I left Boston at 5:32 AM, it was a bit rainy.

The plan was to catch the 8:15 AM high speed Flying Cloud, but since the 7:15 AM ferry hadn't left, for a savings of $13.00 and an arrival time of 9:30 AM vs. 9:15 AM, I hopped aboard (I reserved a return spot on the flying cloud for $26.00 at this time, since the 5:55 PM trip often sells out - I could opt to take a different ferry if I wished).

I found Nantucket to be quaint, more so than Martha's Vineyard. It was smaller and less commercial. I wandered around town and window shopped for a few hours.

I stopped for breakfast at a little place called Arno's at 41 Main Street. The atmosphere and decor were great, the wait for a table was only about 10 minutes.

The waitress was friendly/polite however once she served my food and delivered a check she never returned to see if I enjoyed my meal or needed more coffee.

I ordered yogurt/granola which was very good and a breakfast burrito with spiced eggs, tomato and swiss (one of their specialties). I was a bit disappointed. It was okay, but not great. The wrap was much too large for the filling so I felt like I was eating mostly dry bread. There were only a few small pieces of tomato, I had expected something with lots of tomatoes.

I then walked over to Young's (near the ferry terminal) to rent a bike. The service was very fast. The rental was $21.00, which included a great map - the bike was a cute 10 speed with a big wicker basket in front. They also had mountain bikes for an add'l $5.00.

I headed for the bike path. I had to ride on the streets and found it to be a bit dangerous getting across town.

At the rotary, I headed toward Sconset Beach via Milestone Road. The signs weren't great, so I wasn't really sure if I was heading in the right direction. I just followed other riders (many of whom weren't sure either).

The ride was mostly through brush, on flat trails with not a lot of views anyplace. Sconset was cute, a store and a few places to eat. I had heard about the famous "Sconset" cookie but I didn't get one. They were about 5 inches wide and looked a bit over cooked.

I headed right on to Ocean Ave and followed the beach down to the Coast Guard Station. I had great views of the ocean and passed cute beach houses (similiar to the Hamptons, cape or Newport). I saw a few deers, a rabbit and a couple of hawks.

I parked and walked the beach for a bit which was pretty much deserted with the exception of the seagulls.

I returned to Nantucket via Polpis Road, which was longer, a bit more hilly with similiar scenary (although I did pass a lighthouse).

On the way back, I detoured up one of the side streets to Sankaty Beach Club. This was a great beach with much better views (I hiked up a small cliff).

Upon my return to Nantucket, I returned my bike got 1/4 lb of peanut butter M&M fudge for $3.00 at Aunt Leah's (very creamy, although had I know that they won awards for their cranberry fudge I may have choosen that instead).

I headed for a quick snack at the Brant Point Grill on Eaton Street. The views from the deck overlooking the harbor were great, the gardens were nicely manicured.

I ordered a glass of red wine, lobster chowder and a salad of greens, goat cheese, portabella mushrooms and roasted red peppers.

The food was great, but I didn't find it to be in the "top 10". It cost about $37.00 (before tip) which I though was a bit excessive. The service was okay, but not great. The waitress was pleasant but tended to "disappear".

I headed back to the ferry (I was told to check in 1/2 hour early to save my spot). The trip was great, although the boat was crowded. We arrived in Hyannis in 1 hour.

I headed back to my car at 7:00 PM and arrived back in Boston at 8:30PM (no traffic).

Linda,

My husband and I were also in Nantucket for a day over the weekend. We are from NYC and we drove to Hyannis Friday afternoon and spent the night there. It was our first time in Cape Cod and we were a little disppointed with the area but it was o.k. since our main purpose was to visit Nantucket (also for the first time for both of us).

Saturday morning, we took the 8:45 am Hy-Line ferry, which took us to Nantucket by 10:30 am. We then walked to Jetties Beach and spent some time there sunbathing and collecting seashells. We then walked to the lighthouse and enjoyed the sea breeze. Afterwards, we walked back to town and walked around and had early dinner at Captain Tobey's (I think that was the name). It was very hot last weekend and we realized that many shops and restaurants were not air conditioned. Tobey's happened to be air conditioned, which is why we chose that place. We toured some more and got back on the last ferry at 8: 45 pm and were back in Hyannis by 10:30p. We drove back to NYC early next morning since we were forewarned that traffic back from the Cape can be bad on Sunday afternoons.

Overall, our weekend was very nice. We loved Nantucket. We plan to visit again for a longer period of time and, this time, we will stay in Nantucket and explore other parts of the island.

Jamie - -

I would like to take my husband to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard for his birthday. We would be leaving from NYC - -how did you go? How long was the drive to Hyannis?

Any hotel recommendations?

thanks

Linda, great trip report, especially the cycling and food details. Thanx a mint!

We're planning to daytrip and cycle around Nantucket as well. Could you estimate how long it took you to ride to the bike path from town, and as well, how long to the beaches?

Martha,

We left Manhattan on Friday around 10 am and arrived in Hyannis around 4:30 pm. It took us 6.5 hours, over an hour more than what Mapquest estimated. The bulk of your drive will be on I-95. Although most of the trip was traffic-free, we did hit heavy traffic around Bourne Bridge (right when you hit Route 6). We didn't know where this massive traffic was coming from all of a sudden. The traffic was caused by those going towards the opposite direction from Hyannis but it still caused delay for those going to Hyannis. We later asked the innkeeper about the traffic and he said that they are going to Falmouth, another town in Cape Cod, which apparently is very popular during the summer. According to the innkeeper, some people drive there and take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

In Hyannis, we stayed at an inn called Hyannis Inn Motel on Main Street for $155/night. The only good thing about this place was the central location. We were able to walk to all the restaurants, harbor and the ferries to MV and Nantucket. However, the place was pretty run-down and not so clean. Since it was only for 2 nights, it was o.k. Friday night, we went to a bar/restaurant called the Black Cat across the street from the harbor. The food was pleasant and the atmosphere was nice and lively on Friday night. I would recommend that place.

For us, the main purpose of the trip was to visit Nantucket but we couldn't find any affordable lodging in Nantucket, which is why we decided on Hyannis. Everything worked out fine. To be honest, we weren't impressed at all by Hyannis. The whole area seemed a bit run-down, shabby and outdated. Also, on our way back to the motel on Saturday night from the harbor, we saw that Main Street Hyannis turns into 50th-55th St. on Second Ave. in Manhattan loaded with people having one too many drink.

If you have any other questions, leave me another post on this thread and I'd more happy to respond.

Klam,

The bike ride through town to the rotary (where the bike trail started) was about 10 - 15 minutes).

The ride to the Sconset beach took about an hour, if I recall correctly it was about a 16 mile trip (8 miles or so each way).

Enjoy your trip!!

P.S. I just spent a few days in Acadia, Maine biking their 57 miles of carriage trails - I have to say that the scenery, food and prices were a much better experience than Nantucket, although it was a 4 hour drive from Boston.