The Kindness of Strangers

It is Sunday morning and I am back home. I had originally planned to return on Saturday and then I found out that the program ended by 12:00 Friday so I decided to get off the island as soon as possible. This weekend is the annual family fishing trip & seafood party hosted by John & Lisa.

In any case, class ended on time Friday and I was back at the UMB Gouin Village units by 12:00 noon. I had packed up everything before we left for class and so I just did a quick check and then called Milestone Cab (the BEST cab service on Nantucket, gotta give them a shout out!) to take me to the Hy-Line Ferry dock in town. "Mike" the Bulgarian cabbie that Jennifer, Jolene and I had gotten the other day buzzed me down in no time and I had checked in and was on the dock and ready to go by 12:30.

I had to get to Boston's South Station ASAP to exchange my Saturday ticket and I wanted to forego taking the bus (which took 1.5+ hours) and just get a limo or taxi to zip me from Hyannis to Boston in less than an hour. However, Friday was also the day that family, friends and celebrities descended upon Hyannis to honor Eunice Kennedy Shriver at her private funeral.



(Pallbearers, from left, Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Sam Shriver, Maria Shriver, Robert Kennedy Shriver, Tim Shriver Jr., Mark Kennedy Shriver and Tim Kennedy Shriver carry the casket of Eunice Kennedy Shriver outside Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Hyannis, Mass., on Friday. Photo: Adam Hunger/Reuters)

There was NO one available before 6 PM to get me from Hyannis to Boston. If I didn't get to Boston before 6:00 PM, the only train going to Philly was at 9:45 PM. I figured that there wasn't much I could do but hope for the best and would get home when I could. Shigata ga nai, ne?

I didn't have to be in line for boarding until 1:10 - 1:15 for the 1:25 ferry so I wandered about the dock shops until I saw the Nantucket Nectars Ice Cream Shop (Yes, THAT Nantucket Nectars, although the "Toms" are no longer on the island now that they made it big...) and so I popped in to get something to drink. The "Juice Guys" ice cream stand is basically a hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop with the Nantucket Nectar juices and some baked goods. They had an interesting ice cream flavor called Lobster Crunch - vanilla ice cream with red caramel and some crunchy element that I can't remember...



If interested, here is the story of the "Toms" and Nantucket Nectars: CLICK HERE

Anyhoo - I settled on a "Pink Nectar", some watermelon-peachy smoothie with vanilla yougurt whenb I noticed that standing next to me was Soleil from class who also got some kind of smoothie.

We went out to wait in line for the ferry and were idly chatting when she asked me if I wanted to ride with her to Boston. It seemed that she had worked in the area some 20 years before at the now defunct Wang Laboratories (At its peak in the 1980s, Wang Laboratories had annual revenues of $3 billion and employed over 40,000 people.) and had recently been contacted by an old co-worker in the area.

I thanked her and declined, telling her that I already had a P-B bus ticket in hand although I was also trying to get a limo/taxi to take me to Boston's South Station directly to save time and to avoid the incessant bus stops which made an hour trip by car almost 2 hours - an hour longer. I really didn't want to inconvenience her and I couldn't imagine her friend (who lived 21 miles away from Boston in Lexington, MA) would want to take a total stranger into downtown Boston.

We boarded the ferry on time and continued chatting across the sound when about halfway across, I went to check our location on the GPS and to keep Ed apprised of my status on the escape from the island. Ed & the boys were on a fishing boat out of Belmar, but we kept in pretty constant text contact via our respective iPhones.

So here I am in the middle of Nantucket Sound texting Ed back and forth when suddenly my screen fades by 50% and then out of nowhere I see the apple icon appear before the whole thing faded to blackness.

Even though I knew that there is no hope for resuscitation, I had to make an effort to revive my quite dead iPhone. The iPhone, not surprisingly, did not respond to any of the reboot/restart attempts and so I knew that it was gone. Literally in the blink of an eye, the technological marvel that had guided me all over the island and kept me in constant touch with home and work - was just gone. Still, silent, dead.

We arrived in Hyannis on time but Soleil's friend was caught in the traffic coming in for the funeral and so was about an hour late. It was after 3:30 before we headed into Boston. My chances of making it home by midnight were looking slim.

To make an already too long post short, I ended up taking the offer of a ride from Soleil and her friend zipped me directly to the Apple superstore in downtown Boston within an hour and I was literally in and out of the Apple store in 10 minutes. They gave me a new iPhone (free - thanks to the $69 protection plan), plopped in the sim card from my old iPhone and even flagged me a taxi to get me to South Station which was about 10 minutes away.



