Labor Day Weekend 2025

We have been celebrating the unofficial end of summer on Martha’s Vineyard since 2020.

I always managed to book one of the two slips at the Harbormaster’s Dock in Edgartown until last year. I had less than 30 seconds to grab it once it opened for booking on dockwa at 10:00 AM on February 14. I accidentally checked four nights and instead of completing the booking, I aborted and started again. At thirty seconds past 10:00 it was gone!

I did manage to book Oak Bluffs a few weeks later and after Mrs. Horne told me she likes better, that became our new Labor Day Port-O-Call.

Guests From Texas

In 2013 our dear friends Jake and Peggy moved to Austin Texas. We have maintained a close long-distance friendship since then and we’ve become friends with a number of their neighbors in Texas.

Kent and Gail first visited us in 2021 and we spent a few days in Newport.

When they visited California in February, we decided it was time for them to see Amazing Grace, and Labor Day would be the perfect time.

We left Onset Friday morning with a brisk wind. The ride was smooth enough, but Amazing Grace got covered with salt spray from head to toe.

Gail’s friend wrote an article for a travel magazine about visiting Martha’s Vineyard a few years ago. She read me a few highlights and immediately accepted it as a challenge to show them an even better visit.

Lunch At The Lookout

Although Nancy’s might be the original iconic clam bar in Oak Bluff, Yelp’s #1 rated lunch restaurant continues to be the Lookout.

It has a spectacular view of Vineyard Sound from the porch.

They offer an enormous menu full of everything you might want in a seaside eatery and it’s always prepared well.

One of my secret pleasures is an elevated hot dog. As soon as I spotted it, I ordered it!

It was perfectly executed in a soft and warm brioche roll. It’s a 1/4 pound dog complete with sliced grill marks.

After lunch, Mrs. Horne took everyone shopping and I bwashed the salt off the boat. At this time in the season, it’s fairly routine and truly a labor of love.

We met Mike and Lori at The Atlantic in June and invited them back to OB for the Band On The Boat. We stayed in touch and when I found out they were in town for Labor Day, I invited them over for a little cocktail party.

They had a few guests and Mrs. Horne said “The more the merrier” and we welcomed them aboard…

After the party, it was getting dark and it was a perfect time for a no-reservation late dinner at Mikado.

Kent shared some of the Kung Pao Shrimp and I will definitely be ordering some sort of Kung Pao next time.

Gail thought the Teriyaki Sauce was a little heavy, but otherwise it was rather pedestrian.

Another tip from Gail’s friend was Mad Martha’s Blueberry Ice Cream.

Kent is an ice cream aficionado.

Kent shared a taste and I have to agree, this is very special ice cream flavor.

Even the OB Shark liked it!

Biking Saturday

Kent and Gail love activity, and thus the plan for Saturday included a lot of biking.

After picking our way to the County Road Bike Lane, we headed into the State Forest.

We hadn’t gone a half a mile when I noticed no one was behind me! I circled back and discovered Gail had a flat tire. To make matters worse, the tire had come off the rim.

Fortunately, we were only 1/4 mile from Barnes Road because Kent had to carry the back of the bike to protect the tire from further damage.

It looked like our bike plans for the day were over and even worse, biking for the entire three-day weekend may have come to an end!

The situation was dire and that’s when your humble captain does his best work 😂

I remembered that Edgartown Bicycle had helped me with an emergency repair in the past. I called them and they said, “Bring it in and we’ll fix it.”

Next, I booked an Uber XL to the bike shop. Since I was the only one who knew the way through the forest, Mrs. Horne volunteered to bring the bike to Edgartown.

We had planned to have lunch at the Atlantic in Edgartown, so our day of biking was saved!

We met Mrs. Horne at the Atlantic – our favorite lunch spot in Edgartown.

If you’re a regular follower, you’ve probably seen enough photos of our favorite dishes at The Atlantic to last a while.

So, for the foreseeable future, I’m only publishing photos of new dishes we try!

While we were eating we noticed Jaryl making an exotic drink we’d never seen before.

After lunch, I volunteered to walk back to Edgartown Bicycle to retrieve the repaired bike.

It was a pleasant day for a walk and helped me top 100,000 steps for the week – my best since leaving California.

The shop retrieved the cause of the flat…

Not sure how this ended up 1/4 mile into the State Forest! I

If you’re ever out biking and pick up a flat, remember an Uber XL can take you to a bike shop that will likely fix it, but I’d advise calling ahead.

The ride back along the Beach Road Bike Trail was unexpectedly civilized. Of course, we had to stop at the Jaws Bridge.

Back in OB, the boat basin was as packed as I’ve ever seen it.

It was a glorious late August day for reading on the Skydeck.

