
