I texted Ed immediately from my new iPhone and as predicted, he was worried about me having lost contact with me in mid-text some 3 or so hours earlier.

The rest was pretty smooth sailing. I arrived at South Station at 5:15 PM or so and exchanged my ticket for the 6:40 PM to Penn Station NYC. From NYC, I would transfer to another train that would arrive at 30th Street Station, Philadelphia at 12:42 AM.

I made it home on time, with a couple of unscheduled delays but thanks to the kindness of strangers, I made it back and here I am posting my blog over a cup of Earl Grey tea with Maya at my feet and the cicadas singing in the trees.

Life is good.

Fireworks Video from Boston Pops on Nantucket

Here is a brief video of the fireworks show after the 1812 Overture finale. Yes, the video is sideways due to how I was holding my iPhone so just turn your monitor on its side...

Boston Pops on Nantucket

A annual benefit for Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the Boston Pops on Nantucket is a tradition - this is their 13th year.

The host was Chris Matthews from 'Hardball with Chris Matthews'.

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops' annual Pops on Nantucket concert featured Broadway sensation Michael Cavanaugh, hand-picked by Billy Joel to star in his smash hit Movin’ Out. Cavanaugh brought a fun night of the Piano Man’s music to Jetties Beach, including such show-stoppers as “River of Dreams,” “You May Be Right,” “Uptown Girl,” and “Piano Man.”

Keith Lockhart also lead the orchestra with music from the Boston Pops' latest release The Red Sox Album, including Fenway’s favorite “Sweet Caroline,” and other baseball classics such as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” with soprano Kristen Watson and tenor Matthew Anderson, and “Casey at the Bat” with narrator Jeremiah Kissel.

The concert culminated with the 1812 Overture and fireworks.

As thousands of people left the beach and headed for town, we managed to run right into an empty cab that held 10 easily - so we were whisked back to our units in no time.

The Chicken Box

http://www.thechickenbox.com

More than 50 years ago, Willie House, a young black man from Kentucky, and his wife arrived on Nantucket, where they were employed as domestic servants for a wealthy Nantucket summer family. Soon thereafter the ambitious Willie remodeled a small, vacant shack in what was then a remote part of town, for the purpose of purveying southern fried chicken. He called it the Chicken Box.

Each summer his business grew in popularity and Willie willingly expanded the facility. The Chicken Box became a popular restaurant and watering place during his first decade. As the business prospered, Willie made the decision to bring live band entertainment to the Island. The Chicken Box soon became known as a Nantucket hot spot for Jazz and Blues. Through Willie's booking connections in New York City, many great and near great musicians made appearances at the Chicken Box. Muddy Waters was the most famous of all of the musicians to appear.

Early in the 1970's, Willie's health began to fail but his loyal local customers and friends assisted him in continuing the operation of the Chicken Box. In 1977, Willie retired and sold the business and the buildings.

The purchaser of the Chicken Box was the eccentric Robert "Cap'n Seaweed" R. Reed. He maintained the giant roadhouse ambiance initiated by Willie. Blues and soul music continued to be featured, and with his foresight and imagination a variety of other popular musical sounds and styles were integrated into the entertainment provided by the now "Internationally Infamous" Chicken Box. Cap'n Seaweed introduced Reggae to Nantucket. Some patrons were doubtful about this unorthodox new brand of music, but over the years, the Chicken Box gained a reputation as the venue where top-notch Reggae bands performed. The Captain's conditions for the privilege of playing at the Chicken Box was that the musicians had to agree to play music that was danceable and acceptable to the majority of his patrons.

On May 10, 2000, the Captain sold the Chicken Box to new owners, some of whom are former employees and a couple of friends. These new owners are committed to continue the well established tradition of this Nantucket Institution. The Chicken Box will continue to be unpretentious, friendly and relaxing. It will always be the place where people from all walks of life gather for fun and entertainment. Once you have been here you will never forget the experience ... or shall we say never want to leave.

Sadly, they no longer serve any food - no chicken!!

19 Hours Later...

Hello from Nantucket!

It is now 19+ hours since I left home for Nantucket - and here I am settled into my 'townhouse condo' that was built by the Navy circa WWII. It isn't bad, really - it is a two bedroom, 1 bath unit with the bedrooms on the second floor and the kitchen and living area on the first level. There is a washer and dryer in the unit so no need to walk the half block down to the launderette - that is a relief. There is, however, no cool air conditioning of any type except that which God chooses to let flow though the windows.