As you may have noticed, we’ve spent a lot of time on Martha’s Vineyard this season. Partly because we can get here in virtually any conditions, and partly because the Uber service has gotten so good that we can dine anywhere on the island from Oak Bluffs.

With that in mind, I decided to branch out and try some new dinner venues.

Atria – Edgartown

As you should know by now, my favorite way to find a great restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard is to follow Michelle Obama!

I read somewhere they loved Atria and in my effort to branch out, it seemed like the place to go on Saturday night.

Those of you who follow celebrity gossip will be interested to learn that Michelle and Barrack dined here in June and Michelle ate here twice last week with girlfriends!

We felt particularly blessed when we were seated in the Obamas’ booth…

It’s a long deep Banquette with a privacy curtain.

Our server Mont was outstanding, as was the evening’s cuisine!

The bread service was excellent, but a little pricey!

Everyone raved about their dinner. Mrs. Horne and I shared the Chicken.

It was very good, one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had.

After dinner, Mont pitched the Carrot Cake…

“It’s Epic!”

So of course we had to indulge!

Truly epic, but very large. We all shared it and took home leftovers.

There are several great restaurants in Edgartown, but this certainly ranked as #1 last Saturday night. I have already booked it again for next Saturday, we’ll see if it can repeat!

Nantucket Sunday

With an eye toward jamming as much as possible into our five-day cruise, we decided to visit Nantucket. Mrs. Horne lobbied hard to take the boat, but once we realized the high-speed ferry left from Dockside, that sealed the deal!

Between the exorbitant dock fees, punitive cancellation policy, and lack of availability, I have given up on visiting Nantucket during the summer. But this idea worked like a charm!

The schedule allows one to spend four hours or seven hours on the island.

We opted for the 9:05 departure and 2:50 return thinking lunch downtown.

I thoroughly enjoyed the one-hour ride to Nantucket as a passenger. I love running Amazing Grace, but it’s anything but relaxing. The high-speed ferry was total relaxation.

We stepped off the boat and onto Straight Wharf at 10:15. Mrs. Horne had an aggressive plan to give Kent and Gail as much Nantucket as possible before our 1:30 departure.

It was a crisp New England morning as we powered our way up Easy Street toward our first stop.

The Whaling Museum

We visit the museum with Peter in June, so Mrs. Horne assumed we would have Kent and Gail tour alone. On the way, I asked her:

“What are we going to do while they’re in the museum?”

She said: “We’ll just walk around the shops.”

I said: “I’d rather visit the museum.”

And in we went and I’m glad we did!

At 11:00 a young man named Niles gave us a lecture on the evolution of the Nantucket Economy.

His lecture was very interesting:

The Economic History

• The initial economy was based on raising Sheep and Farming, but that was a bust.
• When whaling caught on in the 1830s, Nantucket flourished as the Whaling Center of the world.
• The Whaling industry on Nantucket died around 1860 as New Bedford took over.
• The whaling industry completely collapsed in the 1870s when petroleum was discovered underground in Pennsylvania.
• In the late 1800s ferry service began coming to the island and Nantucket’s tourist economy first emerged.
• Over the following decades, dozens of beachfront hotels were built to accommodate visitors.
• Following the Roaring Twenties, the very wealthy from New York adopted Nantucket as their summer retreat.
• The owners of the Beachfront Hotels realized they could make a quick killing by tearing them down and building mansions for millionaires. 

Nantucket Economy Today

• In the 1960s, the people of Nantucket became concerned about the rapid real estate development.
• In 1966, the Nantucket Historical District Commission was formed to regulate development.

  In 1971, it was expanded to encompass the entire Island as well as Tuckernuck and Muskeget.n

• In 1983, the Nantucket Land Bank was created and today it owns 60% of the real estate on Nantucket.
• Although this effort has preserved the Nantucket environment. Today, 80% of the homes belong to absentee owners
• One third of the absentee owners are hundred millionaires or billionaires 
• The average home price is $3 million. 

After Nile’s lecture, we climbed the stairs to the roof and took in the view of the waterfront.

We also enjoyed the lecture on Whaling, even though we’d seen it from a different lecturer in June.

Or, the Whale

Mrs. Horne wanted to show Gail the downtown shops so I grabbed a reservation for the back patio at one of our favorite Nantucket restaurants.

The location enabled the girls to order and take off shopping. Our server gave us a 5-minute warning before the food came out and the girls got back just as lunch was served.

Gail found the Summer Salad extremely fresh…

Mrs. Horne loved the corn strips. She found them exceptionally sweet, but a bit awkward to eat.

I was having a tough time deciding what to order when I saw a Croque Madame pass on the way to another table.

It was fantastic, especially the country ham which tasted almost like prosciutto.

