This week was mid-winter break at the high school, so I decided to treat myself to a little vacation. My mom's close childhood friend from Yakima moved out to Martha's Vineyard almost 35 years ago and still lives there. I have heard amazing things about the island and how beautiful it is, so I decided to head over that way for a long weekend to stay with Colleen and her family. Getting there was surprisingly easy and thankfully it didn't take too long, however, the journey was certainly not without entertainment. The easiest and most efficient way to get to Martha's Vineyard is to take the bus from South Station in downtown Boston. Taking the "T" downtown with bags has never been my most favorite part of traveling, as experienced through numerous trips to the airport, but I must say, my time spent at South Station took the cake on this trip for its absurdity. From the South Station "T" stop, you have to walk underground to the train station, which is fairly nice and clean, then you walk through the train station, to the back, reject land, through all the construction supplies, to the spot known as the bus depot. Oh... the bus depot. I was traveling on a bus known as Peter Pan/Bonanza Bus lines... but to get to that ticketing office you past all the other bus companies, including, but not limited to; Lucky Star Bus, Bolt Bus, and my personal favorite, Fung Wah, yes, I said, Fung Wah Bus Company. It is rumored to smell like fish inside... hmmm.
As I waited for my bus to arrive, I set my bags down on a bench next to this lady - mistake number 1. As she proceeded to eat her greasy McDonald's hamburger, I noticed her large stack of bags that were not packed very well as clothes were protruding out of the zippers like pieces of seaweed, not to mention the large, black, yard waster bag that was full of clothes. She came up to me after she finished eating and said "Would you like to finish my french fries? I don't want them anymore"... ummmm NO LADY, but thanks??? Gross. I think I have a sign attached to my forehead that screams tell me about yourself... I would love to hear all about what your life is about because that always seems to happen to me; this time was no exception. She was wearing light wash 1984 style jeans which were smashed into her bright, red, ugly, suede boots, and worst of all, when she stood up to stretch, her pants were not only unzipped, but also unbuttoned - probably the result of that nasty, fattening hamburger she had just eaten - not to mention the crop top she was wearing at age 45. blahhhhhh. Needless to say, she was a total nut.
After a relatively, short and easy bus ride (1 hour 45 min), I took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. The ferry departed from Woods Hole (located on Cape Cod), one of the most well known oceanographic institutes in the world. The water, the coast, and the ferry ride were beautiful! Martha's Vineyard is only about 100 sq. miles - so it is very accessible all the way around - we drove the whole island in just a few hours. Also, an interesting side note, it is shaped like a cowboy hat, here is a map of the island: (Colleen lives in Vineyard Haven on the upper North-east(ish) side)
The harbor at Woods Hole, on Cape Cod - where the ferry leaves from
Looking at Woods Hole - Lighthouse on the Cape
On the ferry
Looking back at the "West Chop" from the ferry boat
Colleen and her younger son Darren met me on the other side - it was so exciting to finally meet them. They were so nice and welcoming to me. Their house was beautiful - it is located in Vineyard Haven, one of 6 towns on the island. It is on the northern side of the island, right by a small lake that connects right to the ocean. It was such a beautiful area. Their home felt like a real home - by that I mean, I felt like I could just relax and sit on the couch, watch tv, and be comfortable. It was so nice to escape the school scene for a little while.
The three of them, Colleen, Shaun, and Darren, took me on a tour of the island - we went to every town, and every corner, saw every lighthouse, and every beach. The island is absolutely amazing and beautiful - not to mention the amazing, gorgeous homes that are there, and their famous inhabitants; such as the homes of Carly Simon, Walter Cronkite, Jackie Onassis, The Douglas family (of McDonald-Douglas airplanes), the CEO of JetBlue, numerous television, movie stars, politicians, and producers. It was unbelievable. The amount of land that people own is insane. Land is very valuable there (duhhh) and there are many farms and agricultural spaces, surprisingly, there are not that many homes, and the homes that exist are very spread out for the most part. It was really quite quaint. The island in the winter is quite calm and mellow, as only about 20,000 residents live there, yet in the summer it has quite a different feeling - much more crowded to say the least.
Two of my favorite towns were the historic town of Edgartown - it is a very traditional town, with almost all white or Cape Cod style homes (faded-grey shingle homes.... that are lovely), and the fishing village of Menemsha. In Edgartown, the streets are beautiful, the homes are amazing, nothing gaudy, the storefronts are so cute, and there is a little 3 car ferry that takes about 5 minutes to reach the infamous inlet of Chappaquidick - the site of the Ted Kennedy crash years ago. Colleen told me that several years ago when Gramma came to visit she thought the bridge where the crash occurred was so unique that she actually broke off a piece of the wood to take home... hmmm. oh gramma! Menemsha is a fishing village of the northern side of the island that has a beautiful beach and the cutest harbor for fishing boats!
The view from Walter Cronkite's home in Edgartown - we snuck onto the property... he also has a building on his property that was built in the 1870s that was built strictly as a bowling alley - it is a long skinny building with an old fashioned alley in it
Walter Cronkite's home in Edgartown
The cute little fishing town of Menemsha and Menemsha Beach - these are the lobster boats
Looking East on Menemsha Beach
Menemsha Beach - the beach faces NW looking straight at the Elizabeth Islands
We also saw the famous cliffs of Aquinnah, which have continue to erode farther and farther back each year because of the water, wind, and rain. They are beautiful cliffs, however, and the lighthouse has been preserved - they move it back periodically as well. The lighthouses are something else - they are so interesting to see! The north and the south shores of the island are very, very different. One has colder water and a rocky coast (the north), while the south has warmer water (at least in the summer) and a beautiful, sandy beach. The south shore seemed more like the ocean - it gets the water right from the Atlantic - whereas the north shore gets the water and cold wind from the Northeastern coast of the US. The south shore was amazing - with it being winter and no one there, the beach was empty. Just sand all around you, waves hitting the shore, and a beautiful, sunny day. It was incredible. So pretty.
Looking south towards the South beach from the Aquinnah Clay Cliffs
The Aquinnah clay cliffs (you can see the erosion) - looking NW towards the Elizabeth Islands and Cape Cod)
South beach
South beach
South beach
Looking east towards Chappaquiddick from South beach
The south beach looking west - beautiful sandy beach!
And then the North side....
Lambert's Cove
Colleen on Lambert's Cove
Lambert's Cove
Lambert's Cove - on the North side of the Island
Lambert's Cove
View from Lambert's Cove
View from Vineyard Haven
Here are a few others from Oak Bluffs:
The light house in Oak Bluffs
These homes are known as the gingerbread homes....The campgrounds in Oak Bluffs - these houses all look like dollhouses and they were built on an old campground - the owners own the houses, but not the land - it is owned by a Methodist group. You used to have to be Methodist to live there.
I didn't want the weekend to end, but after enjoying my time there, watching the Olympics, seeing the island, experiencing the nightlife - a story in and of itself - purchasing a super cute sweatshirt, and enjoying some home cooked food (not to mention A LOT of chocolate chip cookies), I had to make the trek back to Boston. I can guarantee you, though, that I will be going back soon :)
Colleen and her sons were such incredible people. They were so hospitable to me and I had such a wonderful time. It was so nice to finally meet them (at least that I can remember) and to hear her tell stories of she and mom growing up. I am planning on going back again soon this spring, and even better, Mom is going to come and visit and I can't wait for her to see Colleen and the island - it is a place that Mom will LOVE.
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