vineyard-hero

Martha's Vineyard

 

Fall-sky-by-deel34
Fall Sky by deel34

1. You HATE sunny days with temps in the low 60’s – “Give me the 90’s and humid or nothing!”
2. The only thing you hate more than that is a cool, crisp evening with a breeze blowing in the window – must have AC!
3. You can’t stand being able to walk into all the great restaurants with no reservations and still get a great table, great food and great service.
4. It drives you mad when people are friendly and helpful and can take an extra 10 minutes to show you their favorite spots to visit – you much prefer the harried and rushed service that sometimes comes with the summer crowds.
5. You always like to pay full price for everything – sales, discounts and promotional rates are not your thing at all!
6. Empty beaches are the enemy – long walks on the beach with not a soul to be seen sound boring.
7. You have no interest in learning – all the seminars, festivals and educational activities are an awful waste of time.
8. The highlight of your vacation is that 4 hour wait in the stand-by line at the ferry – it just wouldn’t be the same if you could get a reservation at the time you prefer.
9. Hustle and bustle are what you thrive on – serene views, quiet streets and a slower pace of life are hell for you.
10. Most of all – you LOVE to be stuck in traffic wherever you go – the 10 minute wait to get through 5 corners and the 20 minutes to get through the Triangle are what life is all about!

Enjoy a Delicious Meal at Cafes in Edgartown
Cast Your Line with Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Charters
The Best Places to Eat on Martha’s Vineyard for Sweet Treats
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jaws on Martha’s Vineyard
Fuel Up at a Martha’s Vineyard Coffee Shop
Embrace Spring in Massachusetts | Spend Time Outdoors
What to Do on Martha’s Vineyard on a Gloomy Day
Plan the Ultimate Martha’s Vineyard Spring Break Vacation

park

No matter how much we love the Vineyard, there are times when it becomes so hectic that we need a break from the break we took here.  Crowds, heat, and noise conspire to drive us into sensory overload thus unraveling our reasons for coming here in the first place.  Edgartown, as much as I love it, is as prone to this phenomenon as any town on the Island.  (Though Five Corners at unloading time still sets the standard for MV insanity.)

 

While genuine isolation can be found up-island, on Chappy, and a few other places even during high season, there are times when I don’t want to travel that far to escape the hustle, bustle and tussle.  Fortunately, I know of the perfect outdoor oasis.  I share it here at the risk of exposing my secret.  (Let’s keep it to ourselves, shall we?)

 

Sequestered nicely between North Water Street, Summer Street, Winter Street and MainStreet, there is a block of quiet, calm and cool to be found right in the center of otherwise frantic Edgartown.  Behind the shops on those streets, a grassy respite awaits the overheated, overindulged tourist.

It’s just a small park with the usual accoutrements: grass, trees, benches and brick walkways.  Somehow, though, even on the steamiest of days, the shading oak trees keep this park cool and the surrounding buildings filter out the tumult of the streets.

 

This space has everything you’d need for a picnic… including ants.  (Nothing is perfect.)  My tastes, however, lean toward the decidedly more quiescent.  An ice cream cone or bag of “penny” candy is the perfect repast for me while I lounge in the shade.

 

Birds sing in the trees, oblivious to the craziness just a few flaps of the wing away.  A passing squirrel may shyly scamper by seeking his own shelter.  There are no bikes to dodge or mopeds to lag behind.  Just an occasional pedestrian passing through. There are no souvenirs, no food for sale – nothing to spend money on at all.  In other words, it has everything I need for a fleeting vacation from my vacation.

 

I never linger too long in this park.  Somehow, that would spoil the effect for me.  I simply sit or lie on the lawn, cool down, recharge, then head out to do battle once more with the madding throng.

 

I require an extra long break if I’m coming from Five Corners, though.

Enjoy a Delicious Meal at Cafes in Edgartown
Cast Your Line with Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Charters
The Best Places to Eat on Martha’s Vineyard for Sweet Treats
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jaws on Martha’s Vineyard
Fuel Up at a Martha’s Vineyard Coffee Shop
Embrace Spring in Massachusetts | Spend Time Outdoors
What to Do on Martha’s Vineyard on a Gloomy Day
Plan the Ultimate Martha’s Vineyard Spring Break Vacation

If I had a dollar for everyone who has ended a reservation call with some variation on this theme, I’d be a happy man. Sometimes, people want me to tell them what they should do and I simply cannot. This can be frustrating for some.

There are as many answers as there are people. Some folk are extremely attached to their wheels and the idea of leaving their car, their independence…nay…their very identities behind is unthinkable. Some people can drop their cars like a hot rock and just wing it. YOU know your travel needs better than I do. It is possible (and FAR less expensive) to travel everywhere on the Island without bringing your car across.

