A Taste of Nantucket

Last weekend I spent 48 hours on the island of Nantucket. It was everything I imagined it to be! It isn't the easiest place to get to, so my time was short, but I'll attempt to give you a small taste of my taste of Nantucket. I had a blast playing around with my new camera and I took SO many pictures, so bear with me!

I met my mom and her friend, DeAnn in Boston on Thursday night and we made our way to Nantucket on Friday. First we got on a bus to Hyannis, then a ferry to Nantucket. Here are some pictures from the port in Hyannis and what we saw as we left Hyannis (it was misting, so these are a little dark/fuzzy). By the way, if you haven't figured this out already, you can click on the pictures to see them full-size (this takes time, but a lot of them will look a lot better if you do)!





























Our ferry boat















So, my mom was trying to point out the Kennedy
estate in Hyannis to me. She thought it was one of
these white houses you can see off in the distance
that are right on the shore. We never got confirmation
of that though.















Our first views as we pulled into Nantucket--
the rain was gone!















The old lighthouse in the background, the newer
lighthouse (Brant Point) up front.















One of the two church steeples in downtown
Nantucket. They even had bells! That's something
I don't get to hear in the City!















Brant Point Lighthouse















My first picture on land in Nantucket! These are
houses built on one of the piers.















We spent a lot of time just walking around the town-- cute streets lined with boutiques and other shops. Everything was SO expensive, so I didn't buy much. I do like looking in those types of stores, even if I know I won't be getting anything. I'll never buy one, but I can appreciate a $300 sweater. Here are some pics I took around town





























A tiny house built on stilts over the water















Shops along one of the piers















We did eat some lobster in Nantucket!















Houses built on one of the piers















This pick-up truck was set up so cute!















This was a super cute hat store. My mom said
these hats are really famous.















Where we stayed...



















My mom & DeAnn







































I was amazed at all the beautiful flowers-
especially at this time of year! There were
hydrangeas everywhere!






























On the Straight Wharf Pier















In front of a home















One night I walked over to the Brant Point
lighthouse.



















They have about 22 weddings a weekend on
Nantucket during this time of year. The sign
on the lighthouse was announcing a marriage.















You'll notice that most of the houses are gray
shingles. But, they actually start out as tan
shingles and the salty ocean air turns them from
tan to gray. This is a good example of a house
that is in the process of being re-shingled.















Look at the cute little "Surry"!















I should have walked to the other side of the
island to see this sunset over the water! Must
have been gorgeous!



















On Saturday, we wanted to take a driving tour of the island. We hopped in this lady's suburban and she took us near and far pointing out the sights and giving us the history of Nantucket. Pictures from the tour:

Jetties Beach- closest beach to town















View of cliff beach, from the cliff!















Tommy Hilfiger's house















Oldest house in Nantucket...dates to 1600's, I think?















Working wind mill





























Learning about the cranberry bogs was
interesting, but eating dark chocolate covered
cranberries was even better!















Sconset Beach















Sankaty lighthouse. The light flickers on once
every seven seconds-- I was lucky to get it
in my picture!















The most photographed house on the island.
Why? Because when the roses bloom, all that
lattice is covered in them!















We also took a Harbor Ice Cream Cruise. We
ate orange sherbert while seeing the island by boat.

Our boat































This house is owned by the man who
owns most the businesses/property
in Nantucket



















Okay, look closely for this one. In the distance
right in the middle is a big white house. That's
the Gamble's house. As in Proctor & Gamble!



























John Kerry/Teresa Heinz Kerry's house















So, anyone with a vacation home knows you have to name your house. I enjoyed seeing all the names people picked for their Nantucket houses. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Tucked In"













"Family Ties"















"RELACKX"

And my personal favorite was this big house

called "Hurry Up and Wait"

Next to the big house was this little guest house,
"Wait"!
















Nantucket is famous for their "Nantucket Red"
fabric. They make EVERYTHING with it...
shirts, pants, shorts, etc... I bought a t-shirt....

Kewpies

In answer to Mindy's question from my previous post, here are some pictures of kewpies!



























So, yes, my high school mascot was a naked baby with a curl on it's head!

I had a great weekend in Nantucket! Will post pics and tell you all about it when I get a chance this week!

Kewpies, a pimp, and Susan Sarandon!

(Most of you know, but for those who don't, my high school mascot was the Kewpie).

Jessica & Maggie came in town last Thursday. Maggie spent that night with a college friend, so Jessica and I were on our own. We went to dinner at my favorite Thai place down the road from where I live, called Yum Yum. It was yum, yum! We stayed in the neighborhood that night...mainly walking through Times Square. I tried to get a picture of Jessica with Shrek, but Shrek had a scary body guard/pimp who told me not without a tip. Times Square is right around the corner from me so I see it quite a bit. I figure I should start posting more pics of things I see frequently so that you can see what I see! Here are some pics Jessica took in Times Square:

































































Friday, Maggie came over in the morning. We all headed up to Central Park. The weather was great this weekend, so walking through the park was really nice! Here are some pics of us in the park:

Maggie & I















Jessica & I with waterfall in the background


























































Part of our long stroll through the park included walking through Strawberry Fields-- an area of the park dedicated in memory of John Lennon. The building where he lived and was killed, The Dakota, is right across the street. Here are pictures of the memorial and The Dakota:































