The following are highlights of what's new on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Planning Your Trip
For those traveling to Martha's Vineyard, there are two new options. New in 2003 is a fast ferry from Rhode Island to Oak Bluffs that makes the trip in 90 minutes and avoids Cape Cod traffic jams. The Vineyard Fast Ferry Company (tel. 401/295-4040; www.vineyardfastferry.com) runs a seasonal high-speed catamaran called Millennium that leaves from Quonset Point in North Kingston. The round-trip cost is $48 for adults and $36 for children.
New in 2004 is another option for Vineyard vacationers: a high-speed ferry from New Bedford to Martha's Vineyard. The beauty of this boat is that it allows you to avoid the traffic going over the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge to the Cape. The ferry takes one hour and makes the trip five or six times a day, seven days a week, year-round. Fares are $20 one-way and $40 round-trip. Parking costs $7 per day. Contact the New England Fast Ferry (tel.866/453-6800 www.nefastferry.com) for information.
Also new this year for the Steamship Authority, passengers can now buy their tickets online at the boatline's new updated web site. No more waiting on hold for an eternity for ferry tickets if you log onto www.steamshipauthority.com. The Steamship Authority is also experimenting with ticket-less travel, where travelers get their tickets from kiosks at the terminals, similar to what the airlines have been doing for several years.
The Upper Cape
Falmouth, which is becoming something of a restaurant mecca, has several new restaurants on the scene opening in 2005, as well as one big change in the kitchen. Last year's pick for one of the Cape's best restaurants, Phusion Grille, 71 Water Street, Woods Hole (tel. 508/457-3100) overlooking Eel Pond on Water Street, has a brand new chef this year. With the very talented chef/owner Bin Phu having left the restaurant, only time will tell if the new chef will measure up. New last summer and hitting its stride this year is Firefly Woodfire Grill and Bar, 271 Main Street; Falmouth (tel. 508/548-7953). Two excellent restaurants nearby on Main Street are RooBar, 285 Main Street, Falmouth (tel. 508/548-8600) and Cucina Sul Mar, 237 Main Street; Falmouth (tel. 508/548-5600). New this summer at RooBar will be live music on weekends.
The Quarterdeck Restaurant, 164 Main Street; Falmouth (tel. 508/548-9900) is under new ownership. The Jarvises who also own the very popular Chart Room in Cataumet, 1 Shipyard Lane, Cataumet (tel. 508/563-5350) have improved the menu and the atmosphere at the Quarterdeck. New on the restaurant scene for Spring 2004 is Pi Pizza Bistro, 75 Davis Straits, the continuation of Main Street (tel. 508/495-5553), which has replaced Pesci's, and Café Portofino Bar and Grill, which is scheduled to open in late August or September at the former site of the Village Café at 188 Main Street on the corner of Academy Lane.
Peking Palace, 452 Main Street, Falmouth (tel. 508/540-8204), Falmouth's best Chinese restaurant is under renovation and due to open in late 2004 with an expanded menu including Japanese and Thai cuisine. Meanwhile, a very good Thai restaurant, Bangkok Cuisine, 809 Main Street; Falmouth (tel. 508/495-3760) has opened just down the road. Anyone searching out a sandwich spot should check out the new Paulie's Café and Bakery, 420 East Falmouth Highway; Falmouth (tel. 508/548-2308), which has wonderful sandwiches made on fresh panini bread.
The Flume, the popular Mashpee restaurant owned for decades by chef Earl Mills, former chief of the local Wampanoag tribe, closed this year. Also closed this year is Contrast, the quirky restaurant in Mashpee Commons. It has been replaced by Bleu, 7 Market Street; Mashpee Commons (tel. 508/539-7907), a French bistro featuring jazz brunch on Sunday and lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, year-round.
The Mid Cape
The most whimsical restaurant on the Cape and a personal favorite, Jack's Out Back in Yarmouthport, has closed.
The Lower Cape
Everyone is talking about Abba, 89 Old Colony Way, Orleans (tel. 508/255-8144), which has Middle Eastern food and a serene and romantic atmosphere. Next door is Abba To Go, 36 West Road, Orleans (tel. 508/255-8405), where you stop for a picnic lunch before heading to Skaket Beach, just down the road. The Chatham Bars Inn, Shore Road (tel. 800/527-4884), one of the Cape's most deluxe lodging choices, has gone high-tech. The inn's new wireless network means free unlimited high-speed Internet access for all guests.
The Outer Cape
The 40-room Esther's Restaurant, Piano Bar and Guesthouse, 186 Commercial Street, Provincetown (tel. 888/873-5001) is a beautifully restored property offering fine dining and lodging in Provincetown's West End. There are five guest rooms featuring Jacuzzis and water views. Rates in season are $225 a night. For dining, you can choose the patio on Commercial Street or the intimate dining room inside. The main courses featuring New American cuisine range from $18 to $27.
Nantucket
The Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, Nantucket (tel. 508/228-1894), one of the region's top attractions, is undergoing a major renovation this year. The renovation is not expected to be completed until the spring of 2005. The Peter Folger Museum next door is open during the renovation and displays some of the collections of the Whaling Museum. Some exhibits will also be displayed at the Friends Meeting House, an 1838 historic property at 7 Fair Street, during the renovation. For details, call tel. 508/228-1894.
New on Nantucket's restaurant scene: Le Languedoc Café, 24 Broad Street; Nantucket (tel. 508/228-2552) has started serving a light menu between lunch and dinner, so you can hang out at this perfect French bistro all day. American Seasons, 80 Centre Street, Nantucket (tel. 508/228-7111) has installed a new bar and is also serving a light menu in the evenings, in addition to its clever regional cuisine. 21 Federal, 21 Federal Street; Nantucket (tel. 508/228-2121) will begin serving lunch this year, a much needed service on Nantucket. Bluefin on South Beach Street, which just opened a few years ago, has closed. The shopping buzz on Nantucket is all about Ralph. That's Ralph Lauren, whose new shop in the former Nantucket Looms building at 16 Main Street opens this summer.