In Search of Moby Dick

Illustration of the Whale from Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick', from Wikipedia.

'Call me Ishmael', Nantucket Island (first settled 1641), is a real bucket-list destination, evoking thoughts of whaling, Moby Dick, Starbuck, Queequeg and Cap'n Ahab. Our Plan A was to put our Jeep on the ferry at Hyannis, spend two nights there, and then come back to Cape Cod. After consultation with Sandy at the Anchor In and hearing how expensive the car fare was, we developed a day-trip to Nantucket Plan B, which we followed. Sandy's advice was good!

The Nantucket whaling museum would have been worth a visit, but it was closed. It is housed in an old whale-oil candle factory.

Our Hy-Line Fast Ferry pulling in to dock in Hyannis Harbor

We chose the fast Hy-Line ferry (a catamaran), with a one-way trip taking about an hour. Notices warned us it was 'choppy' but we found that the passage was remarkably smooth. Apart from us, there were absolutely no tourists on board, one of the delights of winter! The ferry was maybe 30% full of mostly construction workers travelling to jobs on the island. Commuting to Nantucket must be every expensive, unless they get an exceptional deal for being regulars. We were surprised to see the workers queue up well before time to go aboard, but later we figured they each have their favourite seat and want to get it.

Harborfront houses in Hyannis, from the Nantucket Ferry.

The Steamship Company car-ferry leaving Hyannis for Nantucket. Anchor In on the right.

Waiting for passengers off the Hy-Line Fast Ferry to Nantucket.

Sandy wanted us to take a guided tour of the island, but when she rang Gail up for us, she answered from Florida - Gail is no fool! So, on Nantucket we easily rented a car so we could explore the island (only about 100 square miles and shaped roughly like Tasmania). We used it for half the day, and spent the other half walking around the historical and beautiful downtown area.

Brant Point Light at the entrance to Nantucket Harbor.

Shopfront decorations relive old whalers.

The drive around the island was interesting, but the maps we had were poor and we had forgotten to take our GPS navigator with us. Even on that little island, we managed to get lost a few times, but that only gave us to explore places we didn't intend. From the sea, and confirmed by the drive, Nantucket is a flat sand-spit of an island. Its maximum elevation is less than 10m. The less commonly used roads are unpaved and others are simply covered by blown sand. Some are closed for winter, there being few people there to keep them cleared for. We didn't venture onto the unpaved roads in our Toyota Camry except to do some extended U-turns. We couldn't get to Coskata and the GReat Point Lighthouse for this reason. Nevertheless, we saw enough of the island to deduce its delicious flavour. Like on Cape Cod, it seems the popular recreational beaches are on the protected northern side, not facing the treacherous Atlantic surfs.

'Nantucket NASA 2002' by NASA Johnson Space Center - Earth Sciences and Image Analysis (NASA-JSC-ES&IA) - NASA. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Outside Nantucket town, the island seems to be a loose network of tiny clusters of tidy holiday houses. We couldn't call these clusters villages because they generally didn't have a centre, didn't have a single shop. The houses ranged from modest to quite grand, just like on Cape Cod.

Frozen surface and coastline around Polpis Harbor off Nantucket Harbor.

Sankaty Head Lighthouse on Nantucket's east coast.

One spectacularly beautiful village (we can call it that, it had a shop & a PO) was Siasconset, set on a ridge above the Atlantic facing south-eastern corner of Nantucket. What a little piece of paradise, a village of narrow streets and lanes whose buildings are uniformly clad with weathered grey shingles, some with fabulous ocean views. We bought stamps from the PO, but the shop was closed until April.

The only place open in town, the Siasconset Post Office.

Front Street in Siasconset would not take much traffic.

Fine name for a restaurant in Nantucket.

Nantucket township is a haven of postcard-worthy sights and numerous tourist traps, almost all closed for our visit. Most summer day-trippers, it seems, don't leave downtown where they can succumb to any amount of shopping and imbibing. Downtown apparently hosts the US's greatest concentration of pre-1850 housing, and also boasts some of its most expensive property, definitely reserved for the well-to-do. In a real-estate office in town, we noted that modest houses go for $1M, and saw a $20M price tag on a large 'estate' with some land around it.

