Island Life

Visiting Martha’s Vineyard would have been out of the question for us, if it hadn’t been for the generosity of Ryan’s mom and stepfather who joined us on the East Coast for a brief vacation. They had visited the island before, and suggested it as a stop along the way. The island getaway for Ryan and me would quickly become a highlight of the East Coast stretch.

For me, I had always imagined the East Coast as the beautiful landscape described in Kate Chopin's The Awakening with the ocean lapping at clean brown beaches with blue green sea grass waving in the breeze among sand blown cottages and resorts. Turns out the scene I had pictured while reading Chopin's classic is a real place.

Minus the characters wearing long bathing gowns and beach trousers, it felt like I could have stepped into the quaint setting of a summer getaway spot for wealthy Bostonians of the early 1900s. The reality is actually not too far from that, since over half of the island’s homes are used seasonally, and the price tag of living on the island certainly hints at the wealth of those who do summer here.

As for us, we chose to spend our time bicycling around the island and oooing and awwwing at the combination of beautiful scenery and historic homes and properties of Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. The island has installed smooth, paved bike paths along the shoreline and between the towns, making for effortless bike riding, minus the few hills on the interior of the island. Traveling to the opposite end of the island where the fishing boats come in (and where much of Jaws was shot) is not quite so biker friendly, but Ryan’s mom found a creative solution to our transportation needs in the form of a Mini Cooper convertible that we happily took down the scenic drive to the western point of the island. There we found one of the prettiest ocean views I’ve ever seen.

As if the beautiful views, pristine beaches, and quaint summer homes weren’t enough, the food we ate on the island was just as mind blowing. Believe it or not, some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had was at Sharky’s on Martha’s Vineyard. The steak enchiladas, guacamole, and pulled pork burrito were particularly worth noting, and the margaritas proved quite dangerous. Then there was lunch in Edgartown at a local spot overlooking the bay where the lobster quesadilla I shared with Ryan’s mom had been featured on the Food Network, and rightfully so. Finally, our favorite spot was Larsen’s fish market, where we ordered four lobsters, crab cakes, and lobster bisque ahead of time, then munched while watching the sunset over the harbor and the bobbing fishing skiffs.

In total, the charm and beauty of Martha’s Vineyard completely captured our hearts. The island is such a romantic place, with its beaches ideal for swimming and sailboats catching the breeze, it’s easy to fall in love with island life. Surely we’ll be back sometime soon when the summer sun allows for a dip into the Atlantic, sipping Sharky’s margaritas, and licking lobster juice off our fingers. Doesn’t get much better than that.