The Dakota




















From the park, we walked through the Upper West Side and found a spot to eat lunch-- a cafe with good salads. We did a little shopping in the area-- found a great and inexpensive jewelry store called Laila Rowe. Then, we hopped on the subway and headed for the West Village and Magnolia Bakery! We enjoyed our cupcakes in the park and then headed back up towards mid-town. Maggie went back to my place to take a nap (she's pregnant!!). Jessica and I headed over to a couple of the cheap stores on 5th Ave...H&M and Mexx. I actually bought a few things at H&M- first time I've had any luck at that store, but this was the first time I'd been in one since moving up here...only been on vacations before. We then walked over to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). It is free on Friday's from 4-8pm. We only lasted a short while- we were tired! We saw only the 1st floor out of 6, I think. I will have to go back on another free Friday when I haven't been on my feet all day! While in that neighborhood, we walked past Radio City and Rockefeller Center-- they were having a US Open Watch party on the lawn, set up to look like a tennis court. We also walked past St. Patrick's Cathedral.





















































We headed back home for a quick rest and to get Maggie. Maggie's friend Ann came over as well and we all went to dinner. We just wanted to stay in the neighborhood and ended up at an Italian Restaurant that I thought was pretty good. Afterwards, we got dessert at Amy's Bread-- I had a delicious Strawberry Shortcake. By then, we were exhausted and headed for home.

Saturday, we slept in...us Columbia girls are sort of known for that! When we did get up, we walked towards the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. We ate lunch at a restaurant right there that has good salad's and sandwiches, but we were seated outside in the sun and it was really hot! We then walked through the flea market doing some shopping. I bought only a necklace. On the way out, there was a cart selling those Mexican slushy things and that was just the refreshment we needed!

Maggie & I at lunch















From the flea market, we took a taxi to Bryant Park which is where Fashion Week is taking place this week. If you read any tabloid magazine's, you know what this is. Basically all the big designers put on runway shows and all the celebs vie for front row tickets to the shows. We stood outside the main tent hoping to see some celebrity's coming and going. We didn't see anyone we recognized, but it was still fun to be there!

Jessica & I at the Fashion Week tent (notice
my new flea market necklace)















We don't know who this girl is, but people
were taking her picture like she was famous.
Do you recognize her?















We headed for home to rest up and get ready for our 8:30 dinner reservations at Butter. I've been wanting to go to Butter for a long time. It's one of the celebrity hot-spots...Ashley Olsen's ex-boyfriend owns it. I'm glad we went, but I didn't think it was the best meal ever and the atmosphere was interesting, but also not the best ever. Downstairs is a dance club and we did go down there to use the restroom, but there were people eating there-- my guess is they move the tables late at night and turn it into a dance floor then. We did not see anyone famous.

In my room getting ready for our night out















Maggie & Jessica at Butter















After Butter, we walked through the West
Village to Milk & Cookies- a bakery I've heard
great things about. Maggie & I both picked
cookies and ice cream to make an ice cream
sandwich and Jessica got a variety of their
cookies. It is a fun place! You can also "create
your own dozen" there and I'm dying to go
back to try that!

Sunday, Jessica left really early and Maggie & I slept in again. We took the morning slow and only left in time to make our 12:30 lunch reservation at Spice Market...another celeb hot-spot I've been wanting to try. We loved it!! It had a really nice atmosphere, excellent service, and the food was delicious! We were both very impressed. I would definitely try it again. After lunch, we walked around the corner to the Chelsea Market, which I had never been to before. It is kind of a warehouse with different little stores and restaurants in it...very cute. The first place we went into was kind of a clothing boutique/restaurant. It was packed with people having brunch. Maggie and I were just browsing through the store part and I glanced over and there was Susan Sarandon having brunch with her daughter!! This was probably the most exciting celebrity sighting I've had. Just because it was so unexpected and because she's such a famous actress! We finished shopping through the Market and as we were leaving, so was Susan S! They were headed in the same direction as us, so we sort of watched to see where they were going and then followed them into a store-- it was fun!! She walked right past me in the store. She looked exactly like I would have expected her to- just like she does in the movies!

So, that was a great ending to a great weekend! Tomorrow, I leave for Nantucket for the weekend. My mom is spending the next two weeks with a friend so I'm meeting up with them. Expect me to write next week about my adventure up there!

Sorry!

Sorry to leave you hanging for 2 weeks! I am alive! I honestly haven't done much exciting in the past two weeks. I really need to get back on track with my 1 new thing a week rule! I've been busy doing some painting and things like that around the house. Stuff we've been meaning to get to for a couple of months and just haven't. Now that I have company coming frequently for the next few months, I got motivated to work on it! Still not done, but I'm making progress. I will take pics of my place and post them here once I'm finished fixing everything up!

Things at work have taken a fun turn lately. When I got here, the accounting situation was a mess. It has taken me this long to get things cleaned up, fixed up, organized and a process put together that is easy to keep up with on a weekly basis. So, I now have some free time and they are starting to put me on other projects. Right now, I am getting to plan a huge carnival for the kids!! I love to plan events so getting to do this for my job is an amazing opportunity! This past week, I reserved a bounce house, a ball pit, carnival games, a cotton candy machine, etc... Plus, came up with arts & craft stations, door prizes, arranged for other food, etc.... It's coming along well, but we weren't given much time to get it all done...the carnival is this Sunday!! So, it's been a hectic process, but I've really enjoyed it!

My friends Jessica & Maggie were here this weekend. I will blog about that and post some pictures later this week! In the meantime, I finally have posted some pictures from my first few months here. They can be found HERE. Enjoy!