It's Shark Week, and not on Discovery Channel. Real life, baby. The annual Monster Shark Tournament is this weekend and I didn't even know about it was in my backyard until tonight. I knew the tournament was happening, but never thought I could see a shark, so was disinterested. I stopped by Mediterranean tonight and learned from Marcio that fisherman were pulling out huge maneaters for everyone to see all day.
Took a stroll through along the harbor this evening; didn't see any sharks like my friend Marcio did earlier, but did see a ton of boats and activity. Nice atmosphere. Photos below. I'll go back tomorrow and try to see some actual beasts.
Oak Bluffs Harbor, packed even more than usual.
Looks like someone landed a hand.
Wonderful.
Lot of rods.
Also, as far as I can tell, the Sunday New York Times will feature Martha's Vineyard for its "36 Hours" travel story this week. The article has been online for a couple days -- check it out here. Some bizarre observations ("Martha's Vineyard is like a miniature Ireland" and "The island isn't known for night life," followed by a faulty recommendation for a "cool spot" when there are much better watering holes within a minute's walk), but also some dead-on recommendations like seeing the island from a boat (did it this week) and Back Door Donuts (on my street, a late-night donut cult while they're baked fresh, I indulge frequently). The story also convinced me to get over to West Tisbury some morning to check out the farmer's market. You win, New York Times.
Leaving the island tonight to go to the mainland (Maineland? Anyone?) for the weekend. Boston tonight and home in Maine until Sunday. Here is one of my new articles for This Week on Martha's Vineyard. It's a restaurant profile. This issue will hit Vineyard streets tomorrow (Thursday). For next week, I've written an article about where to get ice cream on the island. Weee/yum!
Will update soon about newspapering on MV. I'm aware the font sizes and formatting in this post are loopy. No more time to try to fix them -- I to catch a ferry in 20 minutes to get off this rock for the first time in a month! Have a nice rest of the week.
Wining and dining with your toes in the sand Oak Bluffs restaurant offers great seafood and one-of-a-kind harbor atmosphere By Zach Dionne - 6/18/09
The harborside entrance to Sand Bar & Grille, the only on-island establishment with a sand floor.
Sand Bar & Grille is like being at the beach with a personal bar, chef and waitstaff at your service. It’s not only that it’s the one spot you can legally drink with your feet in the sand – the restaurant is the sole on-island establishment using grains of the beach as the dining room floor – but also the laid-back vibe and location. Sand Bar sits on OakBluffsHarbor, one of only a small handful of restaurants boasting such status. Dual surfboards hang coolly above the harbor-side entrance.
It’s the type of joint you can spend 30 minutes grabbing a quick Corona – or one of the other 10 draft brews or 10 bottled beers – or three hours with friends, indulging in several courses and soaking in the daily live music.
Appetizers like burger-sized snow crab cakes with Cajun aioli sauce and house-smoked salmon with crisp, herbed bread are delightful, well-presented and leave room for the main course – or for one appetizer truly worth a derivation from an evening of seafood: warm spinach and artichoke dip with an all-star addition of fresh, sweet red peppers, served in a soft bread bowl.
Sand Bar diversifies its menu by offering more than 75 selections of sushi in addition to seafood, prime steak and lobster, burgers and sandwiches. The restaurant has doubled for several years as a respectable sushi destination; Sand Bar’s new sushi chef has crafted delicious creations at his own off-island restaurant for 20 years.
Entrees of pan-seared scallops and grilled swordfish prove what gregarious and resourceful server Alex indicates; the fare is locally caught, never raised in hatcheries, and, most importantly, the chefs know exactly what to do with the finest seafood. The menu offers several methods of preparation for each fresh special and chef-inspired entree.
The scallops are tender and tasty; not surprisingly one of chef Dan Kelleher’s favorites.
“I like it just pan-seared with a nice medium cook on it so it’s still a little fleshy in the middle, with that flavor,” says Kelleher, a chef alongside manager-slash-chef Pete Bradford, a Vineyard native and culinary veteran.
The swordfish is also delicious and expertly prepared – fresh, juicy, hot; an explosion of rich taste in every bite. Smashed potatoes and a bright vegetable medley serve as perfect compliments, occasionally garnering their own attention away from the sensational swordfish.
“You can actually mix and match a little bit. If you want a pan-sear and you want the herb butter on it instead of the soy glaze, we can do that. I think it’s a little more customer friendly that telling them, ‘This is how it is and this is how it’s gonna be,’” Kelleher says.
An island-style bar juts out into the sandy patio, an area replete with guests whiling away sunny afternoons with ambient live acts like local strummer Mike Benjamin. The sandy outdoor seating – the largest portion of the seating area, which also includes an indoor bar and tables – is Kelleher’s favorite aspect of Sand Bar. “You’re out on the harbor. It’s a good atmosphere,” he says.
Indeed, Sand Bar has character. In a tourist Mecca where restaurants are a dime a dozen, it’s almost magic to dine at an unforgettable spot overlooking a serene harbor, your toes in the sand.