After lunch, Kent walked down to yacht row at the boat basin.

We had no trouble catching the 1:40 Fast Ferry back to Oak Bluffs since it leaves from Straight Wharf.

A New Take On Visiting Nantucket

The ride back was even smoother and it occurred to me that the OB-ACK ferry was a great option for visiting Nantucket in the summer.

As mentioned above, it’s almost impossible to get a slip in the summer unless you book it months in advance. It is very expensive, and 100% non-refundable 30 days out.

On the other hand, OB offers relatively low-cost dockage and we booked the ferry the day before. And can bring out bikes on the ferry.

The Dunes At Winnetu

Buoyed with the discovery of Atria as our new favorite Edgartown restaurant, we ventured to South Beach on Sunday to try the Dunes located inside the Winnetu resort complex.

The setting is gorgeous…

The Dunes Restaurant

Before I get to the food, I need to give you a heads up. The reviews were definitely mixed. Mrs. Horne, Kent, and Gail loved their meals, but mine was a complete disaster.

One thing we all agreed on was that the chairs were extremely uncomfortable and unsuitable for a high-end seaside eatery.

The Food

Mrs. Horne and Gail shared the Caesar.

The flavors were perfect, but I found the Little Gem lettuce a little limp for a Caesar.

Kent shared a taste of the steak and it was mouthwatering, especially the chimichurri – which wasn’t even listed as an ingredient.

I almost ordered the steak as well, but in an effort to try unusual dishes, I opted for the noodles.

As soon as I took my first bite, I knew something was wrong with this dish. It tasted like soap and metal. I have heard that some people have this reaction to Cilantro, but not me.

Mrs. Horne took a bite and said “No thanks, that’s not for me.”

I took another bite and this time all I tasted was soap.

Just then the server checked in and I told him it was inedible. I went over the ingredients, hoping to discover the source of the disgusting taste. I regularly eat every ingredient listed on the menu. He suggested Szechuan Peppercorns, but I have never had a problem with them either.

He ran off to get a menu so I could pick another dish.

I had already memorized the menu and as he returned, I said “Just bring me a burger.”

He said: “Do you want everything on it – do you want the BBQ sauce?”

BBQ sauce isn’t listed as an ingredient, but I said “No, no BBQ sauce, thanks!”

He brought the burger and it was smothered in BBQ sauce. I ate a few bites, but it just tasted like wet spare ribs and I sent it back too.

At this point, the manager came over with a sumptuous offering of sweets and said “I hope this will hold you over while I make you a burger to go.”

I passed on the second burger, but the candy was delightful.

As I said at the outset, three of us loved their meal and if I had ordered a steak, it might have been everyone.

It is a beautiful setting, but I think the Uber drivers have figured out that anyone who goes there has money to burn…

I suspect I may never return…

Off To Falmouth

Knowing Kent and Gail wanted to bike, I booked a slip in Falmouth for Labor Day.

I messaged the Town Dockmaster on dockwa about an early arrival and they told me the slip was open at 9:30 so we headed across the sound and tied up early.

We got the bikes off and headed to town before noon.

As is our usual routine, we stopped at Anéjo for a quick lunch.

Mrs. Horne usually orders a tostada and I order tacos. I remembered ordering the Anéjo nachos years ago and noting they were more like mini tostadas than nachos.

I suggested we share and order and she agreed.

I love their carnitas, so I upgraded the nachos and ordered them on the side.

Kent and Gail live in Texas (Tex-Mex) and we winter in the desert 70 miles north of Mexico. We all agreed that Anéjo’s food is as good as any Mexican food anywhere!

After a little shopping in downtown Falmouth, we headed out to the Shining Seas Bike Trail for the afternoon.

Romeo’s

We walked to Romeo’s for dinner around 6:00. It’s almost a mile each way, but we all loved the exercise.

I have dined in many Tapas style restaurants, but I find Romeo’s offers the true spirit of shared plates.

The menu is eclectic and Chef Tom just keeps cranking out amazing dishes. I recommend ordering a few at a time and then ordering a few more.

We started with the Humus and the Tomatoes…

For our second course, we ordered the gnocchi and the eggplant.

For our final course, we ordered fried rice, fish tacos, and ribs…

Unfortunately, my photo of the ribs didn’t come out, but they were great! Romeo’s Berkshire Pork Spare Ribs – $22 guajillo dry rub, sesame, sticky guava glaze – order includes four.

Finally, we ordered both desserts!

Once again, every bite was mouthwatering.

We returned to the boat and enjoyed a comfortable evening on the Skydeck.

Tuesday morning was calm, warm, and sunny as we headed home after a five-day cruise.

I don’t think we could have packed any more into five days, but it’s a great pleasure to share these special moments with friends.

Next Up: Back To The Island