2008 Woodie Awards
Nantucket - a great escape from city life
Caryn Connolly
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Opinion
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For a great escape from the stresses of life at Stevens, let me suggest a weekend on Nantucket, a small island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. They are closing for the season, but it's never too early to look ahead to spring.
Nantucket has a little something for everyone. The island is only three and a half miles wide and 14 miles long. It is quiet, residential, and overflowing with pristine beaches. You can also find museums, restaurants, bars, and shops galore.
The best way to get to the island is to either take a bus from Port Authority to Woods Hole, MA. and take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard followed by another ferry to Nantucket, or to drive to Hyannis and take a ferry directly to Nantucket. I chose the second option, splurging on the fast ferry that gets to the island in about an hour. The day I arrived there was a torrential downpour in Hyannis, but only a shower on Nantucket. I later learned that Nantucket has had less than its share of rain this year.
The only reasonably priced accommodations on the island are located at Surfside Beach, on the opposite side of the island from the ferry landings. The Star of the Sea Youth Hostel was perfect for a student's budget-about $100 for three nights. A former Lifesaving Station, the hostel has been restored and converted to lodgings. Those who live on campus will feel right at home in the bunk bed dorms. The female dorm is in the main building and houses 22. A path to the beach is right outside the hostel, and local bicycle shops deliver bikes and mopeds.
Surfside Beach is located on the south shore, and therefore, gets large crashing waves. It is the perfect place to go at the end of the day to relax. The houses along the dead end road outside the hostel are christened with names like "Surf Diva" and "Surf Song" by their owners. The first thing you notice on Nantucket is that all the houses look alike. I don't mean they all have the same architecture; they are just all made of unpainted wood. Over time the wood weathers to a dull gray.
Nantucket has a little something for everyone. The island is only three and a half miles wide and 14 miles long. It is quiet, residential, and overflowing with pristine beaches. You can also find museums, restaurants, bars, and shops galore.
The best way to get to the island is to either take a bus from Port Authority to Woods Hole, MA. and take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard followed by another ferry to Nantucket, or to drive to Hyannis and take a ferry directly to Nantucket. I chose the second option, splurging on the fast ferry that gets to the island in about an hour. The day I arrived there was a torrential downpour in Hyannis, but only a shower on Nantucket. I later learned that Nantucket has had less than its share of rain this year.
The only reasonably priced accommodations on the island are located at Surfside Beach, on the opposite side of the island from the ferry landings. The Star of the Sea Youth Hostel was perfect for a student's budget-about $100 for three nights. A former Lifesaving Station, the hostel has been restored and converted to lodgings. Those who live on campus will feel right at home in the bunk bed dorms. The female dorm is in the main building and houses 22. A path to the beach is right outside the hostel, and local bicycle shops deliver bikes and mopeds.
Surfside Beach is located on the south shore, and therefore, gets large crashing waves. It is the perfect place to go at the end of the day to relax. The houses along the dead end road outside the hostel are christened with names like "Surf Diva" and "Surf Song" by their owners. The first thing you notice on Nantucket is that all the houses look alike. I don't mean they all have the same architecture; they are just all made of unpainted wood. Over time the wood weathers to a dull gray.