Nantucket Guide!

I was planning on writing my own guide to the things you absolutely CANNOT miss in Nantucket before Lewis and I headed down there in a few weeks buttttttttt Lilly already beat me to it (and they did a pretty flawless job! What else is new?)!

So, whether this is your 10th summer or your 1st, if you are lucky enough to be taking a trip to the best island on earth you should definitely read up. Top five on my bucket list this summer?

1. Nobadeer: It really is "the party beach" and I love the atmosphere, the people watching, the waves, and the food. 

2. Something Natural: This is the one thing that Lilly missed! The #1 best sandwiches I have EVER, EVER had in my life. YUM!

3. Cisco Brewery: Now that I am 21 I can fully enjoy the beauty of this place!

4. Chicken Box: Can't think of a better way to end the perfect day on ACK than with a little party.

5. Millie's: Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.

*6: And I want to get everywhere via bike!

What's on your list? 

The Tastes of Summer

Fresh lobster rolls from Cape Cod.

I believe that summer has a taste.

And a feel. A and a smell. And a sound.

It is an all-encompassing sensory experience.

It is the feel of sand beneath your feet. The smell of salty ocean air, barbeques, and fresh mowed grass. It is the sound of waves crashing and children playing. Of motors on boats and sprinklers on grass.

But lately I've known summer has finally (FINALLY) hit because of the tastes. YUM!

Little necks

Salads and blueberry basil lemonade.

Fruity margaritas

Frozen treats by the beach

Summer Fruit salad.

Getting Reacquainted

 

This past weekend my best friends from school all made the journey down to Boston to visit me!

We all went abroad different places and at different times so we haven't all been together since Sophomore year--crazy! I also haven't gotten to spend that much time in Boston in the past year between camp and school and London so it was so nice to get reacquainted with everyone and everything over the weekend. 

 

New friends of all shapes and sizes!

The sign was one of my favorite purchases of the day. I always get so homesick at school and now I will have this to remind me of my favorite places and a great day!

 It was packed with delicious food, fun drinks, laughter, and friends. I even got to introduce my Syracuse friends to my best friends from home--so fun!

The Tastiest Treat

Last summer a camp friend invited a bunch of us over to her house for a 48 hour time off. We had a great weekend complete with beach side bonfires and even a trip to an amusement park but one thing that stuck out to me was a DELICIOUS breakfast her mother had prepared for us.

 

French Toast Casserole. I swear it came to me in a dream a few nights before I went to camp the other day. I woke up and I knew I had to make it as soon as possible. It proved to be the perfect dish for the morning after my brother's high school graduation. Everyone was tired from the big day before and it was a beautiful sunny morning to eat out on the patio.

It's not exactly a low-carb recipe (or low-fat or low-sugar either for that matter) so it just makes it even more of a treat. Enjoy!

SoulCycle

 

A few weeks ago my mother and I went to our first ever SoulCycle class in the newly opened Chestnut Hill location.

What. An. Experience.

I overhear a lot of Long Island-y type of girls from school talk a lot about SoulCycle or wear the little SoulCycle leggings or tank tops around to class, so I was always curious about what it was. My mother had acquired free passes to what is otherwise quite an expensive hobby? Addiction? Workout? All of the above? So one morning, we naively decided to give it a try.

At $20 for your first visit they get ya hooked, and then raise the price to $37 plus $3 to rent the little bike shoes required for the special bikes. And as absurd as it may sound, I can totally rationalize why someone would want to spend $40 to get their ass handed to them by some guy named Chad with biceps the size of my torso.

Because you feel GREAT afterwards.

But first you feel a lot of other things...

First of all the room is dark. Like really dark. Music is BLASTING. And everyone, and I really mean everyone, was skinny, pretty, and dressed head to toe in Lululemon.

Picture taken from SoulCycle's website.

I kind of felt like I was at a frat party that was cycling themed.

The instructor (Chad) had his own little stage and a DJ set up next to his bike and the music was SO good, honestly the music is what made the class. We were encouraged to "pedal to the bass," which only made it feel frattier. It was also kind of like trying to dance while also exercising harder than possibly ever before...so oftentimes balance was kind of an issue.

At one point Chad told us to reach behind ourselves for the weights strapped to the back of our bikes. I thought he was playing a sick joke but, no, there really were weights. He instructed us to "punch out our stress," with the weights which actually did kind of work.

Throughout the class I felt energized, I felt strong, I felt weak and like jelly, I felt like I wanted to smile do a little "woop!" like some of the other women were, and I felt like I wanted to cry. But after all that at the end I felt like I had reached some sort of catharsis. It was a full emotional roller coaster and I couldn't wait to ride it again.

The Greatest Place on Earth :)

Every time I find myself back at camp I am convinced it will be my last.

I think that is why I appreciate being there more absolutely than nearly anything else in life. 

Today I had the most perfect day back in my favorite place on earth. Being back there always feels like transporting back into my favorite memory. Like staring at an old photograph and actually being able to be back and live it one more time. 

The people may come and go, new yurts may be built, old dining halls may be renovated but the spirit of camp never changes. Returners show wide-eyed new staff the ropes, accents mingle, bug bites are scratched, campfires burn.

 

Who knows if this summer will truly be my last but once again I am so lucky and thankful to be back at a place where "the real world" doesn't matter, people are welcoming and kind, and everyone is given a chance. And like every summer, I hope to blur the divide with "the real world" and bring the spirit of camp with me through the rest of the year. 

I love these...

I love these:)

Sailing Sombrero

Last summer, I lost two seriously essential summer staples. 

*Moment of silence for my Jojo's Pearls and my white Vineyard Vines hat*

Hopefully they are both leading happier and more fulfilling lives down at the bottom of Spectacle Pond at Camp Hayward (although I doubt it).

So, as summer has found its way upon us once again, I have been on the hunt for a replacement hat. (The earrings were replaced as immediately as possible over my soonest time off). 

It was a toss-up between a red Red Sox hat, the same white VV, or something new entirely. 

The Sailing Sombrero.

My mom's store, the Wellesley Holiday Boutique, has been carrying Harding-Lane for a while now. While I loved the needle-pointed patterns and classic beach-prep shades, for some reason I never actually got around to trying one on. But early last week I traded my mother a few hours of work in exchange for one of the lovely caps.

I love the color, the fit, and the fact that the strap at the back is actually made of an old boat sail! And what perfect timing, considering the sun is FINALLY shining, and I'm down the cape this weekend to start my internship at Cape Cod Magazine. 

I think we will be very happy together.