Our East Coast Whirlwind Trip - Part 2

I’m back today to share the second half of our East coast whirlwind trip. If you missed part one that covered Boston, Providence and Brown’s graduation, start here. Graduation was Sunday and we were all pretty exhausted, but we woke up bright and early on Monday to head out to Martha’s Vineyard! I was super excited as I had visited as a kid, but Dane’s family had never been. We loaded up and hopped on a ferry to the vineyard.

It was windy and rainy, but that really didn’t damper our excitement. My mother-in-law had been so excited for our little adventure she bought us all anchor bracelets, which I thought was so cute.

The ferry ride was pretty quick (maybe 40 minutes or so) and before we knew it, we were in Vineyard Haven!

For any fellow Lab lovers, you absolutely cannot miss The Black Dog. They have a tavern, café, bakery and general stores all around the island and they have the cutest stuff. We grabbed coffee at the bakery every morning we were here!

My in-laws had rented the cutest little cottage for us to stay and it sat on top of a hill overlooking the water. Had it been super sunny, I would have run down the hill straight into the water every morning, but alas, like I mentioned in part one of our trip recap – the weather theme for this trip was “grey”, LOL!

That night, we went to the grocery store, cooked dinner, enjoyed some wine and played a family game of Scrabble before tuning in to the Penguins vs. Predators hockey game. We are a big sports family, so this seemed totally appropriate and the best way to relax a little after our crazy weekend. Dane and I got up fairly early the next day and went for a jog around Vineyard Haven to scope things out. Honestly – it was freezing and my lungs were burning, but exploring together just the two of us was the best way to start our morning.

We got coffee at the Black Dog Bakery and went back to the house to shower and get ready for the day. We had a pretty packed day since it was really our only full day on the island, so everyone piled into our rental car and we were off! Our first stop were the adorable Gingerbread Cottages in Oak Bluffs. I had my mind set on visiting these candy colored cottages since I found out we were making the trip and they certainly did not disappoint! And yes, for anyone wondering – people actually live in these! Note to self: HOUSE GOALS!

From here, we ventured out to Gay Head Lighthouse, Edgartown Lighthouse and strolled around a little bit taking in the views of the coastline. Can I just take a minute to say that the real estate in New England has officially captured my heart? The history, the curb appeal – I love it all! Now if only I had a million dollar bank account…

One of the highlights of the day was our stop at Larsen’s Fish Market where we all enjoyed fresh lobsters (I’m talking we picked which ones we wanted out of a live tank) and ate them whole while watching the fishing boats come and go. It sounds totally cliche but it was one of the absolute best parts of our day!

It was a jam packed day, but so much fun! Dane and I grabbed dinner at the Black Dog Tavern (I told you – we are obsessed) and came back to our cottage for more Scrabble with the family before calling it a night. We had a super early ferry ride the next morning in order to get on the road back to Pennsylvania to see my family! We didn’t leave the vineyard without snagging an apple fritter the size of my head from – where else- The Black Dog Bakery.

That thing was freaking delicious, but filled with gluten so I got pretty sick, but sometimes I really just can’t stop myself. Baked goods are my ultimate weakness!

We spent all day in the car driving back to Pennsylvania, but it made me realize how much I miss road trips! I’m not the best co-pilot (what is better than a car nap?), but I do love rest stops. Is that weird? Dane and I quenched our thirst (or hunger?) for Chipotle (none in Hawaii!) before arriving at my parent’s house just in time for dinner – homemade pizzas & s’mores on their outdoor pizza oven!