Swept Away by Martha's Vineyard, Summer 2018
/Catboat sailing off Chappaquidick Point.
The sunny ferry ride is much faster than you’d expect. After smooth seas, we rolled into Vineyard Haven and began for our first adventure on this famous island. And based on the trip, it won’t be our last.
We were turned on to Edgartown by the promise of quieter nights and a comprehensive lineup of offerings. As a hub, it’s great for launching to any point on the island. As a destination to spend time, it’s okay. The town is pedestrian friendly with a sprinkling of charming to-dos. but in general the best experiences on the Vineyard beckon from the far flung coasts.
Admiralty pattern anchor planted nearby the Edgartown Memorial Wharf.
Starbucks has not breached Martha’s Vineyard. Though a small number of chains have found their way to the island, generally the seasonal population has deterred commercial empires from landing in force. In some cases this is a godsend (I fear a treasure such as Morning Glory Farms would either be crushed by a phalanx of Whole Foods Market locations, or worse, have it’s ways altered to survive), and in other cases this sucks- just kidding, you’ll never miss that they don’t have a Target, even if that’s one of your favorite places to hang out for a couple of hours.
Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah, tour the top for views of the famous cliffs.
One doesn’t have to be a small business evangelist to appreciate the heart that goes into enterprise on the island, you just need wheels to visit the honor system vendors like Mermaid Farm and Dairy in West Tisbury, or Orange Peel Bakery near Aquinnah. Rent a car on the mainland and reserve your spot with the Steamship Authority early!
One of us had heard about a little dish called “Island Fresca” and became mildly obsessed. I don’t know how many places offer this delightful soup, and I’m probably never going to do the research because the place we like best is Red Cat Kitchen in Oak Bluffs. Replicating the dish isn’t as easy as vegan corn broth topped with gently simmered kernels, fresh slices of tomato, torn basil and grated parmesan, but it helps endure the misery of waiting until the next bowlful served up on Kennebec Avenue. Just a tad.
Most visitors clamor for a different local delicacy:
Lobster dinner with Stuffy, Slaw, Lemons and Butter.
You remembered to book with the Steamship Authority, right? Because in order to get to the fishing village of Menemsha necesitarás un carro , comprende? Consider my urgency a gift, enabling your visit to be as heavenly as possible. And if there is a heaven, please oh please let it be at least half as wonderful as Menemsha.
Menemsha Fish Market is one of several seafood shacks in the fishing village.
Smelling of brine, littered with old seafaring tack, ever the fight to park that car you’ve been pressured into parenting, and barely the size of a suburban shopping mall, Menemsha has it all. For one, it’s unchanged from the days when it bid the Orca godspeed on a mission to duel with the great white in JAWS. Second, fans of seafood will delight at any one of the shacks hawking steamers, chowder, stuffies, crab cakes, lobster rolls, lobster bisque, lobster quesadillas, lobster dinners, live lobsters, lobster salad… Wait, what was I talking about?
Sunsets, the best thing of all. Menemsha, the village, sits at the connection of Menemsha Creek and Menemsha Bight (another word for bay). This is the western tip of the island and with an unlimited horizon of Atlantic waters the sunsets are premier. Here’s how you do it: call in your lobster dinner order for pick-up an hour ahead of sunset, pick-up your meal (go back for souvenirs later) take your meal to the public beach and join the other thousand or so travel savants. If you like people watching then this will be doubly enjoyable.
From the western shores, an unlimited horizon.
Menemsha is part of the town of Chilmark, so don’t be confused if all the websites for places that you want to try are listed with Chilmark in their address. Besides the fishing village, Chilmark has a lovely chocolate store that’s all the rage. I definitely recommend you go, especially if you like stores that have rules (i.e. Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi). The Tisbury Farmers Market is a delight, it’s also the only retail experience I’ve had with Chilmark Coffee Company and to the roaster, much respect.
Terns fly with grace and beauty. They will steal your lunch, so watch out.
Before arriving I had made a point to rewatch JAWS. I’m glad I did, but I’m also sad that I let the hunt for history distract even the smallest amount of attention away from this welcoming and serene island. For the folks that make Martha’s Vineyard their home, even if only for a few weeks each summer, they like JAWS so much that they play the film in galley-size cineplex every week. Preserved as it is, I suspect the island would look just the way it does now even without JAWS’ mega-success. But if those weekly showings of the classic suggest anything it might be that Martha’s Vineyard is an island where the good stuff is kept, celebrated, enjoyed and safely stored during the winter. And if you rent a car and book your ferry early, then it just might be you that takes the biggest and best bite.
Jawbone of a tiger shark; one of the many souvenirs celebrating the ancient predators.
Greg Tulloss is a contributing writer and artist.