Nantucket.

June 21, 2011.

Which way to the ACK?

We are going to Nantucket!!  Yay!

Last time we rode over to Nantucket we took the Hy-line Traditional Ferry.  The ticket price was around $45 included an island tour.  The tour was on a smaller tour bus with a great guide.  It went all over the island, showing lighthouses, historical landmarks, and the ever-exclusive Nantucket Golf Club (the one that wouldn't let Bill Clinton (President at the time) play during his vacation to the island because he wasn't a member...).  I would definitely recommend this tour to any first-time island visitor.  The tour doesn't allow fur-babies, unless of course you have a super cute couple of pugs and let the pooches do the talkin'.  ;)  We had our dogs with us and our tour guide was great about it.  She asked if there was anyone on the tour bus that had a dog allergy or had an objection (who could object to two pugs??), so off we were on the tour.

This time we didn't need the tour, our purpose was to see the town on Nantucket via foot/stroller, so we chose Steamship Authority instead.  Steamship has a great website for those of you that are pre-planners.  It also has a wonderful app for the IPhone that I downloaded.  It gives real-time schedules and ocean status (who wants to ride for a hour on 8 foot seas???).  Their traditional service (2 hours and 15 minutes) ticket was $35 round trip/per person.  The high-speed service (1 hour) was $70 round trip/per person. 

This morning we got up early (6:30) and made sure everyone had a lovely breakfast and was ready to get out the door by 8.  I looked up the drive from Provincetown to Hyannis and all I could find was 30-45 minutes, so I figured if we left by 8, then we would make it to the Steamship Authority dock in plenty of time to park, get the babe ready and make it on the ship with the dogs before the ship set sail at 9:15.  An ambitious goal, I know. 

Everything is going according to plan, we are driving along Rt. 6 towards Hyannis, and I happen to plug in the route for the GPS unit (we usually don't need it when driving the Cape) just to see what time exactly we should be arriving.  Well, once I did this, the GPS said we weren't arriving until 9:19...4 minutes AFTER the ship sets sail!

I whipped out the IPhone and used the cool little Steamship Authority App that shows the schedule for both the slower ship and the speed ship.  There was a speed ship leaving at 11.  Worst case scenario, we wouldn't be without our Nantucket; we could just take the 11am speed ship over instead.

Well sure enough, we arrived at 9:17...and watched the slow ship sail out of the harbor.  No biggie. 

We zipped over to Hyannis Main St.  and browsed the gorgeous little shops while we waited on the time to pass.  If you aren't able to make it to either island, then this is the place to check out Vineyard Vines.  It is a great "islands wear" clothing shop started by two very industrious young men.  The first shop opened on the island from which the guys crafted the company name- Martha's Vineyard, followed shortly by the Hyannis and Nantucket shops.  They carry a variety of polos, chinos, children's clothes, and my personal favorites: uber cool flip-flops, tote bags and belts! :) They even have a collegiate line (TN fans, it is listed as "Tennessee University" if you are looking for the UT tote) that definitely takes me back to my college days. :)

Cobble stone streets- Main St. and Straight Wharf.

After milling around town we headed back over to the Steamship Authority dock to purchase our tickets and park.  We found out the lot right beside the dock is for Seasonal Passes (not us), so we had to drive a couple blocks down the road and park there ($15).  I did notice there was a lot directly across the street from the dock where a gentleman was selling spaces for $10 (not affiliated with the Steamship Authority).  I would recommend parking in this lot next time.  The gentleman was very nice, friendly, and accommodating and his lot was sold out by the time we drove by to chat with him, otherwise we would have parked there!

After parking and walking the short little 5 minute walk back to the dock, we boarded the speed ship.  Dogs are only allowed to sit in a certain part of the boat (front facing) and there were several other dogs that has beaten us to the table seats, so we sat in a row facing everyone else.  Yep, us, the babe, and two Pugs on display for everyone's free entertainment. I wasn't sure how I felt about sitting there for everyone to see, however, upon further thought, it was actually "the best seat in the house" for us.  There was plenty of aisle room for the stroller.  The dogs could lay down underneath us and rest.  I could zip up the steps to the observation deck to catch some shots of the lighthouses and harbors as we entered and left.  Plus, we could eat our lunch while riding and play front-facing with Isabella.  It was also right beside the entrance/exit doors, so we were some of the first folks to head off the boat.

