727. Nantucket

Where: Nantucket, Massachusetts

When: October 24-26, 2014

With: Dave, Krista, Aunt Rose

Every year in October, my Aunt Rose and cousin Krista take a fall trip to Nantucket. While this tiny island off the coast of Massachusetts is more well-known as a summertime destination, they prefer this time of the year, when the crowds are gone and fall is in full swing.

Dave and I had just recently gotten engaged, and as an "engagement present", they offered to take us to Nantucket with them. It was so sweet and really, what better of a present than a trip? Yes, please!

The timing of the trip couldn't have been more perfect. Just as we boarded the Amtrak from New York to Boston, we read about the Ebola scare in Williamsburg, where we were living at the time. It was a perfect time to get out of Brooklyn! Krista picked us up at the train station, and first thing the next morning, Aunt Rose picked us up and we started the drive to the ferry terminal on the Cape. 

After the one hour ferry ride, we pulled in to the island and took in the scene. All the homes were beautiful, with white trim and grey wood siding. It was a perfect example of how New England does the beach and gives the island its nickname of "Little Grey Lady of the Sea".

Since the island is so small, there aren't a ton of cars or taxis, so the hotel picked us right up from the ferry in a shuttle to whisk us away. We were staying at the adorable Nantucket Hotel. The bright orange pumpkins along the white trimmed staircase were the perfect example of autumn on the island. 

Loving the whale theme inside. 

The hotel gives tours of the island in its 1946 antique fire truck. 

Also, who doesn't love a Ritz cracker interpretation of world time zones? 

After getting settled, we set off the explore the town. It was adorable, all cobblestoned and tree-lined, with little shops along the way. 

An interesting map showing how far other prominent cities are from Nantucket. 

Our first stop was at the Whaling Museum. It went over the history of this controversial trade that was the dominant Nantucket industry in the 1800s and brought it much of its wealth and renown. In the entrance hall of the museum is the 46-foot long skeleton of a sperm whale. It was massive (and sad!)

After that, I noticed just how much the whaling industry had left its mark on the island. 

Our other major site we visited was Steps Beach, one of the more famous beaches on the island and a favorite of Krista and Aunt Rose. Hidden down a sandy lane behind some large hedgerows, its amazing how different of a beach experience this felt like. 

The shoreline was stunning though.

I can imagine these houses are incredibly expensive, but man are they beautiful. 

We took a nice walk along the water. There's something so special about walking the beach in the crisp, autumn air. 

Reached Jetties Beach, where there was a jetty. Shocking. 

Loved this foliage along the beach. So New England. 

We also paid a visit to Nantucket's only brewery, Cisco. After a failed attempt at winemaking, the owners of the land started brewing beer, and turned out, they were pretty good at it!

We sat outside in the sunshine and sampled several of their craft brews. 

Other than that, we mostly just ate and drank our way around the island, enjoying the weather and gorging ourselves at the world-class restaurants. 

In the middle of our second night, I was woken from my sleep with horrible stomach pains. Sparing the nasty details, I was up for the rest of the evening in the bathroom sick as a dog. We had ourselves booked on the 10am ferry back to the mainland, and as the time ticked by, I was nervous how I'd get myself out of the room, let alone onto a boat. 

Around 8am, I got a call from Krista asking me how I was doing...why did she ask that? Unless...and it turned out, yes, Krista had been up all night sick as well. What the heck had happened to us? When Dave woke up, he wasn't feeling great either, although thankfully didn't need to use the bathroom. The only one who appeared to escape unscathed was Aunt Rose. 

We miraculously got ourselves out of our rooms by 10:30 and to the harbor in time to catch our ferry, but we looked and felt like death. The only thing that got me through the wait for the boat was taking photos on this particularly beautiful (and thankfully calm) morning. 

We boarded the ferry to watch the island disappear. Several of the younger passengers on the boat looked equally as rough as us, although they were likely hungover. I've never been so jealous of a hangover as I was in that moment. 

Saying goodbye to the Nantucket lighthouse. 

And finally, tossing a penny into the water on our way out. The tossing of "Two Pennies Overboard" is a Nantucket tradition that ensures a safe trip back to the mainland. And we sure needed all the luck we could get in that moment. 

By the end of the boat trip, Krista and I had worked ourselves up into a frenzy that we clearly had contracted the Ebola from Brooklyn somehow. While we survived the ferry trip and the subsequent drive back to Boston, once we got to Aunt Rose's we were both running fevers and took a very long nap on the couch. Thankfully, by the end of the night, I felt well enough to board our train back to New York, but man, what a long day of travel while being that sick. And forevermore, Krista and I will regale the tale of how we survived Ebola in Nantucket.

It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise amazing trip to this beautiful island. I am so happy I got to experience it with my family and it was a beautiful time. I'd be interested to see it again in the summer, but having the island to ourselves sure was special. Hopefully, no Ebola next time!