A UMass professor and author wrote a guest column Monday in the Boston Globe under the guise of advice for the Obamas if they are truly vacationing here later this summer, in the tradition of the Clintons in years past. What it really served as was a nicely nuanced piece from a writer who is clearly intimately familiar with the Vineyard -- leagues moreso than my been-here-two-and-a-half-weeks self. I'm very grateful to the kind old fella who dropped this article off at the bookstore for my boss but recommended I read it first. I won't post the whole text below, but here are some bits I liked:
"Like all islands, Martha's Vineyard is a head case, mysterious, a unique coinage, cut off, stuck-up, a loner, a bit of a drama queen. Newcomers often experience the island as snobby, and not just in the obvious terms of how much property you own and its value. The island sometimes feels like a club for which there are secret rules that no one appears all that eager to share."
A few genius grafs about island's etymology include:
"The names play games with your head, teasing fake definitions from the sounds themselves. Edgartown could be a scary theme park based on stories by Poe. . . Oak Bluffs a strategy in poker . . . Tisbury a quaint way to describe the inside of a pie."
Although none of my jobs are listed, I can relate:
"Memories of having held certain summer jobs are a badge, whether the work was backbreaking, such as picking any of their 10 different kinds of lettuce at Morning Glory Farms, especially if you biked to work in the predawn hours, or mundane, such as bagging at Stop & Shop, or high-toned, such as being a hostess at Atria in Edgartown, or classic, such as scooping ice cream at Mad Martha's."
Check it out if you like what you see. Great way to get a better sense of this island I'm calling home for another three months.
Tonight I'm starting my first tipped job, in the front of the house at Mediterranean. Not sure if I'll be bussing, waiting, hosting, or bar-backing, but I'm looking forward to it. I should have some solid tales as I join the massive, college-age summer work force in restaurants.
I'm interested to see how much Memorial Day weekend catalyzes the shift from 20,000 annual inhabitants on Martha's Vineyard to the 100,000-plus in the summer season. I'm sure the Vineyard will begin its transformation to a madhouse pretty swiftly over the weekend.
The first issue of This Week on Martha's Vineyard came out yesterday. I've got two articles on facing pages. Since I don't think the website will be up until the weekly goes into full force on June 18, I'll post my first story below. Disclaimer: This story belongs to This Week on Martha's Vineyard. Check out their website when it's up and read the paper when you're on the Vineyard! Another disclaimer: If you visit me, we're going for one of these rickshaw rides.
NOTE: Hover over pictures to read captions. DOUBLE NOTE: Wrote a short story on Wednesday night and finalized it yesterday. Comment or e-mail me at zachary_dionne@umit.maine.edu if you'd like to read it.
Rickshaw company pedals for a cause
Leisurely rides provide transportation and social experience for gratuities only
By Zach Dionne
5/21/09
Saturday afternoon, there’s no wait for Oak Bluffs’ newest cab service. It helps that Vineyard Pedicab is based around bicycle-pulled rickshaws and that locals and tourists alike aren’t sure what to make of the service yet. Is it an expensive gimmick? Is it practical? Is it even fun?
Pedicab offers its efficient, four-vehicle service for free, solely requesting tips and donating its proceeds to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, a cause driver Clairetta Stutzman, 24, from Vermont says “makes it worth pedaling.” And yes, it’s plenty fun – in a half-hour ride with Clairetta, pleasant conversation never dwindles.
Clairetta, who has been driving a Pedicab for a week, doesn’t struggle lugging two average-sized males up hills on a loop down Circuit Avenue, Narragansett Avenue, around Ocean Park and through the Martha’s Vineyard Campmeeting Association grounds. Even in the grueling portions of the trip, she’s all smiles and friendly, informational banter. Clairetta gleans tidbits of insight from local riders; now she can casually dish bits like the fact that dogs are “hired” to scare geese in OceanPark in the summer.
Virtually every person the rickshaw passes on this particular ride either says hello or receives a greeting from Clairetta. A painter waves, shortly followed by a couple in an SUV greeting the rickshaw at a stop sign while two golden retrievers poke their heads out the back window to contribute to the hello. Comments range from “You got business! Good work!” to “How’s the legs?” from a worker high atop a lift.
The rickshaw-bike weighs 150 pounds without passengers. Clairetta weighs 130. The rickshaws typically carry one to two passengers, but three or four is possible, although strenuous on the driver. There is no suggested tip amount.
On Pedicab’s first Saturday night, cabs were expected to be out until 9 or 10 p.m. The drivers called it quits at 2 a.m.
John Pasquina, 26, began Vineyard Pedicab with his brother William Pasquina, 28. The younger Pasquina prides the company for its Oak Bluffs centricity.
“It’s pretty local. It’s a good way for tourists to see areas they wouldn’t normally see,” Pasquina said. “Pedicab is a really cool approach and it’s really community-based.”
