Nomad in Nantucket — A Petite and Solo Wayfarer

In New York City during the hot and humid summer months, many locals get the itch to take long weekend or mini-vacations to the shores of New Jersey, the north and south coastline towns of the Hamptons and Fire Island, or even to the farthest eastern tip of Long Island in Montauk. New England's coastline and islands are also a fine choice to enjoying summer, specifically the tiny historic island of Nantucket, off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. During the summer season, Nantucket becomes a prime destination with its sand dune hills and beaches, historical buildings dating back as far as the 17th Century, Colonial homes on cobblestoned streets and picturesque lighthouses. Instead of spending my time with a horde of tourists in the summer, I decided to be a lone vacationer during the off-season of Nantucket in the fall.

Petite and Solo Safety Factor

4.5 out of 5

I learned a lot about Nantucket by way of a visit to the Whaling Museum located on the island. It is a tiny isolated island south of Cape Cod which was originally inhabited by Native Americans called the Wampanoag. In 1641, Europeans and Quakers from England landed on the island and began their settlements there. The Indians helped them fish, hunt, build but we all know how this story ends. The original "Founders" and families, namely the Coffins and Gardners, through land ownership and the whaling industry in the 1800's allowed this island to flourish economically. Nantucket's whaling dominance is even mentioned in the famous book Moby Dick by Herman Melville. There is a myriad of early American History at every turn on this island and I could easily walk everywhere to discover it.

Now, is Nantucket a safe place for a single female traveler to explore? Absolutely. Historic Downtown Nantucket is extremely charming and quaint. The island feels like it came from another era but it is an approachable, comfortable place to visit. I was told being here in the fall during off-season was better because you avoid the influx of summer visitors and the cost of an expensive vacation. I encountered many people and they were all polite, almost jovial and it was refreshingly pleasant. I even came across a number of people from the island of Jamaica. At my boutique inn, The Roberts Collection, both Front Desk receptionists were Jamaican. It seems Jamaicans are an integral part of the seasonal workforce in Nantucket and the rest of New England. They explained to me that a recruiting company brings them up for the season on H-2B work visas, typically from April to October. I was confounded but comforted to find islanders from the Caribbean on the island of New England. They occupy a slew of jobs on the island as cabs drivers, carpenters, construction workers, weed whackers, housekeepers, Maitre'd, Front Desk managers, restaurant servers, Sous chefs and storekeepers. While I expected New England accents on this trip, I didn't mind the Jamaican accents at all.

In the evenings, the cobblestone streets downtown are lit by decorative, old fashioned street lamps that still use oil it seemed and it was relatively dark. It was well after 10:00pm but I found couples in the streets coming from dinner or going to the bars and I felt comfortable walking back to my bed and breakfast.

At the Roberts Collection, four buildings comprises the boutique hotel. One of them even dates back to 1846. I chose the Gate House, the building recently added and built from the ground up in 2013. It did not feel like a B&B mainly due to its modern bedrooms with designer linens and the spacious bathrooms with Fresh brand amenities. The building did not have a lobby however. Instead, as you walked into the "house", you stepped into a living room and depending on where your guest room was allocated, you literally walked down the hall to your room or up the stairs to the second or third floor. What astonished me was the lack of apparent or visible security on property and that the front door to the Gate House was left locked, even in the evening. In fact, I was not even given a key to the front entrance of the building. Was this typical for bed and breakfast inns? Is it that safe in Nantucket? I have never had an experience such as this where it felt like I was walking in and out of a peaceful home but perhaps this speaks to how special Nantucket is.

Accessibility

ACK, the acronym for Nantucket, and the code for the small airport serving the island is also the slogan found everywhere. There are only two ways to get to ACK; by air or by water. It may seem like a pain to get there but it really isn't too bad. If you opt to drive or even take public transport like the train or bus, you can head to Hyannis, Massachusetts and then take the one-hour or two-hour ferry over to Nantucket Island. I hear the ferry can be a little uncomfortable during rough waters or if you are prone to seasickness. Seasonally, there is also the option of taking the Seastreak full-service ferry directly from New York to Nantucket. The duration of the trip is approximately 6 hours.

I flew to Nantucket on JetBlue from John F. Kennedy International Airport directly into Nantucket Memorial Airport. The flight was approximately 47 minutes (I kept checking). You spend more time at the airport checking in and going thorough the security gate than you do on the actual plane but it was worth it. Other airlines serving Nantucket are Cape Air, Nantucket Airlines and Island Airlines. My airfare to Nantucket during this off-season at the end of September (midweek departure) was $131.00 round-trip. Once you arrive at the airport, taxis are readily available to take you wherever you need to go on the island. Downtown Nantucket is less than 15 minutes away from the airport and a $14.00 ride including your luggage. Most boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and main tourist attractions and sites are located downtown.

