vineyard-hero
Home-Slider4-K1-20180605-VSH-EmilyOBrienPhoto-294-Edit_LUXONEBEDLOCKOFF_LIVINGRM_FACINGBALCONY2
Home-Slider3-20180605-VSH-EmilyOBrienPhoto-1353-Edit_BREAKFAST_FOODDETAIL_FROMABOVE2
Home-Slider5-20180605-VSH-EmilyOBrienPhoto-934-Edit_FRONTPORCH_GUESTS2

Colonial Inn

 

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!

Spend a Day Exploring Chappaquiddick Island
Treat Yourself at the Best Ice Cream Spots in Martha’s Vineyard
End Your Day with a Romantic Sunrise Cruise on Martha’s Vineyard Waters
Learn about Local History by Visiting a Martha’s Vineyard Museum or Landmark
How to Plan the Perfect Martha’s Vineyard Honeymoon at a Top Boutique Hotel
Enjoy a Night Out at Edgartown Bars
See It All: A Guide to Exploring Martha’s Vineyard Towns
Make the Most Out of Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall
Menemsha-Sunset-300x225
Sunset by Joanne Sardini

I often describe the arrival of summer on Martha’s Vineyard as the prospect of a visit from a favorite aunt – you can’t wait for them to arrive, but after 3 months, you’re ready for it to be over!  This year, I have mixed emotions about this.  Labor Day, the traditional ‘end’ of summer season on Martha’s Vineyard, is marked by crisp mornings and evenings with abundant sunshine throughout the day – in short a perfect weather end to a not so perfect weather summer.  This is where my problem lies – I feel like I just didn’t get enough summer in yet! And then I remember the sage advice I give to lots of vacationers – the best is yet to come – come back in September – it’s the BEST month!

September on the Vineyard is a very special experience.  Somehow everything is a little softer – the light is beautiful, especially in the early evenings, with some of the most amazing sunsets and sunrises I have every seen.  The visitors seem less rushed and harried and the workers are all happy to have “made it” to September with another summer season behind them.  Sure, weekends can still get a little crazy due to the booming Island wedding season but if you can come to Martha’s Vineyard mid-week in September you will surely be delighted.

It’s still warm enough to get to the beach without having to fight for a spot to lay your towel.  The water is warmed by those long summer days and is warmer now than through most of July so a swim is definitely not out of the question.  The air is dry enough that a long walk or bike ride is not hampered by that pesky humidity.  There are surprising bargains to be had as the stores sell off their merchandise at discounted prices to empty out for the next season and to top it off, dining is made easier by the dwindling crowds – no more 1 hour waits for a table – yippee!

If you are a visitor, undoubtedly the other great part about visiting in September is the cost.  At the Colonial Inn, there are some great mid-week special rates that extend through the fall that really help you stretch that dollar!

So summer need not end at Labor Day – come and play among the locals – do a survey among them and I promise that 95% will tell you that September is their favorite month – give it a go!

What else do you love about September?

 

Spend a Day Exploring Chappaquiddick Island
Treat Yourself at the Best Ice Cream Spots in Martha’s Vineyard
End Your Day with a Romantic Sunrise Cruise on Martha’s Vineyard Waters
Learn about Local History by Visiting a Martha’s Vineyard Museum or Landmark
How to Plan the Perfect Martha’s Vineyard Honeymoon at a Top Boutique Hotel
Enjoy a Night Out at Edgartown Bars
See It All: A Guide to Exploring Martha’s Vineyard Towns
Make the Most Out of Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall

chescas1-150x150No one can come and stay at the Colonial Inn, or indeed in Edgartown, without knowing Chesca’s. This restaurant is an island institution and has built a very loyal following over its 16 years anchoring the porch of the Colonial Inn on North Water Street. ‘Urban Italian’ is how they describe the cuisine – to me that means lots of yummy pastas, great risotto, lots of fresh fish and seafood and a lot of other good stuff besides.

