Misstropolis

Monday, July 28, 2008

Nantucket Magic (make the crowds disappear)

by Charlie Gifford

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This just in… Nantucket gets very crowded in the summer.

A helpful hint… avoid the crowds.

Nantucket’s Main Street can be a zoo, and the traffic around the rotaries (yes, plural as of spring ’07) is enough to make you more aggravated than a priest in P-town. The best solution is to get out of town. Nantucket’s beauty resides in its nearly 50 miles of beaches and the rolling hills of the middle moors. There are many peaceful spots; you just have to know where to find them. Don’t avoid town altogether, just visit before 9 am while the streets are still quiet, or after 8 pm when they’re lamp-lit and charming.

Almost every summer of my life has been spent on this magical island. Here are some more helpful hints, and my favorite places to…

get coffee and the paper:
Head to the airport where papers arrive first, as early as 7 am (depending on the fog). In town go to The Hub on Main Street, the spot where my parents first laid eyes on each other during the summer of 1963.

buy sandwiches for the beach:
The sandwich kings – Something Natural, Henry’s Jr. and Provisions – get all the buzz and deservedly so. At the risk of bugging my Sconset friends who love their quiet, serene life, I’ll add Claudette’s in Sconset to the list. They use the freshest ingredients and make the best cookies on the island. (Post Office Sq., Siasconset, 508/257-6622).

spend a day at the beach: 
You can’t go wrong with any beach along the south shore, though my favorite spots include Nodabeer and Madequecham. Actually my favorite spot changes each year depending on the location of sandbars which shift with winter weather patterns. Sandbars make the surf gentler for small swimmers and steadier for body surfing and boogie boarding. Pack a lunch, bring life-vests for little ones, and forget the rest of the world.

*Body surfing and boogie boarding is traditionally best at low tide. Get a tide chart at any fishing outfitter and go during a falling or, better yet, low tide.

buy fresh fish:
Dave Glidden of Glidden’s Seafood is the man – Nantucket’s resident guru on how to prepare anything caught in the sea. Glidden’s has been a family-owned business for decades.

Tell him Charlie Gifford sent you… and he will probably charge you double.

catch fresh fish:
Nantucket has some of the best sport fishing along the east coast. Escape the trollers that line up in town and head west to Madaket. Captain Tom Mleczko has fished Nantucket for over 25 years and no one knows the water better.

have cocktails out with friends:
Pre-dinner: The Jetties Restaurant - brand new this season, (the website is still in development). A shack on Jetties Beach, this is a fun, low key spot with a killer view; worth checking out after the beach-goers depart for the day.

Post dinner: The Straight Wharf bar is still going strong, though it can turn into the STAR WARS (1977) bar scene late night. If in town, check out the back bar at the Ropewalk out at the end of Straight Wharf in the Boat Basin. Just be careful not to tip back in your chair and fall into the water; (I’ve seen it happen).

have a romantic dinner:
Back deck at Straight Wharf Restaurant still takes the cake. My wife and I also like the back patio at Le Languedoc. I recommend the English Muffin burger.

go out to brunch:
I don’t really do brunch, but the breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan’s is great. Don’t be intimidated by the line, it’s worth the wait. Grab a paper at the Hub and hang out front. For breakfast on the run, grab an egg sandwich and coffee at Lucky’s (a convenient store) on West Creek Road.

escape:
Great Point… when the piping plovers allow. Closed now until late July or whenever the baby pipings hatch. You definitely need 4WD for the 6 mile drive through extremely soft sand. You’ll also have to stop at the Great Point station and buy a beach pass, and let air out of your tires. Pack a cooler and casting rods and make the trek for sunset. Great Point is truly unlike any other place around – as good as it gets.

dance:
No good evening is complete without a trip to The Box. Save for the smoking porch, the place hasn’t changed since I snuck in there at age 14 for my first drink.

skinny-dip:
Brant point. 1 AM.