Here’s what I suggest to Colonial Inn guests…

Leave the car behind. The Steamship Authority has ample parking in numerous locations. You pay $10 per calendar day to park and they shuttle you to the boat.  The Steamship cost for vehicles is between $135 and $155 round-trip. (The bigger the car or truck, the more you spend to bring it over!) Therefore, $40 for parking on a three-day stay leaves you $95 to $115 ahead. (That’s a meal for two at a mid-range Island restaurant…)

During the height of the summer, every town on Martha’s Vineyard becomes rush hour Boston. You can inch along for an hour and never see a parking spot, and you will begin to curse the happy carefree faces of cyclists and pedestrians. MOREOVER, they paid $40 to park their cars so they are loaded down with plunder while YOU have $100 less to spend toward boosting the economy. It’s downright un-American! So leave the car. Plunder the Village!

Car-less and straight off of the boat, options increase. This is where I have different advice for different people. Taxis are expensive. $22 for two people will get you from a ferry terminal to our door. Pricey? Yes, but with a varying number of travelers coming from locations far and wide, (some of whom may have begun their travels at three or four AM, ugh) and luggage in tow, it is the fastest way to get you here and settled.  If we can’t get you into your room yet, we will at least take that annoying luggage and direct you to a great lunch spot. (Freed of your burdens and a tummy full of lunch, you will feel much more adventurous. Trust me!)

Once you are here and settled, THEN we can walk you through the Vineyard Transit Authority Bus route.  The public bus system has connections to many points on the island and for a $15 three day pass, you can have unlimited access.  Many of the drivers are year-round Island residents and have a wide range of ideas for things to see and do. (Getting some of them to chat is trickier, but if it were all easy, where would the adventure be?)

There are also several bicycle rental shops no more than three minutes away.  We recommend Cutler Bikes and Wheel Happy.  They have been more than helpful to our guests over the years and I recommend them without hesitation.  Many of the roads on the Island have wide sidewalks designed to accommodate bicycles.

Please, just don’t ask us about mopeds! (We prefer that the one part of the island that you don’t explore while here is the emergency room…)

Image courtesy of The Vineyard Transit Authority

 

Enjoy a Delicious Meal at Cafes in Edgartown
Cast Your Line with Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Charters
The Best Places to Eat on Martha’s Vineyard for Sweet Treats
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jaws on Martha’s Vineyard
Fuel Up at a Martha’s Vineyard Coffee Shop
Embrace Spring in Massachusetts | Spend Time Outdoors
What to Do on Martha’s Vineyard on a Gloomy Day
Plan the Ultimate Martha’s Vineyard Spring Break Vacation

To paraphrase a well known bumper sticker, “A bad day on the Vineyard is better than a good day at work.” We would only be exaggerating a little if we were to expand that to say better than a good day almost anywhere else!

 

Allowing the possibility that there really is such a thing as a bad day on Martha’s Vineyard, what would it look like? Among the things that could diminish one’s enjoyment of the island are low temperatures, driving rain, and lack of sunshine. What to do on those rare days when outside activities are not in the cards?

 

At home at the Edgartown Residence Club, there is always the option of curling up in front of the fire with a good book, good movie, or good friend. (A glass of wine or mug of hot chocolate wouldn’t hurt that scene either!) Bookstores, movie theaters and restaurants are possible choices as well.

 

Still, for a different kind of distraction on those days when you want to get out but “out” is not a friendly place to be weather-wise, my family likes to head to the Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks.

Located on State Road in West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks is a combination art studio, museum, gallery, and craft shop, as well as a unique learning experience. And on a raw day, the heat emanating from the red hot ovens makes the place an oasis of warmth not to be missed.

 

There are two parts to the Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks experience. First are the pieces themselves. Two floors of unique and creative glass art will give you all the browsing pleasure you could possibly ask for. From jewelry to vases, from bowls to decorative pieces, there are items to suit everyone’s tastes, all beautifully realized.

 

The real draw of the rustic studio, however, is the opportunity to watch master glassblowers at work. While you look on, a simple lump of glass is transformed into a work of art. Whether a glass, a bowl, or even a Christmas ornament, you will experience a thing of beauty in the process of creation. The skilled and friendly craftsmen (craftspeople?) are also more than happy to explain what they are doing and why at each step of the process.

 

Kids and adults will all find themselves entranced by the process. Watching these masters at work – tossing the pieces and their working tools around with incredible deftness – is not unlike being in the audience at a magic show. Indeed, they do make things of beauty appear right before your eyes.

 

Warning to parents of young children: Unless you want to learn first hand the meaning of the phrase “bull in a china shop,” keep your young ones well in hand during your visit. They will be entranced by the glassblowers but may not be careful with the finished products.

 

If you want to visit Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks, make sure you call ahead to find out when they are blowing glass. Their number is 508-693-6026. Also, visit their web site to see more about the business and the kinds of items they make and sell. Note that they are a seasonal business, generally open from early May to late October.

 

Image courtesy of Martha’s Vineyard Glass Works

 

Enjoy a Delicious Meal at Cafes in Edgartown
Cast Your Line with Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Charters
The Best Places to Eat on Martha’s Vineyard for Sweet Treats
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jaws on Martha’s Vineyard
Fuel Up at a Martha’s Vineyard Coffee Shop
Embrace Spring in Massachusetts | Spend Time Outdoors
What to Do on Martha’s Vineyard on a Gloomy Day
Plan the Ultimate Martha’s Vineyard Spring Break Vacation