Fine mansions in downtown Nantucket.

The town wraps around the harbour on the northern side, facing Cape Cod and Nantucket Sound. A large area around the harbour is quite roughly cobble-stoned which has the desirable effect of slowing the traffic down. There seemed to be a lot more cruising pick-up trucks than actual commerce going on, which is a pity. The cobbles are hideous to walk on, but there are numerous pedestrian crossings of smoother paving.

Ankle-twisting cobblestones in the streets of Nantucket town.

Doing a U-turn in our rental, near the Brant Point Light.

The Lighthouses of Cape Cod

Our initial plan for Cape Cod was to base our stay at Hyannis MA, and on driving in we made a very good decision to eschew the mainstream hotels and stay at one recommended by the Lonely Planet, namely the Anchor In on the harbour waterfront and within walking distance of Main Street restaurants and of the ferries to Nantucket. The Anchor In is a family run hotel and was an absolute delight. Sandy, the receptionist, was ever so helpful and allowed us to view rooms before we decided. She also gave us great advice on the ferries, where to go on Cape Cod and where to eat. Our room was as good as any we have stayed in, and we had lovely views of the harbour, the ferries and the sunset. The Lonely Planet recommendation was a good one indeed.

Sunset over Hyannis Harbor from the Anchor In.

We had some excellent and interesting dinners in Hyannis. One was at a tapas bar EmBarGo, perfect because we were after a drink and a light meal. We tried quahog, a large shellfish stuffed with lobster and chorizo. The waiter, Ben, told us this was a Massachusetts and Rhode Island specialty. Ben looked like a wannabe footballer, and gave us lessons on the game on that night, Baltimore vs the New England Patriots. The locals were clearly on the side of the latter, but we don't know who won in the end. Even with the football on, a trio played live jazz at the EmBarGo.

Empty recreational berths populate Hyannis Harbor, like all other marinas in New England in winter.

All up the Atlantic coast, we see cute lighthouses like this one in Hyannis Harbor.

These gulls seem cranky that they could not have a swim in the frozen water.

There are only two roads onto Cape Cod, both crossing the artifical Cape Cod Canal which cuts about 200 miles off the shipping journey from southern ports into Boston and Plymouth. With the canal, Cape Cod is now an island. We came in over the Sagamaore Bridge which is quite a bottleneck. Luckily (on a Sunday afternoon) we were heading onto the Cape, because the traffic heading back onto the "mainland" was backed up maybe 10km behind this bridge. We noticed at Sagamore a huge Park 'n' Ride depot where Cape residents can park and commute into Boston for work. Trouble is, they have to drive across that bridge!

A well integrated navigation system, like this one at Dennis Beach.

Cape Cod is a thin J shaped spit of land with 900km of coastline and beaches - it protects most of the coast of Massachusetts from the Atlantic Ocean. We toured what a map referred to as the Mid-Cape, the Lower Cape, the Outer Cape and the northern part of the Upper Cape over a couple of days. Cape Code is a lighthouse fiesta. The present-day lights distinguish themselves from each other for seaman by their colours and flashing patterns. Before the invention of rotating lights, other artifices like multiple lights side by side were used. Eastham was identified, for example, by a row of lights called "the three sisters" which are now redundant but have been preserved for posterity in the bush behind the present facility.

The Nauset Light is near Eastham on Cape Cod. Behind it are the now retired "three sisters" lights.

Moving sand at Chatham Banks at the tip of the elbow on Cape Cod.

We learned that Cape Cod is predominantly a holiday destination - there a multitudes of beach houses but the vast majority are locked up for winter. Their owners either stay in their Boston homes, or have moved to Florida to escape the bitter cold. That said, there is still a sufficient residual population to keep businesses open and we had no trouble finding cafes and bars to relax at. Most touristy art, craft, fashion and souvenir shops are firmly closed. Buildings are typically clad (walls and rooves) with timber shingles. These are blonde in colour when new (so recent renovations are easy to spot), and grey off to become quite dark if not black as they get old. Towns are uniformly grey for this reason and look quite charming.

The 1878 Chatham Light is maybe the prettiest on Cape Cod.

The houses are not beach shacks as an Australian would recognise them - they range from modest to grand but are generally well kept and neat & tidy. Cape Cod lives up to its reputation - it is evidently a summer playground for the wealthy from between New York and Boston. They are basically not here in winter, and during that period the Cape is mostly populated by local business owners and tradesman working on getting the place ready for summer.

The 1797 Highland Light near Truro is the oldest and brightest on Cape Cod.

The last 30km of the Outer Cape is effectively one road in and out to Provincetown, surely one of the cutest towns imaginable. What this compact town must look like in summer is, on the contrary, unimaginable, and the traffic up that road must be unbearable. But our visit was in winter, and the place was very quiet and all but closed. Each afternoon we look for a cafe for a warming cup of tea, and in Provincetown, we could only find one open in a main street of dozens.

Uninterrupted & close-packed beachside shacks and cottages line the Cape Cod Bay shore for miles along route 6A into Provincetown.

Kale grows colorfully in planter boxes in Provincetown.

In Provincetown, a Christmas Tree made of lobster pots and topped artily with colourful fishing floats.

All the townships we saw leading up to Provincetown were pretty as a picture. These include Chatham (fantastic lighthouse), Eastham and Truro. The coast on the east side is wild, being fully exposed to the Atlantic. The protected beaches on the west, inside Cape Cod Bay, are much calmer, and seem to be the popular swimming spots in summer. Nearer the canal, in the Upper Cape (this nomenclature is acknowleged to be irrational and confusing), there is a delightful town called Sandwich (the first town established by Europeans on the Cape, 1637!), which is separated by broad (and windswept) marshes from Cape Cod Bay traversed by a quite spectacular boardwalk.

The 1654 Dexter's Grist Mill in Sandwich still grinds cornmeal, in summer anyway.

Warming up at a welcome cafe in Sandwich. Coffee in real cups!

This long windswept boardwalk connecting Sandwich to its Atlantic surf beach dates back to 1875. On reconstruction in 1992 by the community, almost every board was engraved with a sponsor's name.

Home of the America's Cup

This suspension bridges passes traffic into Newport from the south & west.

Very chilly swimming hole in Newport Harbor.

We planned for Newport Rhode Island to be our first overnight after leaving New York on the basis it was a comfortable and modest drive across Connecticut and we knew Newport to be a famous yachting centre and the "home" for many years of the America's Cup, which was held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 until Australia famously and controversially wrested it from them in 1983. Indeed, we drove into this beautiful and picturesque town along America's Cup Avenue. The town was as expected, a treasure chest of sailing memorabilia, and a truly delightful place to stay at and explore. The maritime quaintness of the town buildings is beautiful, and we expect to see a lot more of that style of architecture on this trip up through New England.

Bank of America ATMs find themselves in unusual locations.

The Castle Hill Lighthouse guides seamen entering Newport Harbor from Rhode Island Sound.

Our hotel was the Newport Bay Club & Hotel selected from our bible, the Lonely Planet, on the basis of it's central location and extreme cuteness. It lived up to all promise. The hotel is housed in the old Perry Mill building and we had a comfortable, spacious and very high ceilinged one bedroom suite. The staff were very helpful, and this establishment is to be recommended to all visitors!

The only cappucino in town was to be found at the Mokka Cafe, but it still comes in paper cups!

The port itself was very quiet. As in all the port towns we passed on the way here, recreational vessels have almost all been removed from the water for winter and often wrapped in plastic. Marinas are empty. Commercial fishing also seems to slow down for the winter, although the boats are still in the water and being attended to. Wharves at Newport Harbor were piled in neatly stacked lobster pots.

Newport's fishing industry continues at a slower pace during the off-season.

Newport is the home of the New York Yacht Club and is justifiably obsessed with its long maritme sailing history.

Newport hosted our first truly "interesting" meal of this trip. At the Midtown Oyster Bar, fresh genuinely local seafood was available, proving that the local industry still idles along during winter, partly to keep the locals fed! More than a dozen varieties of oysters were available, they shuck them a-la-carte . Some came from afar, but we chose a mix of the two Rhode Island varieties, Roma Point (plump & briny) and Umami (tiny and bland). We also had a local specialty, basically sauteed lobster in a broiche, which was truly scrumptious.

Our rented Jeep at dusk, in the carpark of the Castle Hill Light Hotel.

Newport is renowned for its mansions, mostly along Bellevue Ave. These date from the late 1800's and were typically built by wealthy industrialists from New York. A good number of these are open for inspection under the auspices of The Preservation Society of Newport County, although only a couple in winter. We don't know how many, if any, of these exquisite mansions are not in private ownership, but a good number definitely are, and seemingly do not welcome inquisitive stares.

Marble House (1892), inspired by Versailles, was built by the shipping & railroad tycoons, the Vanderbilt family.

One can only imagine what this place is like in summer! Newport is a compact town with narrow streets and extremely limited parking (we'll probably find that everywhere) and even in winter, spots are hard to find. By all accounts, parking restrictions are enforced rigidly. It highlights to us why we like to travel in the off-season. Newport is freezing cold but deliciously quiet. Apart from ourselves, there are no tourists evident, a delightful state of affairs. But a lot of shops and cafes are closed.

Body-surfer frozen in time in front of the Perry Mill building.

Wintery blast in New York

New York never ceases to amaze, but the most notable thing during this visit is the extreme cold, which even the locals are talking about. It seems that the polar vortex which followed us down the Mississippi River last year has come back to haunt us. We are people who like to walk the streets, so we are right in touch with the weather, and it's been down to about -12C so far. More very cold is predicted for a few days. We've seen the odd snow fall adding up to a heavy dusting, but at least at these temperature, it doesn't rain!

New York's builings are topped with characteristic water towers.

Parking is at a premium in New York, during a heavy snow flurry.

None of this cold stops tens of thousands of New Yorkers pounding the pavement to get to work in the morning or the opposite in the afternoon. The footpaths are crowded throughout the day and evening with people striding purposefully to their destinations. That's how you pick the tourists – locals clearly know where they are going and it shows in their determination to get there quickly. Tourists have cameras around their necks and their mouths open as they stroll fairly aimlessly and gawk at the sights.

The narrow pie shape of the Flatiron Building.

Us Sydney-siders never have to endure frigid conditions like this, but everyone is well rugged up. There are many poor and homeless in the streets, but they seem to have adequate clothing and are well adapted to the conditions. But homelessness must be a miserable existence in a New York winter, and we wonder why they don't move south where it is warmer. Maybe less tolerant & hospitable?

Empire State Building in New York's winter gloom at 5pm.

Our Hilton hotel is right in Times Square on West 42nd Street. It's an excellent location, although very touristy, right in the middle of the Theatre District. Coincidentally, the hotel we stayed in 7 years ago was in East 42nd Street, and it seems to have gone upmarket to a Westin in the interim. Our room is on the 35th floor, well above the hustle, bustle and noise of Times Square, and we have an excellent close-up view of the Swarovski Crystal Ball which signals the New Year in Times Square. It is illuminated (as is everything else in Times Square) and changes colours and patterns continually. How long do they keep it there? Our corner room also has good views to the north & east, and of the Hudson River. From the lift lobby, we can see south to the end of Manhattan and the new WTC1 building.

Looking to the north east from our hotel room at dusk.

Heidi Klum greets us at the front door to our hotel in W 42nd St

It's always busy at the Subway Station in Times Square.

The shows on all around us seem to be the old favourites, the Lion King, Wicked, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera as well as Disney's Aladdin which is new to us. There are a number of other shows we have not heard of, and they don't seem to be getting much hype. Is the live theatre industry stagnating and being reduced to recycling old standards for new generations, even here on Broadway?

Busy scene down Broadway to Times Square.

Crowds in Times Square jostle for position to be captured by Revlon's #LoveIsOn camera.

Bryant Park between 42nd & 40th Streets was a pleasant find, and a nice place to relax our weary walking feet for a while. It has (apparently) the city's only free ice skating rink – skate rental is $15. Even early in the morning this rink was well patronised, and much more later, and we can see that New Yorkers' skating skills vary from raw beginners having a go (we didn't) through to quite accomplished. The park has a nice cafe called 0 Celcius (quite appropriate in this weather) but, strangely, it seemed to be closed. Also, there were signs of the recently finished Bank of America Winter Carnival, with lots of stall structures bearing business names being deconstructed and taken away. We missed a nice festival, by the look of it.

Most fountains in NYC seem to be off for the winter, but this one in Bryant Park bravely soldiers on.

The magnificent main atrium of Grand Central Terminal

We made a pilgrimage to the World Trade Centre site. On our previous visit it was a desperate scene of incredible chaos. Today there is still plenty of construction going on, but the memorial park looks close to finished and it is, of course, very emotional to contemplate the awful atrocity here in 2001. The new single skyscraper WTC1 looks complete, but is, apparently, not open yet.

No1 WTC rises from the 9/11 Memorial in New York City.

Proud patriotism at the nearest Fire Station to the World Trade Centre.

Cafes selling good European-style coffee in New York are now easy to find (compared to our previous visit). One we heard about and hunted down was the Bluestone Collective in Greenwich Village. It took us two days to find this place because we confused Greenwich St with Greenwich Ave. What we found was a tiny bolt-hole run by a guy from Melbourne which served some Aussie-style breakfasts like pan-baked eggs & baked beans, quite delicious. He even knew what a skinny piccolo was! Bluestone was very busy, and must be doing well because he's opened up two other outlets in NYC.

Chilly wedding photography in Washington Square.

Water well in full flow at Chelsea Markets.

An absolute highlight of NYC is the Highline, an abandoned (since 1980) elevated railway line running south from Penn Station. For several kilometers, it's been converted (~2005) to a garden-lined footpath which, on chilly winters' days, seems to be a welcome sun-catcher at least in parts, and affords good views of the Hudson River to the west, and glimpses of the city skyline to the east. This is a very popular walk. What makes this walk particularly enjoyable is the close-up views of new and interesting apartment buildings being built en-masse on this side of the city. What looks like a run-down and long neglected stripe down the Hudson waterfront is staging a magnificent residential revival. The Highline ends abruptly at the southern end at Gansevoort St. Obviously beyond here, the elevated railway was demolished for some unenlightened development.

Jersey City skyline from the Highline.

Frank Geary type architecture in the new apartment blocks along the Highline.

Another “find” that we read about and hunted down was the Four & Twenty Pie shop in the boondocks of Brooklyn, a very low rental area on the far side of the grotty Gowanus Canal, not that far but a world away from the trendy (& wealthy) village area of Brooklyn Heights and its stunning views of Manhattan. We shared a slice of apple and salted caramel pie, and then another one, it was sooo delicious.

Beautiful residential architecture in Brooklyn.

Intense steel structure holds up this old Subway Station in the New York MTA.

Opening bridge topped by a railway line over the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

The superfood entrepreneurs must have been wondering what to do with all the kale growing in NYC?

The New York Subway, run by the MTA, is both famous and fascinating. The stations are old/ancient, held up with massive riveted steel beams. The trains are old but clean, almost totally free of graffiti and litter, a stark contrast with Sydney metro trains. It takes a while to get the hang of the lines and station numbering system, but after that, it's easy! Fares are simple and cheap - $2.50 a ride no matter how far, and half that for us seniors.

Central Park at dawn is popular with joggers and dog-walkers even in freezing weather.