The atmosphere is always hopping – lots of activity and people having fun. They don’t take reservations unless there are 6 people or more, so don’t show up starving and expect to sit straight away – the average wait runs at about a half hour but this leaves time for a cold beverage in a rocking chair on the porch and some good old people watching time. In fact, most of the regulars feel a bit put out if they don’t have to wait as the waiting on the porch is all part of the experience.

At Chesca’s I’m a creature of habit – I know that there are many great items on the menu, but I have my favorites! (Full disclosure time – I work there as a hostess a few nights a week). They have many fantastic entrée options but I like to go the appetizer-salad-dessert route, otherwise I don’t have room for the dessert and it is not-to-be-missed (there are 10 to choose from – the most extensive list I’ve come across!).

I’m a sucker for the Mussels (with leeks, fennel, shallots and white wine) and I ALWAYS need extra bread to go with them to soak up all the delicious broth. Next, I go for the warm Goat Cheese Salad on baby spinach – toasted hazelnuts give it a bit of crunch and the raspberry lime vinaigrette is perfect. I said I always leave room for dessert and my favorite is the Snowball – vanilla bean ice cream, rolled in sponge cake crumbs, surrounded by caramel sauce and crumbled Chilmark Chocolate pieces – simple but DELICIOUS!!!!

If you just can’t get enough Chesca’s during your visit, you can now have the taste of Chesca’s at home all year. Chesca’s Kitchen Table sauces are available at the Farmers Market, Cronigs, Morning Glory Farm and other Island retailers as well as straight from the restaurant. The Thai Chili Glaze, House Balsamic Dressing and yummy Chocolate Sauce are all available to take back home. I use the chili glaze in lots of ways, not just on salmon – on fish, pork or chicken as a glaze, thinned out with some olive oil as a salad dressing or as a warm dipping sauce for egg rolls or other little hors d’oeuvres.

What’s your favorite dish at Chesca’s?

Image courtesy of Chesca’s.

 

Spend a Day Exploring Chappaquiddick Island
Treat Yourself at the Best Ice Cream Spots in Martha’s Vineyard
End Your Day with a Romantic Sunrise Cruise on Martha’s Vineyard Waters
Learn about Local History by Visiting a Martha’s Vineyard Museum or Landmark
How to Plan the Perfect Martha’s Vineyard Honeymoon at a Top Boutique Hotel
Enjoy a Night Out at Edgartown Bars
See It All: A Guide to Exploring Martha’s Vineyard Towns
Make the Most Out of Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall
gallery-150x150
Eisenhauer Gallery

Like most people who live on Martha’s Vineyard, I wear more than one hat. I love my job here with our guests at the Colonial Inn & Edgartown Residence Club, but I also would not feel like a whole person if I ever gave up my identity as a freelance illustrator. Those of us with an artist’s eye seem to be drawn to the island, which I blame on the truly magical quality of the light, whose beauty seems to reach its pinnacle in September and October. My theory has always been that this is caused by some mystical reflection off of all the water that surrounds us. No matter the reason, I’m sure all of you who have spent time here have lost yourselves in the beauty of the island also. But have you ever considered taking some of it home with you? The multitude of local and visiting artists make it possible for you to do just that. Stroll our countless galleries to take in the love of Martha’s Vineyard that covers the canvases of these incredibly talented men and women. There are far too many to name in one blog, so I will start right here in Edgartown.

You don’t even have to leave the Colonial Inn to visit one of the most versatile galleries in town, the Eisenhauer Gallery. Here you can find beautiful pastoral and seaside landscapes, classic still-lifes, and whimsical character studies, not to mention unique sculptures, one of a kind antiques, and an exquisite collection of jewelry.

Exit our back door and enter the Debra M. Gaines Gallery in Nevin Square. You won’t be able to resist taking home some of her reasonably priced, breathtaking island photography and/or her husband’s lovely Vineyard paintings.

Next, turn left and walk half a block to the Christina Gallery on the corner of Winter and North Water Streets to take in the ample collection of Impressionist oil landscapes and florals, still-lifes, and antique prints and maps.

Just across North Water Street, the North Water Gallery shows some of the islands most noted and respected artists. Feast your eyes and senses on some of the most exquisite landscapes and nautical oil paintings on Martha’s Vineyard.

