Biking in Nantucket

Sept 27, 2019 – Cape Cod (Nantucket)- Today we got started early and drove to Hyannis to catch the Hy-Line Ferry to Nantucket. We were a little surprised when we learned that to get two roundtrip tickets with bike passes, and a parking pass, would cost about $180. So it’s a $180 day before setting foot on the island! It was a sign of things to come. There is a discounted rate for residents that go back and forth but of course we didn’t qualify for that rate.

It was nice to be pulling in/out of the harbors at Hyannis and Nantucket on such a perfect weather day. Without a doubt, Nantucket is one of the coolest places we have been. The island 30 miles south of Cape Cod is about 15 miles long and 3 miles wide. So it’s fairly small (much smaller than Martha’s Vineyard)……but also stunningly beautiful. The old downtown streets are still cobblestone and brick, and the houses are very old, very nicely renovated, and VERY EXPENSIVE. Most of the shops and galleries around the waterfront and in the downtown area were quite expensive. I found a t-shirt I liked, but it was $80! The sales lady offered to give me 25% off, which means I could’ve bought it for the bargain basement price of $60…….like that was supposed to be a deal I couldn’t refuse! But I did.

The majority of the land on the island is designated for conservation…..it’s clear the island residents are dedicated to preserving the environment, including limiting their use of pollution emitting cars and trucks. Non-resident visitors can bring a car but it will cost you $200 each way (hardly anybody brings a car with them unless they have a residence on the island). The island has very nice bike paths and designated bike lanes to most areas of the island, and has strict rules about yielding to bikes and pedestrians. And when you consider traffic on the roads, its just easier to use a bike. There were 2 hour time limits parking downtown, even for bikes in the bike racks!

When we first got to town, we biked about 7 miles to the most scenic part of Nantucket, which is an area on the western side of the island called Siasconset. This is also where the 2 VERY private golf courses are located. We had lunch at the only place open…..a place called Claudette’s Sandwich Shop. It was very good, but we were disappointed when we were not able to have lunch at the famous Summer House resort. This is a “boutique collection of Nantucket luxury hotels, inns, and restaurants.”. Its a spectacular resort covering several oceanfront acres…..it would be a great place to stay if we come back to Nantucket. Given its location on Nantucket, we can only imagine what the property is worth! Btw, they also own an apartment on the Left Bank in Paris France that they rent to guests!

After lunch, we biked to what we heard was one of best places to visit in Nantucket……the Cisco Brewery and Distillery. It’s an old farm that was converted into a brewery and distillery. They make their own beer, wine and liquor. They have a big courtyard area in the middle where people can sit around to enjoy their beverage of choice and chat. They also have food trucks. But this is also where I had my only bad experience of the day.

I walked from my table to the bar for a drink and had only been back at our table for about 5 minutes when I noticed that my sunglasses were missing. I went back to the bar and asked if they found them and they said no. Seriously?! I checked with the managers and nobody turned them in. Bummer! Nancy and I are convinced someone at the bar saw them laying on the counter when I left and took them. So somebody got a very nice pair of Costa sunglasses. And I got another lesson in why I should never buy expensive sunglasses! I actually wear cheap sunglasses most days, but I knew we were going to be on water and in the sun all day, so I grabbed a pair of Costa’s……and promptly lost them…..Geeeeezzzz!

Nantucket is a very beautiful and charming seaside town……..but it’s also incredibly expensive! There must be have to be some long time residents here that have made small fortunes selling/trading properties. Maybe that’s why there are so many realtors for a small island. When we were pulling into Nantucket, we saw the house John Kerry just sold…..a 5600 sq. ft 2 story waterfront home that sold for $17.5M. He and his wife then bought another place on the island for $11.5M. We saw small, non-oceanfront cottages (less than a 1000 sq ft) that were going for $700,000+. The avg. listing we saw was easily well over a million $’s (especially for anything on the water), many in the $20-30M range. The most expensive place I saw was $35M, and to be honest, it wasn’t that big or beautiful…..nothing like the castle-like structures we saw in Newport. I’m sure Sotheby’s does a great business here! A small non-oceanfront building lot we saw was priced at $825k! Obviously, the whole island is WAY ABOVE our pay grade! I think a lot of folks are just listing and trying to make a small fortune from a resale.

We ended putting 21 miles on our bikes and saw a lot of the island before we boarded the ferry for the ride back to Cape Cod. It would be great to come back when we could stay for a few days and rent bikes or scooters to get around.

Leaving the port in Hyannis headed for Nantucket at about 9:30 under sunny blue skies…

Pulling into Nantucket….the downtown is right near the docks.

We rode our bikes to a couple beaches and went to the old historic area of Siasconset, we visited another beach and had lunch at Claudette’s (as best we could tell, it was the only restaurant open).