MASSACHUSETTS
ON MY MIND
A vacation filled with beauty, history, and the freshest catch of the day
 I FLEW TO MASSACHUSETTS FOR A WHIRLWIND TRIP TO BOSTON AND NANTUCKET
Island. I started off in Nantucket, island of the rose-covered rooftops, and the laid-back favorite of high-society
names such as DuPont, Heinz, and high-profile celebrities who wish, during their stays, to keep
their profiles low. I then went to Boston, the intellectual home to some of the best schools in the nation,
including Harvard, M.I.T., and assorted other higher institutions. The opportunities to experience the
restaurants, events, and surroundings of these distinctly unique places were plenty. But with so much to
do and not nearly enough hours in my visit, I set out to make the most of what little time I had.
NANTUCKET ISLAND
I arrived at the tiny airport and was greeted by Sarah O’Reilly,
owner of several bed and breakfasts in town. A friendly lady who
showed me around her various cozy B&Bs, she set me up in the
lovely Manor House. Situated right on Centre Street in the heart of
Nantucket, it was the ideal location to take a stroll around the pri-vately
owned shops and restaurants, and the perfect starting point
for my introduction to the island with Gail Nickerson Johnson of
Gail’s Tours. Johnson is a sixth-generation resident of Nantucket,
and has given the tour for over 30 years, following in the footsteps
of her mother. I highly recommend you take the one hour, 45-
minute tour of the 52-square-mile island at the start of your visit: It
will give you the lay of the land and provide some insight into the
history of the area.
 Though the island may be small, the choices in dining are many,
and, for the most part, delicious. An exquisite standout is Hopper’s
at The Wauwinet. Situated away from the shopping and residential
areas, the hotel looks out over Nantucket Harbor, and actually pro-vides
a lunchtime cruise for visitors. I was treated to a leisurely
lunch at Topper’s, which included a diverse assortment of tapas, and
finished off with some of the most delicious and artistically designed
desserts imaginable.
The thing that impressed me the most about Nantucket was the
lack of commercial establishments on the island. In a time when it
seems almost expected, if not disheartening, to find a McDonald’s
restaurant or some American shopping outlet as far away as Bali,
Nantucket is refreshingly chain-store free. It’s a welcome break from
the hard-hitting commercialism that dominates so much of the
United States and beyond, giving the town a comfortable, small-town
community atmosphere, and making you feel as if you’ve just
set foot into a time and place when life was simpler and slower-paced.
Another beautiful thing about Nantucket is the beach, where
you can watch the magnificent red and orange sunset set flame to
the sky before slipping into the Atlantic Ocean
When the dusky blue twilight sends you back into town, head
over to the Boarding House for drinks and, depending on your
appetite, either the black Angus beef carpaccio or the seared sea scal-lops
from their dinner menu. If you love sushi, The Bluefin offers
some of the freshest fish available (after all, this is Massachusetts, a
state known for some of the best seafood in the nation)
BOSTON
When I think of autumn, I think of
Boston. Maybe it’s that back-to-school
anticipation, an academic fervor floating
around in the air that mixes with the red
and yellow leaves. Being in Boston, you
are hit with an immediate sense of histo-ry:
You can’t help it. It’s a feeling that per-meates
everything in the city.
I stayed for two nights at Boston’s lux-urious
Four Seasons Hotel. With its five-star
accommodations and service, I could-n’t
ask for a better retreat from the
bustling city. Here you can unwind with a
Swedish massage at the health spa, or, if
you prefer, have the masseuse come right
to your room.There is 24-hour room ser-vice,
and if you need your clothes dry-cleaned,
simply leave them outside your
door at night in the provided cleaning bag, and they’ll be fresh and
pressed by morning. A sophisticated breakfast of sausage, pancakes,
or omelets with the specially squeezed juice of the day can be
wheeled right into your suite. Enjoy the meal while you gaze out
your window over the Public Garden, across from historic Beacon
Hill. If you’re exhausted from exploring the city during the day, stay
in and make reservations for their in-house restaurant, the elegant,
five-diamond Aujourd’hui.
During the day, there is so much to see and do. From the many
available historic tours, I chose to take a visit to the old Italian dis-trict
with North End Market Tours. The three-and-a-half-hour
culinary tour stops at such sites as Maria’s Pastry Shop. Maria
Merola, who’s in her fifties, came to the area from southern Italy at
the age of 18, and has owned the store for over 20 years. She can
remember the days when Italian immigrant families were put up in
tenement homes, sharing only one bathroom for an entire building.
Times have changed since then, but walking outside on Hanover
Street, it’s easy to spot remnants of the past. Elderly men park fold-
away chairs r ight out on the street during sunny days, watching the
people walk by, nostalgic for the neighborhood of their youth. My
favor ite stop on the tour was the Salumeria Italiana, which has the
best and most extensive selection of culinary Italian imports, from
parma prosciutto and pecorino cheese to every size, shape, and tex-ture
of pasta imaginable.
 If you’re not too tired to take in another section of town, on
your way back to the Four Seasons, take a stroll along Newbury
Street. A kind of wider, longer version of the Santa Monica
Promenade mixed with the exclusivity of Rodeo Drive,
Newbury Street is the place to watch and be watched, while you
try on handmade jewelry from street vendors and shop at high-end
fashion boutiques. After all this walking and shopping, take
some time out for lunch at Armani Café, where you can sit out-side
on the patio, sipping a Limontini (a mixture of rum and
limoncello) and savoring the tasty, lightly fried calamari while
you watch the beautiful people go by.
For dinner, the Sel de la Terre restaurant, located in Boston’s
Waterfront district in the heart of downtown, prepares rustic cuisine
reminiscent of Provence. Specializing in breads, chef Geoff Gardner
provides an earthy, robust menu which features French classics such
as bouillabaisse, country roasts, and pates.
With so many events going on year-round in Boston and
Nantucket, there is always something to look forward to on your
visit. When your Los Angeles lifestyle gets too hectic and you start
yearning for a sense of history outside of our trendy, film-industry
town, book your plane tickets to Massachusetts and come explore
all that these two memorable places have to offer.
— Jennifer Hayden
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