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    Home » Recipes » lazy sundae

    lazy sundae thoughts: nantucket dreams

    Published: May 7, 2017 · Last modified: Oct 2, 2019 by Leslie Kiszka / This post may contain affiliate links.

    I waited my whole life to visit Nantucket. Growing up, I watched the show Wings religiously. The quaint airport, the adorable little capes, the idea that the island is so small that every profession is filled by a single person (the mechanic, the taxi driver, the florist)… it seemed unreal to me. So last November, I finally booked us a trip to go. We were going to stay at an inn just outside the center of town, I was going to wear my most nautical clothing, we were going to rent bikes with baskets on them, go see lighthouses, sunrises and sunsets – the full Nantucket experience. We hopped a Steamship Authority ferry from Hyannis (that had all sorts of families with dogs, ftw) and off we went.

    On the ferry to Nantucket

    As we approached the island, I saw Brant Point Light and got ridiculously excited. Like, little kid that found out it’s going to Disney, excited.

    Approaching Nantucket by boat

    I had all these images built up in my head of perfectly manicured lawns with white fences and Adirondack chairs positioned just so, of seemingly endless docks filled with shops and lobster traps, people riding down the streets on old bikes with little baskets on the front, of picture perfect sunsets with crashing waves, and seals who come up to say hi. Well, guess what?

    Nantucket "Around the Horn" painting

    THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. It’s all that, and so many other things that I didn’t even know about.

    It was the island I’d dreamed of my entire life, and when I got off the boat I broke into tears. It’s gorgeous, quaint and completely perfect. There was classical music playing faintly somewhere nearby, and the sun had started to set with the most gorgeous cotton candy colored gradient. COME ON.

    Perfectly landscaped properties? Check.

    Nantucket hedges

    Docks filled with shops? Check.

    Nantucket harbor sunset

    People riding down the streets on bikes? Check (although they were on the sidewalk and you’re not supposed to be – tsk tsk).

    Nantucket streets

    Perfect sunsets? Uh, check, check, check and check.

    Madaket beach sunset

    Nantucket harbor sunset

    Madaket beach sunset

    And those seals? They do pop up to say hey. They’ll mess with you and swim back and forth and pop up where you’re not expecting it. They’ll do flips and rolls and just generally be completely adorable.

    Nantucket harbor seal

    The Club Car, where the Hackett brothers would constantly strike out and Antonio would drive everyone home at the end of the night? It’s real.

    The Club Car

    Now here’s the stuff I didn’t know about…

    Like the quirky quarterboards that most houses seem to have above their front doors – Hunky Dory, Ack Two, Cobble House (because it’s in the middle of a huge cobblestone road on a hill), Ensconsed (it’s in ‘Sconset), Once Upon a Tide… so many puns.

    Nantucket cottage "Hunky Dory"

    And the traffic lights… or I guess I should say lack thereof, because there aren’t any. They only use stop signs on the island.

    The way most of the businesses are intertwined with homes, and you almost can’t tell the residential from the commercial properties. It all just blends together.

    Nantucket Petticoat Bakery

    I literally squealed when I saw how cute the bookstore was (spoiler alert: the inside is adorable, too).

    Nantucket Bookworks

    And the coffee shop that I liked the best on the island? It has a “Bark Bar” for dogs of all heights outside, and a “Secret Garden” in the back.

    Handlebar Cafe

    Handlebar Cafe secret garden

    You’ll never see a “For Sale” sign either. They’re not allowed. You’ll have to go see a real estate agent to find out what properties are available.

    Beautiful home in Nantucket

    Hedges, window boxes, rose bushes and daffodils are a big deal. They have an entire weekend dedicated to Daffodils in the spring that includes a parade.

    Windowbox at the Regatta Inn

    Speaking of celebrations, they line the streets with Christmas trees and have a winter Christmas Stroll in town. We’re talking Mr. and Mrs. Claus arriving in a boat and riding up the main street in a horse-drawn carriage, carolers with hot chocolate, the whole shebang. Ever seen Funny Farm where they try to trick the potential home buyers into thinking it’s the perfect New England town? It’s that – but for real.
    Nantucket Christmas trees

    Thos. Macy Warehouse

    Those salmon-colored pants are called Nantucket Reds and you find them at their original home, Murray’s Toggery Shop.

