A couple of years ago Karlan and I went on a cruise that ended in Boston.  Since we had a little extra time we decided to check out Nantucket Island.  I’m sure some of you might be familiar with it but just in case you haven’t been there, I thought I would fill you in!  We found it so quaint, unique and relaxing. I returned again in hopes to plan a trip for others to enjoy also.

Nantucket (the sister island to Martha’s Vineyard) was the whaling capitol of the 19^th century.  Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick after visiting there. The downtown streets and all cobble stone.  You can drive jeeps on the beach while keeping an eye out for seals as you make your way to one of 3 picturesque lighthouses!

The whole area is fascinating especially if you enjoy history.  The whaling museum is high on that list.  The hotel we chose (the Nantucket Hotel) is a block or 2 from downtown making everything accessible with a short walk. There are also bike rentals close by for further exploring. There are many great restaurants and shops. They are all locally owned since there are not any chains there. My favorite restaurant is a pub called “Den of Thieves!”… I like the casual English vibe. Because the island has many nice restaurants they have their own cooking demo/school close by.

If you’re there in the fall they are harvesting cranberries in the middle of the island – (how cool and picturesque is that?!) Picking up fresh produce at Bartlett’s Farm is worth the time as is eating lunch at the picnic tables outside “Something Natural” (yummy sandwiches and homemade cookies)☺

It is a thriving year-round community unlike Martha’s Vineyard which is only “open” in the summer.  Every time I meet someone who has spent any time there, their comment is always that they love it.

Come a day early or stay an extra day or two in Boston (the birthplace of our independence.)  Plymouth is close by as is Cape Cod.

Nantucket is only a ferry ride from Boston but a world away.  It will be a unique experience that we want to share with all of you. We anticipate a whale of a good time! ☺

Sincerely;

Angela Tucker

Alaskan Cruise

              We always encourage our clients to travel while good health allows! Lately Karlan and I have been trying to follow our own advice and recently took an Alaskan cruise.  We had heard that it was a popular destination so we didn’t want to miss out!  We chose a 2 week cruise that started in Seward (about an hour and a half drive from Anchorage) and ended in Vancouver, BC.  I’m glad we chose to go for 2 weeks because it allowed for more opportunities to explore the places that shorter cruises skip. We also chose to cruise with a small luxury line that can go in smaller fjords and has a fraction of the amount of people.  We are talking 300 instead of 3000! (that was  our personal preference).  I won’t bore you with all the stops and details but I will attempt to give you a couple of tips and highlights.

We had the opportunity to visit a handful of small Alaskan towns. Whenever I get to go somewhere new, I always think “what would it be like to live here?”  I had a hard time picturing actually living there.  Every single village was beautiful, but it would be a fairly drastic culture change.  They are very dependent on supplies being brought to them since the mountains meet the water with no space to grow anything or raise animals.  Every town we visited (no matter how small of a population) had its own quilt and or yarn shop.  I guess you have to pass the time somehow during the long cold dark winters!

Seward and Sitka are lovely towns that don’t seem as commercialized.  Sitka was part of Russia until 1867 and still has a Russian feel with St. Michael’s Orthodox Church onion dome and the souvenirs mostly of a Russian theme.  On the other hand, Juneau and Ketchikan are full of jewelry stores and clearly setup for cruise ships.  Fun fact: Juneau is the only state capital (aside from Honolulu) that you can only reach by boat or airplane.  There aren’t any roads to drive there!

If you love observing nature, Alaska will not disappoint! Among other things, we enjoyed many bald eagle sightings and observed dozens of whales.

Our cruise was in September which, it turns out, isn’t the best choice as far as weather goes. It was quite chilly and rainy a good part of the time. They get 44” of rain annually in Ketchikan We came to discover that there isn’t a “perfect” time to visit. Each season has its pros and cons.

In Skagway we journeyed on the White Pass and Yukon route railroad.  Seeing the route that those men traveled to attempt to make their fortune in the gold rush was quite sobering.  There’s an interesting museum there in Skagway that will help you re-live the notorious Yukon gold rush.

We visited an old salmon cannery in British Columbia.  Be thankful you didn’t have to work there!  Those that did had to keep their hands in cold water while processing the fish.  In order to prevent hypothermia they stood in warm water to offset their freezing hands! No thank you.

Our cruise ended in Vancouver.  What a lovely city!  We took the opportunity to ride bikes in and around Stanley Park.  What a great way to spend a couple of hours.  The park is beautiful and you’ll enjoy the beautiful views of the Vancouver harbor. Get your tickets! 🙂 

Angela Tucker