Home On Martha's Vineyard - Part 4
2009-08-20
By Skip Finley
Martha's Vineyard was created at the end of the last ice age when the glacier receded and the Island was ground out. Geologically The Rock has two features, the ‘outwash plain' on the southern part that, at the glacier's edge, left us long, relatively flat beaches and tumbling surf along the Atlantic Ocean. In the North, the 'terminal moraine' left our bluffs, boulders, rolling hills, the stones used for our popular rock walls and calm water. You'll hear the terms "up Island" and "down Island-up Island" includes Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury and "down Island" is Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. These towns are west and east of each other, not North/South—the definition is a carryover from the whaling days when latitude-east/west lines-were methods seafarers used to determine location. [Longitude runs North/South]. These terms are also interchangeable with up and downscale; Oak Bluffs is our ‘poorest' Town while Chilmark was ranked as the tenth wealthiest in the nation by Forbes in 2007. Of course, less expensive homes in Oak Bluffs sell for over $300,000-a pretty big number in America. But make no mistake, we have up and down Island attitudes even as we share Martha's Vineyard, a place where we say; "Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard", not "Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts".
Visitors have quaint notions that the Vineyard and Nantucket whaling industry (yeah, Moby Dick is about Nantucket whalers but its stars are Vineyard Wampanoag's) was about fishing. Not so. Whaling was about oil—and back then; we were the Middle East. That's why you see those beautiful homes over in Edgartown, many built in the early 1700's; our sea captains were captains of industry and these Islands were rich. Even our McMansions and Starter Castles have heritage. One of those Captains, William A. Martin[1], born in 1829, was Black. On one notable voyage he commanded the Emma Jane, an 86 ton schooner that on a voyage from October 9, 1883 to March 27, 1884 returned with 140 tons of whale oil. Ironically, the leading whale oil merchant of the day was Nantucket's Joseph Starbuck.
When you get comfortable here-and if it's your first trip that may take awhile—you will notice other ways we differ from America. We. Do. Not. Have. Fast. Food. No McDonald's, no Burger King, no Church's, no Popeye's. And no Starbuck's. And the food you get does not come fast and you will wait in line, especially in August. No Gap, no J. Crew, no brand name franchised anything-and we're proud of it. We have Mobil gas stations and Budget Car Rental and two Stop N Shop's but that's about it.
Another difference is that up Island is dry: only Oak Bluffs and Edgartown sell or serve liquor. The required translation is this; if you want to buy alcohol or order a drink you must be in Oak Bluffs or Edgartown. If you go to an up Island restaurant you may bring your bottle (or bottles) of alcohol or wine with you and the waiter will open and serve it. If you take and consume 'bottles' and drive back down island you can count on being arrested for DUI which will, yes, spoil your stay but contribute to our economy. "Tabut" (which is 'thank you' in the language of our tribe, the Wampanoag).
Prepare to be impressed by Vineyard restaurants' food, not our service. Dinner will pretty much be your evening out and with two cocktails, an appetizer, main course and dessert you're going to invest your time and money. Most of what you eat will be grown and caught here, perhaps that day or the day before. You may make a plan to go on vacation and eat healthily. If so, you may want to choose an alternate destination, unlike President Barack Obama and his family.
When the Obama's were here last time he was only a Senator. So he was able to work out at Oak Bluffs' B. Strong gym and they were able to walk Circuit Avenue with the kids eating ice cream and enjoying the Flying Horses—the oldest carousel in America. They probably won't enjoy as much freedom this visit.
Read PART III of Home on Martha’s Vineyard by Skip Finley.
