Getting to the Island:
Anyone who makes the trek for this wedding deserves a round of applause, Nantucket is thirty miles out to sea. This is in part why it is such a beautiful spot. There are options.
From New York: Jetblue flies from JFK to Nantucket (airport code: ACK), though in October, it stops in Boston so it's not the easy jog it is in the summer.You can bus it from Port Authority to Hyannis, MA (where boats and planes are). It's a long haul and 95 is a trying highway, but you can bring a good book. Because it's a holiday weekend I'd advise leaving earlier than you might think you need to leave. Those with optimistic ideas about time, you know who you are, please take note.
From Boston: you can fly Cape Air to Nantucket. Or you can bus it from South station.
If you are driving, you can do one of two things. You can go direct to Hyannis:
From New York City: Approximately 270 miles
Follow Route 95 to Providence, RI; Route 195 to Wareham, MA; Route 25 over Bourne Bridge; Route 6 to Exit #6; Route 132 into Hyannis. Follow signs to airport or docks. Approximately 4 to 5 hours, depending on traffic.
From Boston: Approximately 80 miles
Follow Route 3 (Southeast Expressway); Route 6 over the Sagamore Bridge; Route 132 into Hyannis; follow signs to airport or docks. Approximately l.5 hours, depending on traffic. Traffic can be heavy.
Or, you can drive to New Bedford and fly Cape air from the municipal airport there--it is small and good and not whored out the way the current Nantucket airport is, and it has quite reasonable parking. It's a half hour flight, and it saves you trundling up and down the arm of the cape. Coming and going from NYC it saves serious time. It's $90 each way, so it ain't cheap, but it does buy you time, so factor that in.
If you drive to Hyannis, you can either fly or boat it from there. If you're flying you can take a 15 minute flight on Island Air or Nantucket Air (I prefer Island Air) or a newbie airline that offers cheaper service and is giving the old guard a run for their money, Nantucket Shuttle (haven't taken them, but they charge $20 less each way from Hyannis to Nantucket than the other carriers). Or you can take one of four boats. There's the regular steam boat (2 hours and 15 mins), and one seasonal hy-line boat (one hour 45 mins) which allow you to arrive feeling that you've traveled over the stretch of water that separates Nantucket from Hyannis's drab face, and then there are two fast boats--each of which take an hour on and offer wifi, beer, a foreshortened deck, and plush seats. If you have time and like to plod, the hy-line slow boat is the best bet. But it's a prohibitive schedule that time of year--one boat a day that leaves at 9:20 in the morn. So unless you plan to spend a night with family in the area and rise early, it's not an option for most. If you vote for the fast ferry, I recommend the hy-line fast boat over the steamship fast boat, but it's a negligible difference unless you're an islander.
All flights and fast ferries require advance reservations, and it's not a bad idea to book ahead now--they do fill up. The slow boats don't require advance bookings, you just march in and buy a paper ticket and walk up the gangplank.
Parking in Hyannis: If you're taking the steamship ferry, they provide parking, more information on that here. Same goes for the hy-line, information on that here. If by plane, surprise surprise, they'll be happy to charge you to park too. And if any or all of those lots are full, there are plenty of people that are waiting to clean you out, right by the boat, for $20 a night.
What is the What, events and times:
Friday eve we plan to gather around 8:30 at the Ship's Inn for a drink so we can say hello to those of you who will have made it to the island. Come fed, it's a watering not a feed.
Saturday we will be getting married at 4:30 on the nose. Given the time of year, angle of the sun, etc. we'd like to do this before too late. Would be wise to get to the field no later than 4pm so we can arm you with a vuvuzela and herd you down a path to the site. Nuptials will be followed by a glass of something, and we plan to sit down around 6:30 for dinner.
Sunday there will be a brunch, held at the site of the wedding, from 11-1 pm.
Getting to the wedding:
From town, the drive out to the head of Quaise pasture road takes about 20 minutes. A map of the spot is here, for anyone interested.
View Larger Map
If you are coming from town, head down Milestone road, take a left onto Polpis Road, and drive for a good 5 miles. Take a left onto Quaise Pasture road and drive to the very end. The asphalt ends and the dirt begins, keep going through the various wooden gates, till you can go no further and see a tent and people under psychological duress.
From town, the drive out to the head of Quaise pasture road takes about 20 minutes. A map of the spot is here, for anyone interested.
View Larger Map
If you are coming from town, head down Milestone road, take a left onto Polpis Road, and drive for a good 5 miles. Take a left onto Quaise Pasture road and drive to the very end. The asphalt ends and the dirt begins, keep going through the various wooden gates, till you can go no further and see a tent and people under psychological duress.
Parking is limited, so those of you who can car-pool, please do. A shuttle will pick those of our guests staying at the JC House and Liberty Street at 3:45 on the nose on Saturday. And a shuttle will drop those of you we're picking up later in the evening.