The Pasquinas, from West Newbury, modeled the service after Newburyport Pedicab, a business partner operating since 2007. The Pasquinas were friends of the Newburyport business’s creators and worked with them.
“We were really successful there and have been achieving our goal of donating a lot to charity,” Pasquina said. He stressed Vineyard Pedicab’s role as a green, charitable organization.
According to Pasquina, safety is not a concern. Newburyport Pedicab has had no safety issues in three years of business.
“The rickshaws are pretty secure,” Pasquina said. The ride with Clairetta is smooth, evenly paced and cars are given right of way.
Vineyard Pedicab contributes to charity in several ways. Local sponsors Eco MV, Squash Meadows, Sharky’s Restaurant and Martha’s Vineyard Saving’s Bank cover expenses.
“They’re all directly green or green friendly, which is really what we’re pushing,” Pasquina said of the sponsors.
The tips both compensate drivers and help Pedicab’s goal to raise $20,000 this summer between Oak Bluffs and Newburyport.
"We lease the cabs for 30 percent of the drivers' tips and whatever is left after any business expenses goes to Dana Farber through the Pan Mass Challenge," Pasquina said. "It is our goal to get this number as close to 30 percent as possible, but seeing as it is a start up year, we have quite a few costs to cover."
On Pan-Mass Days, named for a bike trek fundraiser for cancer charities, all tips will go to charity. Vineyard Pedicab recently hosted the Dana Farber Jam Bash concert in Newburyport and earned $1,500. Pasquina said he thinks the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is “doing the most for the cancer community.”
Clairetta’s favorite part of Pedicab is the eco-friendly aspect and the fresh way of seeing the area.
“There’s so much history here,” she said. Her favorite locale to ride through is the camp grounds, pointing out her favorite "gingerbread houses."
“I think the novelty is a pretty big thing. People say they feel like royalty,” Pasquina said. “It’s a great way to have a short trip.” Most rides are under one mile.
As of Sunday, Pedicab had six drivers with four more in training. Pasquina said he hopes for about 15 drivers.
“It leaves you pretty happy at the end of the day,” Pasquina said, adding that an expansion to Edgartown may be in the works. “We think that it would fit in quite well with the colonial style. This is still up in the air.”
Vineyard Pedicab operates from 10 a.m. to midnight or 1 a.m.
“We’re stationed everywhere. We’re always driving. You’ll hear our bell dinging in the distance,” Pasquina said.
Call (978) 270-0652 or (978) 270-6150 to hail a cab or listen for that signature bell.
NOTE: Hover over the photos with your cursor to read captions, y'all.
Worked my first day at the This Week on Martha's Vineyard on Sunday. Biked six miles to the office in Edgartown and started at 10 a.m. It was an awesome day -- the editor and his staff are all cool and laid-back. I did a variety of tasks -- editing my two stories (should be online soon), finding pull quotes in articles, writing sub-headlines and info boxes, cropping a photo of me that'll run as my headshot with every article (woo!), and putting together a big, long calendar. Unfortunately the paper doesn't go into full-force as a weekly until June 18. This first issue was just a teaser to get people ready for our rockin' seasonal paper.
The adventure part of the day came on my ride home. I stayed at the paper until 9 at night; just long enough for it to be completely dark. I wasn't worried since I'd gotten new reflectors and a tune-up on my bike that morning, but I didn't anticipate miles of pitch black with no streetlights whatsoever. I walked my bike for a long while before getting super bored. I started to ride tentatively, knowing that the tiniest, dumbest twig or pothole would send me flying, put my helmet to the test and strew delicious chicken fingers all over my backpack.
Photo over the cove/lake thing on my left of the causeway. This was with the shutter open for 15 seconds.
What started out as a nervous affair eventually became a blast. I went for a half-hour without seeing any man-made lights. Cars passed occasionally and I'd try to memorize the road, making sure it was clear, and then gun it at top speed in the wake of each car's light. When I got to the several-mile-long causeway (reminds me of the long bridges between the Florida Keys, sort of), it was absolutely silent except for smooth waves and cackling sea-birds. Lighthouses were beaming on my left and right horizons and the dunes and vegetation all morphed into weird, shapes. Surprising my imagination would act up on a long night ride alone? Not at all.
Made it home safe. Went down to the water and took a short video (video used loosely -- it's me talking and you seeing nothing) somewhere in the middle in case I didn't get to jot down any details about the excursion. I might utilize video entries independently at some point, but for now have this reheated account of the tale -- just moments after you read all about it!
More about Vineyard life and the Islanders themselves soon. Aiming to do some actual interviews and journalism-type writing here as long as my days stay this commitment free.
Lastly, I'd be doing you a huge disservice if I didn't direct you here. Nothing to do with Vineyard life, but it'll make your day. And I did see it for the first time while I was here, so maybe it's sorta relevant...
Oak Bluffs Harbor, packed even more than usual.
Looks like someone landed a hand.
Wonderful.
Lot of rods.
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