Nantucket - Sunday - 7/31/16

I did hours upon hours of research before our Nantucket trip and learned about this new cafe named Lemon Press located nearby. It's known to have many great organic options for breakfast, and I was excited to try it out. Eric could care less but he accompanied me on the walk over.

I was surprised when I got there because nothing was actually organic!
I chose the fruit/granola parfait because it was the only item I could find that was labeled "organic". I came here because they advertise "organic" food but I'd guess that maybe 10% of the menu items have organic ingredients.

I asked the young girl at the counter if they brew organic coffee and you'd think I asked if she'd been to the moon. She had NO IDEA and I felt embarrassed for her and her young coworker who stammered over their words as they claimed it was "probably" organic.

The parfait sucked! Huge container of plain yogurt with not enough honey or toppings.

I followed this place on Instagram for months before visiting Nantucket, and as a person who is passionate about eating organic, I was so disappointed. Whatever, lesson learned!

The forecast on Sunday was hot but cloudy, so we decided to explore the island a bit more. As Nantucket amateurs, we assumed cloudy meant cold, and probably not a good day for the beach. WRONG. It turned out to be very hot and we could have easily spent the day at Steps Beach again. Instead we went on a mini-adventure to explore the other side of island. I actually loved this day, but because beach time is so precious, I would have gone back to Steps had I known better.

If you look at the map below, you'll notice the town of Nantucket is located in the top/center of the island. Our goal was to head west and explore Madaket. We spoke with the hotel manager, and she suggested we take the bike path to get there.

We walked the Madaket Rd path, which is bolded above, all the way to Madaket Beach

It's about 6 miles from our hotel to Madaket via the path. Most people bike or take the free shuttle to Millie's (the town's only restaurant), but I wanted to walk. I love walking! Eric agreed and off we went.

The beginning of our walk to Madaket, starting on Main St

You know I love my hydrangea

Scenes from the beginning of our walk

Blue hydrangea - love them all!

Simple Nantucket home

White hydrangea with smaller petals

Pretty home with it's perfect white picket fence

Dying over these gorgeous bunches of hydrangea! 

The actual bike path wasn't too far from our hotel, maybe a half mile or so

This private driveway leads to what I'd imagine is an exquisite mansion

Island landscape was so lush and green!

Along the path we go...

About halfway through our walk, we came across this tiny and very crowded dock

We walked onto the dock to see what all the fuss was about, and found these SNAPPING turtles swimming around! 

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but there were tons of large snapping turtles swimming around with huge claws! All the people standing on the docks had strings with RAW CHICKEN attached (as you can see in the picture) that they were using as bait to lure the turtles. I mean....

After all the fun, we headed back to the path as several cars packed with families were pulling up. Clearly, this was a well-known Nantucket attraction. As we were leaving, I spotted a large package of raw chicken meat sitting on a bench next to a mother and her small son. He was dragging the raw chicken on a string through the grass as he walked to the dock.

Gross!! Time to go!

After our 6 mile walk, we arrived at Madaket, and decided lunch at Millie's would be next on our agenda. Millie's is a Mexican restaurant with a casual laid-back island vibe

You can typically find a Millie's food truck at Cisco Brewery

My Millie's margarita on the left. Eric ordered the Madaket Mystery cocktail on the right. My marg was better and we both ordered another round of those

Eric's lobster quesadilla - generous portion!

I ordered the Long Pond salad with peaches because I was making a genuine effort to eat healthy. It was a great salad for a Mexican restaurant

We arrived for lunch just before noon, and by the time we left, it was packed! There was a guy playing live music

Millie's also has a small market to purchase food and other items

We loved Millie's! I would go back in a second. The service was great, the food was good, and we enjoyed our cocktails. After a long and laid-back lunch, we walked over to Madaket Beach to explore.

There isn't much to see in Madaket besides Millie's restaurant and the beach. Otherwise, there is a cute little bridge and pretty homes alongside a marsh near the beach.

The "town" is super tiny and the beach is right next to Millie's

Madaket Beach - looks nice

Madaket Beach again

We walked around a bit and took photos

On the bridge - Such a pretty setting

Hi boy!

We originally planned to take Millie's free shuttle back to town, but I insisted we walk back. Eric wasn't too happy, but he obliged because walking over ten miles in one day isn't that big a deal. Give me a break. 

We came across another cute home as we began our walk back to town

Just  another picturesque home in Nantucket

Why can't I live here??? Not fair!

gardens galore

The streets of Nantucket

He is soooo exhausted from our walk, LOL

We found this treat in our room when we got back and I was confused...Are we 5 years old? I could care less about a freaking cookie, where is my free bottle of wine?

76 Main is part of the Lark Hotels group. We joined their rewards program which is called "On a Lark Club." One of the benefits is a welcome indulgence upon arrival and I was looking forward to my free bottle of wine, which is what I requested in the survey they asked I complete. Instead, I got a cookie. Okay....I'll let this one slide.


We had ample time before our dinner reservation, so we decided to enjoy a few drinks in the courtyard before showering. I took my laptop to start the blog and Eric read his book.

At one point, we saw this tiny mouse running through the courtyard. Umm, EW? After our stay I received a survey asking for feedback and I commented on the mouse. That is NOT acceptable whatsoever at a hotel of this caliber. Our room was up on the third floor so I wasn't worried. If I had one of the rooms off the courtyard it would have been a different story (P.S. the rooms off the courtyard were super pricey).

After about an hour, this middle-aged couple showed up and sat on the couch right across from us. The four of us began a conversation and they were awesome. The husband was an executive at some food company, and his wife had a career as well but I can't remember what it was. Anyway, she was so funny and super friendly. It was nice to meet new people and socialize. I've noticed older couples are enamored with Eric and I. I'm guessing it's because people our age generally can't afford to stay in nice places and they're wondering what our story is. 

We talked a bit, and learned that she planned a one night stay for their anniversary in Nantucket, because like us, they had never been. Their two-day agenda was packed to the max, but they seemed to be having a great time. 

Every day from 5-7pm, the hotel offers a BYOB happy hour. They supply everything but the alcohol. This lady brought vodka and INSISTED we have some. We politely accepted and walked over to mix a cocktail. While crafting our drinks she accidentally spilled her half of the bottle all over counter. 

After a full day of activities, they were headed to Cisco brewers, followed by dinner. I was overwhelmed just talking to them!

After they left we finally headed back up to the room to shower and get ready for dinner at Straight Wharf.

Pre-dinner picture in the lobby

Right before dinner

I was having a GREAT time

There are SO many great restaurants in Nantucket, it was hard to choose! Straight Wharf is also on the water and all the reviews were excellent. I am so happy we went because the service was exceptional, the view beautiful, and the food/cocktails were amazing!

Eric about to order his first cocktail

Another great view at dinner. The atmosphere was romantic and overall I loved this place!

My cocktail was a special that night, at ONLY $17 each. I drank two and must say they were well worth the price!

Complimentary blue fish spread served before dinner. Eric loved it

Ricotta Cavatelli appetizer - homemade pasta and yummy flavors

Eric's clam bake - he thought the amount of lobster was very generous, and the chorizo was delicious

My stuffed Italian eggplant which was somewhat similar to a vegetarian lasagna, but very good flavors! The portion was quite large and I took half home for lunch the next day

Eric and I engaged in a heated conversation over something during dinner.  I don't even remember what it was about, but we would momentarily stop and comment on how delicious the food was. Classic. 

This was quite the day and were tired after dinner. Day 3 was a tremendous success and I couldn't have felt happier!