The Island

Trip Start Jul 14, 2007

Trip End Jul 28, 2007

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Flag of United States Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

We call it Martha's Vineyard, but to the locals, it is just The Island. It reminds me a lot of PEI, just a lot smaller. We took a ferry there from the mainland (use the Steamship Authority, much cheaper) after getting axed for $20 on parking ($10/day). We went there with no place to stay, and ended up arranging a B&B for $100 at the home of a retired ferry captain named Cynthia Riggs who writes murder mysteries in her waning years (she kills off anybody she doesn't like on the island, which is where all her books are set). Feel free to Amazon her, I haven't tried it yet.

The island is charming in that a lot of natural vegetation still grows, and the locals are incredibly friendly. We were fooling around the payphone, and this local comes up, asks us if he can help, realizes we're trying to find a place to stay, and points us to this building which aggregates all the availabilities for the local inns and B&Bs. Then, when we were asking for directions, this guy just offers us a ride to get there. Nobody locks their doors in Martha's Vineyard, and you can 'hail the bus' as you would a cab, and they'll stop! You can also customize where you'll be let off. And the coolest part is - the buses will call each other and ask one another to wait so you can catch your transfer.

The island physically isn't that great. The beaches are few and far between, and a bit rocky. The roads are in good repair but traffic planning is a disaster (three way intersections that all form integral roads is NOT a good traffic management system). And a lot of the island is just forest, and its just driving through winding roads. A lot of Anne of Green Gable-esque houses though (there's that PEI reference again). It's a nice place to retire, or go for a secluded 1 week vacation, but not much for sight-seeing.

Things to see:
Oak Bluffs Park Square
Interior of Island (just driving around)
Road between Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, especially the northern route that takes you through the lighthouse.

Money saving tips:
Try to stay off island on weekends (i.e. day-trip). On weekdays, there's quite a bit of availability in the B&Bs (yes, I'm a B&B convert now). Go to the Chamber of Commerce in Vineyard Haven, which aggregates all the housing on the island. It's on State Street about 4 houses in form the road parallel to the Ferry Terminal.
Don't rent a bike - $20/day is not worth it. Maybe a moped though?