RandE

Jul 6, 20193 min read

Back in ACK

Busses, boats, beaches, bluffs, beers, barbecues, bikes, blue and more blue...we were back in Nantucket. After having visited Erik’s sister and her family a few years ago, we knew we wanted to have some time again in this idyllic place.

We left New York on a sizzler of a morning and boarded the Megabus to Boston. This was a step up after Bolivia Hop - well a half-step anyway. Erik’s niece and her recently-announced fiancé, had us to their place for a quick overnight that started with a few rounds of drinks in the Seaport District with views back at the Boston skyline, and some quick rolling fog. From there, we all headed back to the South End and rooftop time. A few laughs, a few more beers (+ champagne + red wine = hangover) and some pizza and we called it a night.

Back to South Station in the morning for another bus - this time the bus-to-boat trip to get to the Island of Nantucket. The bus was running late (apparently we should’ve booked with Peter Pan instead of P&B – rookie mistake) and we made the ferry with a few minutes to spare. The blue of Nantucket Sound stretched out before us as we sipped our first beer of the day and toasted celebrations and vacations with our own personal tour guides.

From the boats entering the island, you get a quintessential view of a New England harbor town: mist-colored shingles on waterside homes, an American-flag-clad lighthouse (where pennies are tossed and wishes made on departure), marina boats of all shapes and sizes and the blue, blue sky. E’s sister met us and we headed out through the pre-July-4 traffic to Sconset (actually Siasconset, we learn on this trip, but shortened by the locals).

First things first. We get some history of the surrounds. We set out on a Sconset walkabout with Rick - the friendly, local tour guide who’s been there as a year-rounder since 1971. He had all the dirt on this tiny town where NY’s acting community used to summer, Miles Davis and Muddy Waters played (according to Rick), and wealthy merchants came to holiday. It’s a quieter, simpler place these days but retains the beauty of the historic homes that were built throughout the last century. That’s one of the visual charms of this place – like the whites and blue of Mykonos in Greece, Nantucket homes must follow strict building codes to keep the island’s aesthetic in place. It can be a big headache for the locals – especially when renovating – but they seem to be fine with the price you have to pay for such a beautiful, peaceful part of the world.

Our remaining days were spent beaching, bluff-walking and biking, all at a comfortable and relaxing pace. The family all made the much-appreciated effort to be on island over the weekend with many more laughs, beers at Cisco Brewery, beautiful sunsets and some late-night-Spotify-DJ sessions where we belted out old tunes with our glasses of wine.

On one of our last nights, we drove out onto Nobadeer Beach for a sunset barbecue - award for the most stunning and tastiest burger joint on the island.

We left on 3 July as the remaining crowds were arriving to celebrate the 4th. After we said our goodbyes and boarded the ferry, E’s sister waved up from the dock below. "You forgot your pennies for your wish as you pass the lighthouse". One of our wishes on our visit in 2017 was to return . . . and so we did.