Emily Drell, Nicole Wagner, Mary Lind
A hot dog vendor and ice cream connoisseur playfully bicker back and forth over the purchase of a frankfurter on Circuit Avenue of Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Rhody Adventures’ trip to the island allowed a break from everyday life at college and immersion into a bustling island of color and life.
The hot dog vendor was insistent on everyone purchasing a hot dog, but a woman eating ice cream on the sidewalk next to the food stand declined the offer and said that it was too hot for hot dogs that day.
Upon arrival at Martha’s Vineyard, the street known as Circuit Avenue was filled with tents and food vendors for the celebration of Trivoli Day, an annual celebration of the end of summer on Martha’s Vineyard.
After purchasing a sweatshirt from a street vendor with the island’s name in true tourist fashion, I began to observe how people interacted with one another. Vendors and customers alike all shared a common care-free attitude practicing a friendly nature with everyone.
After deciding to eat lunch at Island House Bar and Grill on Circuit Avenue, my friends and I made sure to sit in the outside seating area after encouragement from the host to do so that we could still see the happenings of the street.
During our meal, a little girl who was visibly upset came over to the deck where we were seated to lean on the structure. A vendor came over to the girl to cheer her up, asking if she was “big sad or little sad.” The girl laughed and cheered up, going back to her mother smiling after the vendor came over.
The altercation made me smile, as I’m sure most can remember a time when they wouldn’t allow their parents to cheer them up but had someone else interject to cheer them up.
Following lunch, my friends and I went over to a pen where puppies for adoption were held to pet them. I’m not sure who would pass up such an opportunity.
The woman in charge of the dogs handed the leash for one of the dogs named Taffy to my friend Mary after seeing us pet one of the dogs in the pen. This was surprising to me, as I would not trust a stranger to hold onto my dog for me, especially on such a busy street.
Nevertheless, Taffy was an absolute sweetheart whose ambition in life seemed to be obtaining a hot dog from the stand nearby. To the bulldog’s dismay, she was unsuccessful in her efforts to pull Mary toward the stand and was soon returned to her caretaker as we journeyed further down the street.
My friends and I soon after came across a stand advertising for Island Alpaca Company and decided we had to visit the farm after feeling how soft the stuffed animals and hats made from the shaved fur were.
A short Uber ride later with a very friendly driver, we paid a $5 entry fee and entered the farm. The alpacas were extremely soft but had some attitudes that made us laugh.
A particular alpaca by the name of “Silver Angel” made us laugh, as it went over to sleeping alpacas and checked on them, nudging their heads with its mouth.
The farm also held alpaca yoga classes for $30, but we opted to travel to the “Gingerbread Houses” on the island instead of stretching our muscles with the animals.
The houses were nothing like I’d ever seen before. The picturesque houses were organized in a cute little village in the Oak Bluffs area of the island, close to Circuit Avenue. After viewing the different candy-colored houses, we walked over to Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium for ice cream.
I was personally intrigued by the lobster flavored ice cream, which included lobster bits in it, but wasn’t adventurous enough to purchase it. I instead stuck to my usual choice that usually includes a variation of vanilla ice cream with brownie bits.
After relaxing outside the ice cream parlor with my friends, we finally made our way back to the shoreline where the ferry would return to pick us up.
I decided to finish out the day by climbing down the rock barrier to the water, the waves calmly lapping at the bottom of the rocks a nice sight to conclude the day with.
After a $15 ticket, which included the fee for the bus trip and ferry trip to the island and back, I would say that the trip was well worth it to get off campus for a day. My advice after this experience: grab some friends, grab some tickets for the next Rhody Adventure, and be willing to let the adventure take you wherever it may lead.