Nantucket Realized – Part I

There was a significant chance that I was setting myself up for a massive disappointment.  I have heard nothing but rave reviews for the charmed island, therefore I had built Nantucket up in my mind as a magical place where locals and visitors were casually beautiful, carefree and discreetly preppily posh.  Where the setting provided a backdrop of lapping waves, lighthouses and weathered shingles.  A place where there were tunnels of trees edging the streets, where roads consisted of brick and cobblestone instead of smooth concrete, where shops had both the character and vision to be unassumingly fabulous.  
A place like that was surly mythical.  Was surly a big fat farce, for a part of me wouldn’t have been surprised to find grimy, littered streets just beyond the heart of downtown; pretty buildings whoes interiors were outdated and grandmotherly, posers that couldn’t tell the difference between Nantucket Reds and Old Navy chinos.
Oh – but on the contrary!  Nantucket is core-shakingly authentic.  Every inch of the intimate island is cared for and tended to – determined to keep the integrity and charm that has attracted visitors for generations.
In short:  I’m obsessed.
Here are some of the dreamy sights we took in…
The harbor…

View of town from the beach…
Downtown Nantucket.  {As much as I didn’t want to believe – one truly does need to forego their pumps, favoring flats as the streets of ‘Tucket promote utter klutziness!}
Darling residential streets with houses dating back to the 1800s…
Weathered shingled homes and cottages…
My favorite home on the island {no surprise there…}
Window boxes still boasting blooms so late in the season.

A quiet spot to catch up on Coastal Livings’ latest issue…
Seals frolicking in the surf….
Cranberries waiting to be harvested…
And I have still much more to share – so put on your Sperry’s and check back soon for more reports on accommodations, dining and details!