Nantucket After Dark

After showering and shaving, and all that other "night on the town" stuff that guys do, Brian & I walked downtown to Cy's Lobster Pot (formerly the Atlantic Cafe) for dinner. I began a bowl of their excellent clam chowder and a Long Trail IPA (another island location with no Cisco on tap?!?), and finished with ______ (how can I not remember? I think I had fish & chips, but I forget). Then it was off to the Rose & Crown for a few more Long Trail IPAs, and to watch the Celtics pummel the Lakers, and hopefully win title #18. Sadly, it didn't turn out that way. And to make matters worse, I had a hot Dominican girl sitting in front of me, flirting and bragging about how "her" Lakers, even though she lived in Miami, were going to destroy us (which, unfortunately, they did). Despite her garrulous nature and flawless skin, I was not sad to see her leave at halftime, before the Celtics had fully imploded. There were plenty of other beautiful women in the place to keep our vision occupied however, including a heavenly Brit brunette with eyes to die for, and a smile from the gods.

Once the game was over, I was so annoyed with the loss, I walked back in the night air to the room for a minute to collect myself. Mind cleared and reset, I called Brian, and met him at Cambridge Street (nice legs, missy at the bar!) for another beer. By then we were all about being 'out & about' (and she was the only female in the place), so in quick succession (after guzzling our pints) we hit several other places, ending with last call at The Gazebo as it was closing down. Because we each had eight beers over the course of the evening, the five bottles of Cisco Sankaty Light left in our room's minifridge sat untouched for the rest of the trip, to the delight of a Chestnut House staff member when we checked out the next day. Despite the Celtics losing, it was a pretty fun bar-hop on the island. Up next: Nantucket Day 2

We're On Island Time (Morning)...

On Tuesday morning, I got up just before my alarm was supposed to go off at 5:45 am, and I fed the cat & made coffee. I spent the next hour packing & getting everything in order for my trip, and at precisely 6:55 am I hopped in my car, and headed out onto the highway. About halfway there (it was a smooth 2-hour drive from my apartment to the Steamship Authority ferry dock in Hyannis), Brian called and said that morning rush-hour traffic through Boston was severely delaying his drive, so I took the slow boat solo, and he caught the 11 am fast ferry instead. I spent the first hour on the top deck enjoying the glorious morning sunshine, and the second hour under a walkway so I wouldn't burn. I finished the book I was reading, listened to Almanac Mountain's "When in Nature" EP on my iPod (as well as "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga), and then I disembarked in Nantucket! I was officially on "Island Time" at 11:27 am...

I checked into our room at The Chestnut House (a place I've stayed many times over the years because of their awesomely cheap off-season rates), unpacked, and then waited with the book's sequel for the delivery of the bicycle I rented, as well as Brian's arrival. When Brian arrived soon after my bike, we sat around for a few minutes, and then walked over to old favorite The Brotherhood of Thieves for lunch. I had an amazing bowl of lobster bisque and a Cisco Bailey's Pale Ale to start, and after thoroughly enjoying both, I savored an equally-good Cisco Beer BBQ Burger with smoked bacon & Vermont cheddar cheese, and a bunch of curly fries. What a way to start the island feasting.

On the way back to the room I grabbed an excellent Rwandan coffee at The Bean, I stuffed my backpack with beach gear, and then Brian & I headed out on our bicycles to Surfside Beach, 4½ miles away. Man, did we luck out with the weather! It was sunny and around 70 all day, and the ride was awesome. Once we got to the beach I slathered on extra sunscreen, and while Brian went for a walk up and down the beach, I spent a half hour in the ocean, body surfing, swimming, and just being a happy goofball. There were several bikinied beauties nearby for scenery, the occasional seagull squeed overhead, and the smell and sound of the sea wiped away weeks of "old apartment/unfinished new apartment/no job" stress. We hung out for an hour or so, and then rode our bikes back to the Chestnut House to chill for awhile (I read and finished my coffee, and Brian got sucked into the bizarre phenomenon known as 'World Cup Soccer'). Up next: dinner and Nantucket After Dark.

Nantucket Mini-Trip

Brian & I are going to Nantucket tomorrow!

He was able to get Tuesday and Wednesday off, so I got us a place to stay at the always convenient Chestnut House (Room #2, two twin beds and two breakfast vouchers for only $100 + tax). Brian is bringing his bike over on the ferry, but I opted to rent one for 24 hours from Easy Rider Bicycle Rentals - $21 for a kick-ass hybrid bike delivered to my door (and picked up from my door the following day). Sweet!

The $9 breakfast voucher is good at one of two places, Even Keel and another (it changes from time to time, but used to be Arno's at 41), so that'll be good. And it's supposed to be sunny and around 70 degrees both days, so several long bike rides and beach time are musts. Ah'm goin' swimmin'!

For Tuesday evening, there are several options:

• The Celtics are going to roll up the Lakers, and win their 18th Finals Championship in LA. Tip-off is at 9 pm, so a local bar (Cambridge Street, The Rose & Crown, Kitty Murtagh's, etc...) is a possibility.
• It's open mic night at The Muse.
• Joshua Tree, a U2 cover band has a three-night residency at The Chicken Box.

Add in the good local food, coffee and beer, and it's going to be a hell of a trip.