I was unable to take my car as planned due to the fact that the Steamship Authority could get me and my car ON to the island with no problem but they could not, would not guarantee that I could get back OFF the island when I needed to...so I took Amtrak leaving from Philadelphia at 5:15 AM to Boston and then a bus to Hyannis and finally a ferry to Nantucket. The trip was very smooth and without issue and I arrived on Nantucket at 4:30 PM. Then it was a taxi to the UMass units. At $7.00 for less than a 2 mile ride, I think I will be walking or renting a bike for the duration of my time here.

Nantucket's tourist business was hit hard in July (being almost non-existent according to the locals)and I think they are making up for the lost revenue any way they can - because the prices are RIDICULOUS here.

My first taxi driver from the ferry dock was a transplanted Russian who also spoke Portuguese and English. Interesting fellow.

*****

Once I arrived, I had some time to mingle with a few of my fellow classmates who had arrived early and then we had an informal orientation to the course in the faculty unit with Canice the instructor and the new Program Director Judith - a former student of the program from 3 or 4 years ago.

The classes are held in the field station every day from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and it is about 15 or 20 minutes away. It is supposed to be a great, informal space with a beautiful view of Nantucket Sound. We all meet in the parking lot at 8:10 and are shuttled out and back in the UMass van.

There are 15 students in this first week of the program (a few of us are doing both weeks at once) and of the 15, there are 4 guys and 11 girls. We 4 guys all were put into one unit so it is 2 to a room. My roommate Chris, just got back from Baghdad 2 days prior to coming out for the course and it seems that his girlfriend Erica is going through the program with him. Both seem nice.

I know the names of all of the others due to an interesting ice breaker that Canice employed but I know little beyond their names save for what I gleaned in individual conversations with them. They come from all over and have a variety of backgrounds to say the least.

The other 2 guys, Chris & Kevin seem to know each other and also have a car on the island. The were present for the orientation and then they left. Their room is empty so perhaps they are staying elsewhere on Nantucket. They have also requested that they be allowed to drive themselves to class after the first day so who knows?

The class structure is as follows: We all meet in the parking lot every morning and go out to the field station. There we have class and then Canice gives out 'homework' which consists of readings and group activities/assignments with students who are not in your own living unit. This homework can be done anywhere the group working together would like to go to do it be it beach, pizza parlor or library. The objective of the class at week's end is about gaining the understanding that one's own way about doing things is not always perhaps the only and best way to go something. While I do understand this pretty much already, it will be interesting to go through the process and to see how my fellow students will understand and adapt or struggle with the concept and its implementation.

It is 10:30 PM and I have 2 chapters to read for the morning so I am off to read and then to a most welcome - and hopefully - a cool breeze filled night of sleep.

Ed would simply hate most aspects of this trip, this island and these accommodations. No doubt he is sleeping quite soundly away with Maya in the normal, year-round, cool 65 degree temp of our house.

Yes, I am jealous. Very, very jealous.

Plane, Train or Automobile?

To drive or not to drive - that is the question. Up until last night at about 9:30 PM, I had decided to take the Acela Express train to South Station, Boston, then a bus from Boston to Hyannis, a ferry from Hyannis across Nantucket Sound to Nantucket and then a taxi to the Gouin Village.

I thought it would be the most easy way to get there - since I hate to drive long distances in a car.

PROS: Easy travel since all it requires from me is that I sit and enjoy the view, sleep, read or work on my laptop.

CONS: It requires a few transfers, waiting intervals from one mode of transport to the other and porting my laptops, camera and luggage from one to the next. Overall length of travel is possibly longer than driving.

My other option, of course, is to drive. The trip is estimated to be about 7 hours and 48 minutes according to Google Maps:

Click HERE to see my route

Of course, I can't drive across the Nantucket Sound, but they do have a number of ferry companies available, and one (The Steamship Authority) has the ability to take you and your car across the sound.

PROS: Possibly shorter travel time, the ability to have more flexibility in arriving to and departing from Nantucket. Ability to take more stuff (i.e. rice cooker & rice, inflatable mattress, my own pillow, snacks, the Tassimo...) and being able to have a car on Nantucket.

CONS: I have to drive. I have to drive there. I have to drive back. 7.48 hours of driving. The driving.

Aside from all this, I just had the strangest 'gut feeling' yesterday that I shouldn't take the train option and that I should drive. No sense, no reason - just a gut feeling - so of course, I cancelled my ticket at the 11th hour and decided to drive.

I hope I made the right choice and in any case, either route will be an adventure; and Life is, I believe, about the adventures in living from day to day.

I also added a Flickr widget to my blog and my iPhone so that I can snap photos and upload them en route along my journey.

Kewl widgets = Instant gratification. (^_^)

Stay tuned!!