For a completely different offering, turn right out the door and right again on Kelley Street, past the municipal lot, and into the Belushi Pisano Gallery, which honored us by moving to Edgartown from Vineyard Haven this year. The bright, happy interior is the perfect backdrop for the contemporary paintings and ceramics on display here.

Turn left on Dock Street and finish your art walk at the historic Old Sculpin Gallery and see their permanent collection of made-on-the-Vineyard art from 1879 to the present. If your walk has inspired your artistic abilities, you can sign up here for classes and workshops!

That’s enough of a stroll for one day, but keep your artistic juices flowing, because I haven’t even touched Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven or the very special up island galleries yet!

 

Spend a Day Exploring Chappaquiddick Island
Treat Yourself at the Best Ice Cream Spots in Martha’s Vineyard
End Your Day with a Romantic Sunrise Cruise on Martha’s Vineyard Waters
Learn about Local History by Visiting a Martha’s Vineyard Museum or Landmark
How to Plan the Perfect Martha’s Vineyard Honeymoon at a Top Boutique Hotel
Enjoy a Night Out at Edgartown Bars
See It All: A Guide to Exploring Martha’s Vineyard Towns
Make the Most Out of Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall
Great-Rock-Bight-300x225
Great Rock by Joanne Sardini

I already covered most of the Edgartown area beaches in an earlier post, so now to venture a little further afield…
I mentioned in my last post how fun State Beach is – lots of kids, lots of fun, great swimming. If you continue on Beach road to Oak Bluffs you will come across Inkwell Beach, just minutes from the downtown area. You will see lots of people swimming ‘laps’ between the 2 breakwaters every morning and it’s a great spot if you don’t have a car as it is easily accessible on the VTA bus route 13.

Between Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, next to the drawbridge, is Eastville Beach. A small parking lot can take about 30 cars so it’s always pretty quiet and I love to sit and watch the ferries and other boats coming in and out of Vineyard Haven harbor – sometimes you can be lucky enough to see one of the Black Dog Tall Ships, the Shenandoah or the Alabama, in full sail – spectacular! You can take a ride on one of these beautiful ships, or just sit back and admire.

Head ‘Up-Island’ to the more rural areas of Martha’s Vineyard and public beaches are a little scarcer. Many of the beaches in this area are private or restricted access, so be careful not to wander where you may not be welcome. With that said, there are a few gems that cannot be left out…One of my favorite hidden gems is Great Rock Bight. Not the easiest beach to find, it is about 3.8 miles along North Road from the intersection with State Road. Parking is very limited so be prepared to get there early. The property is managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank and has a lovely walking trail which winds through scenic woodlands to the beach. Be aware that the stairs to the beach are very steep – it can be a tough climb back, so pack light! When you get to the beach you can’t miss the Great Rock about 20 feet off shore. Relax on the sandy stretch near the stairs, or wander along the rocky stretch to your left and discover rock ponds and hidden coves.

Another ‘Up-Island’ gem is Moshup Trail – featured on the Travel Channel as America’s best walking beach – this is another Land Bank property. Less than half a mile from the public parking and bus stop at Aquinnah, this stretch of Atlantic beach sits in the shadow of the Aquinnah Cliffs and Gay Head lighthouse. It takes a little effort to get to this out of the way location, but it is definitely worth it! Just don’t climb on the cliffs, they are a Nationally Protected Landmark and it is a Federal offence to climb on them or take a piece home. Enjoy the surf, the sand and have a roll in the clay mud – it is said to have restorative powers.

There are lots of other great spots – which one is your favorite?

 

Spend a Day Exploring Chappaquiddick Island
Treat Yourself at the Best Ice Cream Spots in Martha’s Vineyard
End Your Day with a Romantic Sunrise Cruise on Martha’s Vineyard Waters
Learn about Local History by Visiting a Martha’s Vineyard Museum or Landmark
How to Plan the Perfect Martha’s Vineyard Honeymoon at a Top Boutique Hotel
Enjoy a Night Out at Edgartown Bars
See It All: A Guide to Exploring Martha’s Vineyard Towns
Make the Most Out of Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall