Martha's Vineyard

Sure, it is February, but I wanted to post about the vacation we had in September. Just as I added my Rhode Island story several months after the fact, I will do the same here. I just want to make sure I document this trip before I get into more and more travel for work.

This was our 3rd straight year vacationing on Martha's Vineyard in the Fall. This year, we were not able to stay in the B&B we enjoyed last year, so I started researching rental houses, etc. I was lucky enough to find a small rental in the East Chop area of the Island for a great price for a week. We were not staying for an entire week, but the price was cheaper than we would have paid for 3-4 days at the B&B. We were somewhat skeptical, but we communicated with the owner several times, and we finally pulled the trigger.

We were very glad we did. We had a small apartment that sat above a large garage on a property that overlooked the Nantucket Sound and the East Chop Lighthouse.





It was amazing and very private. We had to get to and from town on bikes that we rented, which was great.


The houses around us were mostly empty, as it was late in the season. Fortunately, the weather was perfect. We have gone to MV in late September for the last 3 years, and we are 2 for 3 with the weather. In '08 we had cold and rain. We got to spend a lot of time relaxing.


I was able to try some fishing (no luck), while April spent time shopping and reading. We had to go to The Net Result in Vineyard Haven (our rental was between Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven) to get a lobster roll.


The lobster rolls here are amazing. Imagine, the freshest lobster possible tossed lightly with basically mayo, salt and pepper. Ridiculous, really. Oddly enough, we have also found some amazing pizza on the Island in Oak Bluffs at Giordano's. They have a take out window open late in the season, and they sell pizza by the slice there. It really is some of the best NY style pizza I have had.

One of the coolest things about the rental we had was the outside shower. We were freaked out by this in the beginning, but once we took a shower in the outside stall, we were hooked. It was so refreshing to be taking a hot shower outside in the morning with temps around 50 degrees.

This island is a special place.

Little Rhody

I am about to start another season of travel for work, and I realized that I have not posted anything since June. I did a fair amount of traveling between June and now (Feb.), but spent most of my time in Rhode Island. I was managing a job in Johnston, RI, a town just outside Providence. I think we started the job in August, and did not officially finish the job until January. Sort of a nightmare, but it did allow me time to fall in love with some very unique food. Obviously, the fresh seafood was everywhere. Unique to Rhode Island are stuffed quahogs (stuffies), snail salad, clam cakes and Rhode Island clam chowder. All are amazing, and could hold their own on any food blog. I spent some time sampling all of the above, but the one Rhode Island specialty that really took me by surprise was the hot weiner. Each time I travelled to Providence, I stayed at the Johnson & Whales Inn at Seekonk, MA. It is just a mile or so East of East Providence. Every day I had to drive through East Providence to get to the hotel from our job site. Each time I drove through downtown, I noticed a place called Sparky's Coney Island System.

I knew a little bit about the New York System Coneys of Rhode Island, but had never eaten one. I stopped in and ordered 2 hot weiners (please do not call them hot dogs). 8 bites later, my life was changed. I couldn't believe how addictive these things could be. I started stopping by on each drive back to my hotel. I learned to order them "all the way". This means everything: steamed onions, mustard, coney sauce and celery salt. I also learned about serving them "up the arm".

It is traditional for the assembly of each order of weiners to be done up the arm. A weiner consisting of pork and veal is custom made for these "system" joints. 4" pieces are cut from a link over 30 feet long. It is in a natural casing, so you get a very nice snap upon biting into one. It doesn't get much better than biting into a soft, steamed bun and experiencing the snap of the weiner while enjoying the unique Greek spice blend found in the sauce. It is by far the best coney I have ever enjoyed. Try them with an order of fries and a coffee milk.

Sparky's Coney Island System, 122 Taunton Ave., East Providence, RI