    No graffiti, no billboards, no trains.

    The airport uses tokens for parking. TOKENS. HOW EFFING QUAINT IS THAT.

    Nantucket Airport

    Almost every single thing on the island is locally owned and run. There are very few exceptions, like their Stop and Shops (they have two).

    Bartletts Farm on Nantucket

    So what did we do? We stayed at the most perfect, welcoming, wonderful inn.

    Bike in front of Regatta Inn

    Regatta Inn living room

    Dogs of Nantucket book

    Regatta Inn Dining Room

    Regatta Inn dining room

    Whale key chain

    Regatta Inn treats for guests

    Regatta Inn robe

    I wore my most nautical autumn clothing, which wasn’t particularly nautical, but it felt right.

    In front of the Regatta Inn on Nantucket

    We rented bikes from Youngs Bicycle Shop and saw probably half the island that way, including a stop at Cisco Brewers/Nantucket Vineyard… because Nantucket.

    Brant Point Light with a bike

    Biking around Nantucket

    Le Shack

    Cisco Brewers

    Nantucket Vineyard

    Then we rented a Jeep from them to go out on the dunes of Great Point.

    Jeep on the beach in Nantucket

    We saw lighthouses, sunrises and sunsets.

    Brant Point Light

    Sankaty Head Light

    Sunrise over Brant Point Light

    Madaket Beach sunset

    We bought the softest shirts ever at Annie and the Tees (and I want so many more). And I got a beautiful faux fur vest from Milly & Grace (yay for end of season discounts!)  

    We got cookies from Petticoat Bakery. We had a phenomenal breakfast at Island Kitchen (with freshly squeezed orange juice!). We ate mouth-watering smoked meats at B-ACK Yard BBQ. We had the best dinner of my life at Station 21… twice. Basically, we ate really, really, really delicious food.

    Whale cookie

    One of the places I was dying to try, American Seasons, was closed when we were there, but it’s the top of my bucket list the next time I’m there. Just look at their front door, I mean… c’mon.

    Front door of American Seasons

    It was perfect. It’s ridiculous that this place is as perfect as it is. It doesn’t seem real. And even the people who live there acknowledge how amazing it is (and they’re all so nice), and you can tell they don’t take it for granted. We were there in the off season, which means no one was putting on a “be friendly to the tourists” front. Everyone was genuine and just plain lovely. I’ve also never related more to a sticker:

    Nantucket utility box sticker

    I cried when we got on the boat to leave. I was trying to come up with excuses as to why we couldn’t go home yet, I was so desperate to stay.

    Confession: I love Nantucket so much that sometimes I actually want to cry because my heart hurts, knowing that the chances of me ever being able to live there are extremely slim to none. Even visiting is hard to swing, financially – at a minimum, you have to factor in the place you’re staying (which – unless you go in the deep offseason – will not be cheap), the ferry or plane ride out there and meals. When you look at the cost of actually living there? Well, for one: generally speaking, the houses start at over $1 million. Woof. 

    Does that stop me from occasionally pulling up the listings and flipping through photos of grey shingled cottages covered in roses, all white kitchens with weathered counter tops and farmhouse sinks, white picket fences, quirky quarterboards, and shutters with decorative lighthouse cutouts? No, of course not. Because apparently I’m a glutton for punishment. 

    As I sit here trying to devise a plot wherein I’m forced to visit the island for some sort of work-related, project management emergency, I’m trying to let go of the sadness I feel knowing I couldn’t be a permanent resident, and just be glad that I got to visit ?❤️

    If you’re a Nantucket resident, I want to hear from you! How did you get there? What do you do for work? And how soon can I come stay with you (coughforevercough)? ?

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Diana

      May 07, 2017 at 6:16 pm

      I need to go there. I love how everything is local! (And beautiful). It looks unreal. I must go. If you figure out a way to move there, I’m gonna come visit?

      Reply
      • Leslie Haasch

        May 08, 2017 at 11:12 am

        You really do! It’s the best!

        Reply

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