Nantucket is a walkable town and I walked everywhere. Another way to explore the island is to bike it. The major bike shops on the island are Young's Bicycle Shop, Island Bike Co. and Nantucket Bike Shop. They offer competitive prices and some of the cutest Hybrid and Cruiser bikes with the classic wicker basket at the front of the bar handle. I did not bike around the island although I really wanted to. Unfortunately, I was subjected to the typical New England weather for two days during my visit in which the annoying, misty drizzle spat in my face or an occasional wind whipped around the corner, taking me off guard. I just didn't think it was safe enough to bike in those conditions. Nevertheless, I made the best of my visit and still loved exploring ACK solo.

Single Girl Comfort

As I mentioned earlier, Nantucket is easily an approachable and relaxed place. Both the natives of the island and even the visitors were congenial. I don't ever recall feeling uncomfortable during my visit. I do admit that on a few occasions, I noted inquisitive looks from my Caribbean brethren. A young Jamaican woman at the bakery shop I visited couldn't resist and as I was paying from my Quiche Lorraine, she politely asked me where was I from... what was my background... was I on the island for work. It was an odd exchange and I will not speculate as to why she asked me those questions. Either way I was not uncomfortable about it. As a women of any color traveling solo, should you be concerned about looks of curiosity from anyone on this island? No, you should not. They are just looks.

Dining Solo and Confident

I had the great luck of visiting Nantucket during Restaurant Week. For a week, participating restaurants, many which are popular and difficult to get reservations to, offer their lunch and/or dinner menus at a fraction of what you would typically pay. This small island has many restaurants with a diversity of cuisines. Several of them have an excellent bar scene which can be remarkably convenient for the solo traveler if you are unable to sit at a table. I tried to have lunches and dinners at as many trendy restaurants as I could, or caught a drink at the relaxed and casual options of the island. Here are a few of my recommendations when dining on Nantucket.

Great Places to Dine:

The Proprietors Bar & Table - Large selection of innovative small plates options perfect for the solo diner. Pig Ear fries, Foie Gras tart and Crispy shrimp are a must

The Nautilus - Great bar scene with Bespoke cocktails. Also provides an excellent Asian-Fusion menu of small plates. Fried Oyster tacos recommended. Peking Duck with duck leg confit and rice, pickled garnish, and bibb lettuce and buns feeds an army

Black-Eyed Susan's - Best Breakfast in Downtown Nantucket

Met on Main - Huge New-American Cuisine Restaurant on Main Street with large bar that seats over twenty, spacious dining room and patio room. Coconut Martini was delicious

Wayfarer Pointers

Whaling Museum

Nantucket Historical Association Whaing Museum - The skeleton of a sperm whale

One night, on HBO Premium cable channel, I watched the 2015 movie "Heart of the Sea" depicting the real life story of Nantucket seamen who sailed out on the Essex Whaleship on an expedition in hopes of increasing their wealth in Sperm Whale oil. Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean where the majority of sperm whales can be found, an enormous and enraged sperm whale stove or rammed the Essex, and destroyed their ship. I call that justice. In any case, twenty men in row boats now life boats drifted for ninety days, many died, the rest survived on resorting to cannibalism. At The Whaling Museum located on Broad Street, it provided an in-depth view of whaling life, the main industry of Nantucket in the 1800's. In the lobby, there is an impressive skeleton of a 46' teenage sperm whale that washed up on Nantucket New Year's Eve of 1997. He was sick, missing a whole row of teeth and had a few broken ribs.

A visit to this museum is a nice distraction and I suggest going the first day of your visit. The ticket price of $20.00 per adult not only includes the full day of exploring the museum but free all-access passes to other Nantucket Historical sites throughout the island; The Oldest House (1686) & Kitchen Garden, Old Mill, Greater Light, Fire House Cart House and Old Goal (pronounced 'Jail').

African Meeting House

A pleasant walk on Pleasant Street led me to Nantucket's most vivid reminder of the thriving 19th Century African Community, the African Meeting House. This building erected in 1825 served as a school for the children of color, a church, a meeting house for the Black Anti-Slavery Society and as a social center. The Meeting House is also one of the oldest African American church buildings still standing AND in use in the nation. Not only is it considered a museum but even today, it can be rented for wedding ceremonies. The exhibit and reception space can accommodate 80, pew seating. I definitely stepped into time in this place.

Cisco Brewers

For a fun afternoon outdoors in a rustic atmosphere, head to Cisco Brewers. It is the only brewery on the island and also serves as a distillery and winery. Natives and tourists alike flock to Cisco for craft beers, bespoke liqueurs and wine tastings accompanied by live music and popular food trucks. There are several ways to get there including taking a taxi or cycling but Cisco offers a free shuttle from Federal Street across from the Visitors Center to the brewery. It comes around about every 20 - 30 minutes. A taxi to and from Cisco Brewers will be $14.00 per way. The Cisco Shuttle; free plus gratuity at own discretion. It's a no brainer.

At Cisco, I took the public tour of the facilities provided at 1:00pm and again at 4:00pm. You have to sign up an hour before the tour. The tour includes a comprehensive explanation of the making and production of their craft beers, the distilling of their Triple Eight vodka and other liqueurs and a view of their winemaking process. Triple Eight Distillery also takes advantage of their maritime climate (which is similar to Scotland), their ventilated warehouses and their special wooden casks to produce 'Notch, the United States only island single malt island whiskey.