...and I will stop there with the rhyme; any further would certainly devolve into a work of pure fiction and/or fantasy.
Ruminations on a weekend in the land of Gaberdine and polo shirts; Nantucket, MA. We had never been there before. Very much Ralph Loren attire in every pastel and natural color imaginable. RL was, by the way, the ONLY retail chain we saw on the island. No tee-shirts with risque or foul language. No yoga pants, pajama bottoms or slippers. No baseball hats. No bare mid-riffs. No A&F. No one using the word “fuck” as part of every sentence (come to think of it, I never heard one profanity while there!) No MAGA anything (hat, shirt, sticker, etc.) Nary a tattoo, facial piercing or hair color other than blonde, off-blonde, dark blonde, chestnut, gray or white.
The girls all had that “Mariel Hemmingway” look about them; as if taking a pause from the Coco Chanel photo shoot. The boys, adorned in their smart, striped (RL) polo shirts and lacrosse finery (including sticks) looking like they just left the pitch and were heading for the shuttle to fathers yacht. The older folks were not there on their Social Security check or lottery winnings; they had accommodations for when they stepped off their Leer or left the yacht at the birth on the waterfront. We looked - rentals started at $14,000 a week and went into the millions for a “season”. Yes, friends, is where the old wealth goes to “summer”; the Hampton’s are just so overdone. Pretentious? Didn't feel it. No sense of ignorance or self-entitlement; everyone was... actually nice! Salutations were returned. Enjoyed some conversations here and there. Children were... well behaved. Civil. Respectful.
We rented a delightful BMW i3 EV and spent a day touring the island. I do recommend a day rental; we feel like we got the most out of the island over the course of 8 hours. 4 x 4's galore, but in all honesty, once you get off the roads, everything is sand for miles beyond; those made perfect sense. There are small villages here and there; each one comfortably saturated with visitors (this IS the height of the tourist season), but not obnoxiously so. No chotchkie or tee-shirt shops; just small village markets and bistros. Visited the famed Bartlett Farm (wonderful wines from Spain!). What was interesting was that even at the furthest reaches of the island, everyone walked everywhere, fully dressed to the “nines”. Even the toddlers, of which there were plenty! Pastel gaberdine / seersucker, summer dresses, polo shirts and shorts.
The food scene was marginal to exceptional. Moderately priced (the lower end) to mortgage payment. But when you realize that everything has to come in either by boat or air, that was understandable. On the marginal end, most of the “lower-end” restaurants were anchored to sports bars with muted TV monitors, each featured the finest of Sysco bladder food. The same menu items; “Boom-boom” this and “Chili-ding-dong” that. The same five desserts that every chain restaurant back home offers only at a price that pays the rent and transportation costs. We had one predictable dinner at such a venue. The rest were quite good! We started off our visit at “Back yard Barbecue” for a late lunch and were impressed. I had a smoked salmon BLT that was incredible, along with a bourbon peach and basil cocktail. The husband had a very decent hamburger. Both came with hand-cut fries.
Walking back to the inn the first evening, I was absolutely drawn into a gallery, Freedman's of Nantucket, specializing in hand-made time pieces. I'm a sucker for that stuff! Yes, I came home with a clock for our dining room...
Day two started with breakfast after we picked up the car. Wanting something more substantial that muffins and wraps, we ended up the airport restaurant, “Crosswinds”. SUPERB! Just a well prepared sit-down breakfast. Good call! Aside from the crews from the airlines (a lot of carriers fly into there!), the locals ate there; a very diverse crowd of patrons (black, Hispanic, etc.). It was about the only place that had real desserts, too! The remainder of the day, we noshed and picked, and concluded at “The Club Car” for a very light, late dinner of superb lobster corn chowder and salad (and cocktails!).
We people watched over the two nights we were there, most everyone spent the night either sipping on a fruit smoothie or enjoying a cup of ice cream while strolling the streets. There are several ice cream parlors in town. Sadly, we tried to go along – every ice cream shop had the same dozen Sysco ice cream flavors. All over-frozen and of a weird texture. We realized we are spoiled by our local Somerset Creamery near home.
