Nantucket Island off Cape Cod
Life on Nantucket is like no other because it is situated about 40 miles offshore in the Atlantic ocean, and after living there for awhile on this small island (you can drive from one end to the other in a matter of minutes) you begin to sense that you are not really part of the USA but are on an island that is unique to itself. You can get there by air, by flying into the small airport that until recently would open up again at night as the island’s favorite bar and dance club. Or you can take the Ferry from Wood’s Hole, which is on Cape Cod. The Ferry runs several times a day and flights are available to the Boston Logan Airport, an international terminal with connecting flights to the rest of the world.
Nantucket is a quiet old fishing village, but the shops don’t just offer fishing tackle and salted cod, because some of the most expensive real estate in the USA is also here, attracting the wealthiest people in the world. Throughout the island’s history it has been home to families of aristocrats with names including Rockefeller and Kennedy, and the local shopkeepers cater to the tastes of the elite by selling exotic imports of fine caviar, French champagne, and clothing worthy of Parisian runways. For decades it has been nearly impossible to live on Nantucket without having lots and lots of money to spend on rent, but the island is very much dependent upon a reliable work force of service workers, who migrate there not to earn money, but to earn just enough to spend the summer there and leave penniless, in exchange for the adventure of living on this interesting island. The island has beautiful white sand beaches, cranberry bogs, blueberry fields, and some of the most interesting Cape Cod style architecture and antiques. And even if you cannot afford to spend a few nights, you can do as many tourists do and go to Nantucket on the ferry, spend the day, and take the ferry back to the mainland by nightfall.