I should also take a moment to make note to those traveling with little tots- the speed ship is the way to go.  It is only an hour of riding.  It goes at speeds in excess of 40 mph, so you arrive quickly and children don't have time to get bored, as opposed to riding on the traditional ship at 2 hours and 15 minutes (one way trip). In comparison, I would have to say that Steamship Authority vessels are a bit nicer than the Hy-line ferries.  But, it is worth noting that Steamship Authority also sanctions an island tour (for approximately $15/ per person).  I haven't had the pleasure of taking the tour that Steamship Authority endorses, so I can't vouch for the content, but I would propose there isn't much of a difference between guides, sites, and personalities.

typical Nantucket transportation.

The ride over to the island was very calm, nice seas, which both Matt and I were VERY thankful for.  We disembarked the ship at Broad St.  We spent the next few hours browsing the streets and really taking in the Nantucket Island architecture.

While we were walking the town, I stopped in Nantucket Bookworks, a local independent bookseller, located at 25 Broad Street.  It is a quaint little bookstore, and I guarantee they know their clientele by name (I can confidently vouch for this, as I heard them greeting three different guests by name while I browsed the children's books!).  I purchased "Jenny's Pennies: a Nantucket Tradition" by Peter Saverine for Isabella's collection.  Typically she gets a book (usually specific to the location) any time we travel, so she is accumulating a nice little children's library.  I will post a little book review about the book later on, so check back.

quite possibly the coolest library.

I also discovered an author- Elin Hilderbrand- that writes (I believe them to be of the "beach read" variety) novels with a Nantucket backdrop.  I am going to pick up one and read it this summer, when I have a little free time.  I will be sure to blog about it and let you know whether or not it is a worthy read!

Post Office is located beside St. Mary's Our Lady of the Isle- est. 1896.

While we were browsing the town, I picked up a few postcards to send out to various family members, and one for Isabella.  The tradition goes as follows:  every time we are on vacation we grab a postcard of the location- write about our day, what we are doing, etc- then mail it to Isabella at home.  We try to get a postcard that has something to do particularly with the location, what we are doing or something we would like for her to remember later on in life.  This way, she can look back at all the places she has visited since she was a baby, and it is a great way to relive our vacation when we get home :)  I thought it would be fun to have a Nantucket postcard (Brant Point Light was our choice) mailed from the Nantucket island post office!

Wave Glass from a local antique shop

While we were walking out to Brant Point Light, we stumbled upon the most interesting little street, full of eclectic little shops.  This is what I love about the Island Life.  The houses, both rental and owned, were typical New England Cape/Island homes with immaculate lawns, gorgeous age-old roses, white picket fences- classic. Classic. Classic.  There were only a handful of homes for sale and many were in the summer opening phase.  They were having roofs updated, additions added on, typical natural wood shingles replaced.  I love the smell of new construction, mixed with the salty sea air.  It is so refreshing and rejuvenating.  Visually, looking at a house with the bright, crisp new shingles, it is so Cape Cod and beautiful.

Brant Point Light Nantucket Harbor, MA

Brant Point light is only 4 or 5 blocks from downtown Nantucket, so at most it is probably a 15 minute walk.  It is worth visiting, as it affords great views of the harbor and the beautiful sailboats entering and exiting the harbor, along with the beautiful beach houses that line the harbor sides.  It also has a very nice, white sand beach that many folks can be seen strolling on. 

We walked the 5 or so blocks back to the Broad St. Steamship Authority dock and caught the 3:15 speed ship back to Hyannis.  Paisley was asleep in the bottom of the stroller, Isabella was conked out in the stroller and Pugsley was huffing and puffing from his marathon length stroll around Nantucket, and we had basically visited or experienced everything we wanted to see this go around, so 3:15 was perfect timing.

Paisley in her Cadillac ride.

The nice thing about the speed ship is that 1. it arrives in an hour and 2. it has WIFI.  I already mentioned that the WIFI at our bungalow wasn't the greatest, so it was nice to browse the internet on my IPad versus having to do it on the phone.   No worries though, it was actually more rejuvenating to be "unplugged" so to speak, rather than always being in-the-know.

Be Blessed.