Having had an awesome pint of Goose Creek IPA at Washington National Airport, now called Ronald Reagan, we flew 75 minutes north to Boston. its a great flight, flying over Philadelphia and NYC before descending into Boson over a myriad of islands, a little like the approach to Oslo, as well as clumps of colour in the trees as the autumn starts to set in.
We are stopping over in Boston on our way to Martha's Vineyard, a small island 75 mile miles south, and a 45 minute ferry ride from Woods Hole. I've always wanted to visit, my musical hero as a teenager was James Taylor, who lived, and recorded a favourite album here. For AD, it's more Kennedy history as Jacqueline owned a house here and invited the Clintons for summer holidays, even the Obama's holiday here! The movie "Jaws" was filmed here and it was also the scene of Teddy Kennedy's notorious Chapperquidd*** escapade that left a young lady drowned with him denying all knowledge!
We arrive in the second biggest town, Vineyard Haven. You immediately notice there is not a single corporate brand, no food outlets, even banks are island concerns. This means everywhere is unique enterprise, and all the better for it! We have decided not to hire bikes, the island is a circumference of 60 miles but its hitting 90F. We use the bus, $7 for a day pass and journey to Edgartown, the capital, checking into our great hotel after a late breakfast. Harbor View Hotel is like a club, great bar that makes you want to congregate and built in the closeboard style known as carpenter gothic. We took a bus trip to Gay Head, which is the most western point of the island. There is evidence of three ice ages in the rocks that form majestic cliffs, which are owned by an Indian tribe called the Aquinnah. The beach is fabulous, we are out of season, there's not many tourists around, and it's ours for a walk. This was also the place that JFK's son, John Jr, fatally crashed his small plane while flying at night to add to the family's tragedy!
Day 2 involved a trip, by bus, to Oak Bluff which has a harbour that will team with tourists in summer. Behind this area you find the most fantastic neighbourhood of the island's building style, close boarded, verandas with rocking chairs and mock turrets. Some have old cars outside them and one's known as the gingerbread house!
Martha's Vineyard is so laid back, not in a retarded way, just very chilled, artistic and not hurried, if not required. The locals appear a little stand offish, perhaps, after a season in the goldfish bowl, they are ready for a break. It's a wonderful place and well worth a detour from Boston. The journey home was via Hyannis, the home of the Kennedy family summer compound. We stopped off at a recommended cafe, run by a commune, called Common Ground, more like a sect set in a troll land! They all looked the same, short, doubled up pony tails, from boy to OAP..., however, damn fine ice tea!
Back to Boston, via every English town name under the sun, from Wakefield to Falmouth, great dinner opposite Cheers on Boston Common and we bump into John Travolta in reception, being most insistent that he has to play tennis in the morning at 8.30!