Two nights was sufficient to see it all, experience it all. The accommodations, "Centerboard Inn" was exceptional with a very spacious and quiet room and a GLORIOUS shower; very close to town.Would we return? Probably not. There was no night life other than strolling. On that, the cobble stones of the main town were BRUTAL to walk on (especially after even ONE cocktail!), as were the brick sidewalks – lending to very SLOW strolls. It IS an island that encourages physical fitness. All of the main roads had dedicated, parallel, well used bike paths that would get you all around the island. e-Bikes a plenty! If I were (again) into cycling, pedaling would have been a great option. There are certainly no gay bars or night scene (though I did see one, young glam queen while getting to and from the inn). One or two old, gay couples throughout town (antique shops, go figure...), a lesbian couple waiting for the ferry home (one brought her fishing tackle!). All in all, it WAS relaxing.
Decompressing.
And felt like it was enough.
Sorry for my rants against Sysco; not a fan and I can spot their crap food a mile away. Too over-processed, over-salty food.
9 comments:
Such a wonderful place. I haven‘t been there since gas stations had to replace their pumps to accommodate prices over $1!
Always nice to see how the other half lives! Sounds like a very relaxing time.
Sounds like a good time.
I loved the travelogue, and I love a nice dirty limerick. I just love the whole coastline of the Northeast. It's amazing how much man took it reminds me of Provincetown. Looks like a lovely time. Have you and your partner ever done a whale watch up there? I've done three and have locked out every time with impressive whale breaches.
THAT long ago!?!
Not on purpose, but have seen whales during harbor cruises. At certain times of the year, you can even spot them from the tops of the cliffs off Marconi Beach.
In a blog with a ton of holier-than thou anti-MAGA, you really built this article on hypocrisy.
"No tee-shirts with risque or foul language. No yoga pants, pajama bottoms or slippers. No baseball hats. No bare mid-riffs. No A&F. No one using the word “fuck” as part of every sentence (come to think of it, I never heard one profanity while there!) No MAGA anything (hat, shirt, sticker, etc.) Nary a tattoo, facial piercing or hair color other than blonde, off-blonde, dark blonde, chestnut, gray or white. The girls all had that “Mariel Hemmingway” look about them; as if taking a pause from the Coco Chanel photo shoot. The boys, adorned in their smart, striped (RL) polo shirts and lacrosse finery (including sticks) looking like they just left the pitch and were heading for the shuttle to fathers yacht. The older folks were not there on their Social Security check or lottery winnings; they had accommodations for when they stepped off their Leer or left the yacht at the birth on the waterfront. We looked - rentals started at $14,000 a week and went into the millions for a “season”. Yes, friends, is where the old wealth goes to “summer”; the Hampton’s are just so overdone."
You spend most of your blog lambasting those who are anti-diversity and look down upon poor people, then write an entire article about your "we have wealth" mentality looking down upon people different than you.
Pretty damned shameful, honestly.
I have tattoos, don't like wearing polos, but am educated and professional. Looks like I wouldn't fit into your club.
Notwithstanding, THANK YOU for showing me where I WOULD NOT want to vacation. I CELEBRATE diversity, and people being unique and THEMSELVES. Who the hell wants to go somewhere that everyone looks the same? This is the 'we need more catholic school uniforms' mentality. "Get in line"
Glad you enjoyed your white-washed, elitist, gentrified vacation! Beyond shameful...
As I started off with; we had never been there before; had no idea what to expect. I went to observe and report. And that was also the point of most of the post. We did NOT see tattoos or piercings, or yoga pants, or outrageous tee-shirts, or pajama bottoms or slippers, or hear profanity like what we experience here or in NYC or P-Town or Atlanta or Tampa. My husband is black, I am white. For as "Stepford" as Nantucket seemed, we never felt put or looked down upon; everyone was genuinely accepting and quite pleasant.
We don't live in wealth. Just because we went there does not mean we are part of that society. I also do not own any polo shirts; Hawaiian, (plain) tee or sweat shirts for me. Come to think of it; didn't see any blue jeans, either! The men all wore either dress slacks or polo shorts.
We loved Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket was no where near as diverse as that island or experience. And we realize Nantucket is not a place we would return to, but, as the saying goes, been there, done that. Curiosity satiated.
Glad you're good with tats and loud tees. You do you. Huzzah.
It was, indeed, relaxing - but two nights was more than enough.
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