Nantucket City Guide

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I must admit, I never thought I was an east coast type. Please don’t take this the wrong way because it is completely stereotyping, but I always had the impression East Coasters/the East Coast was snobby, pretentious, and not my kind of people/place. When I want to take a vacation I look for a few things – experience, a relaxed environment, and groups of people I will enjoy. Those were three things I didn’t think I would find in Nantucket. Now, for the good part – COULD I HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG? I fell 100%, head-over-heels, cloudy head, in love with Nantucket. It was a number of things: the beaches were clean, everyone was nice, it felt safe, the weather was insanely amazing, and you felt like you were worlds away from ordinary. A few specifics I love about Nantucket is the ability to bike anywhere and everywhere (we even biked from town to Sconset), the food is incredibly fresh, and it is really wholesome. I know the last one has you scratching your head but in a world full of sex, murder and lies (okay, okay, that is dramatic but you get it) it is nice to go to a place where you can get back to the basics of life. And since service is almost non existent on the Island, you can really get back to the basics of life.

The hubs and I can’t stop raving about Nantucket. We only hope to have enough money in the future to go back, every.single.summer. So here I am, eating my humble pie because you East Coasters sure know how to do a beach town! And let me tell you, you might have just turned this southerner into a wannabe East Coaster – at least for the summers. ; )

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Since I loved Nantucket so much (and am dying to go back) here is my Nantucket City Guide!

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STAY

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Rent a home (I highly recommend) – VRBO // Home Away // Flip Key

The Nantucket Hotel

76 Main

Union Street Inn

White Elephant Village

21 Broad Hotel

The Wade Cottage (in ‘Sconset)

Wauwinet (further from town but very private)

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EAT
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Hire a Chef (great for a big group) – I recommend Sean Fitzgibbon (seenish@hotmail.com). His food is absolutely incredible and he set up a lobster and lamb dinner on the beach for us one night

The Chanticleer (in ‘Sconset)

Something Natural (for sandwiches)

Cru (for lunch)

Galley Beach (dinner and drinks)

Ventuno (best Italian on the Island)

The Nautilus

Straight Warf Restaurant (for dinner and drinks)

Bartlett Farms (all natural grocery store but definitely recommend for lunch)

The Pearl

The Club Car (full of history and right in the middle of town)

Petticoat Row Bakery – also provides delicious gluten free treats

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DO
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The Chicken Box – great for a nighttime drink

Cisco Brewery – live music, local wines, beers, and sangria, bar food available, kid friendly

Sconset Bluff Walk – a gorgeous private walk between locals backyards and the beach (very undiscovered)

Sconset Market for incredible Gelato

Fishing with Capt. Toms Charters

The Whaling Museum (great for kids)

Shopping in Town (check out the monogram shop)

Go to the Beach (Cisco – my favorite, Jetties, Madaket, Siasconset, Surfside)

Sankaty Head Lighthouse

Theatre Workshop of Nantucket (kid friendly)

The Old Mill – oldest functioning wind mill in the country (kid friendly)

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all photos property of M.A.S. photography

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My Favorite Apps for Editing

My most frequently asked question is, “how do you edit your photos?” Photography is extremely personal but has become a big part of our culture. Some people like bright, light photos while others like dark and saturated. It is all your personal opinion and something that takes a bit of time to figure out. Below I have broken down my four favorite photo editing Apps to show you my process!

VSCO

VSCO is by far my favorite editing app for photos. If Instagram changed the way we share our photos online, VSCO changed the way we edit them. If you speak with any big blogger each one will tell you they have a specific filter they prefer. I personally use S1-S3, A6, and HB1-HB2 the most. If I could recommend one thing it would be that you go through the set of filters (some are free, some you buy) and pick a favorite one. From then on, use only that filter. Instagram accounts with similar looking photos on their feed look cleaner, cohesive, and grab more engagement.

Snapseed

I actually just started using Snapseed and don’t use it for every photo. Snapseed is great if you have a tiny spot on your photo you want to make brighter or darker but I don’t like using it as an all over image editor. I recommend downloading it and playing around with the “brush” tool.

Instagram

People think I am crazy for recommending this but I love their tools. I never use the filters the have but their “highlights, contrast, and exposure” are a great way to balance the lighting in the image. You can use VSCO or Snapseed for this as well but I love how Instagram allows you to enhance the image without having to over do it.

Afterlight

I don’t really use Afterlight as much as the others for editing but I do use it to create the white boarder around my photos. There are other apps which allow you to create a boarder as well, I just use this one out of habit. If you do download Afterlight I have a handful of photographer friends who use their filters so I recommend playing around with it. I personally did not find a set of filters I liked better than the ones on VSCO. However what I love about Afterlight which VSCO doesn’t have is the ability to add filters on top of each other. This allows you to really personalize your photo and saves on editing time.

Buly 1803

When I was living in Paris this summer one of my main goals was to find really unique souvenirs. Of course I went to the typical spots but I really wanted to find items that I had not seen before. I previously wrote about my love for Maison Labiche. Their shirts are 100% unique and were one of my favorite items I brought back. But my favorite, favorite souvenirs came from Buly 1803.

Buly 1803 was founded in the late 18th century. The name comes from the famed founder, “Bully”, who made a name for himself with his perfumes and scented vinegars. At the turn of the 19th century a new wave of creating perfumes came about and his perfumes and skin care products achieved lasting fame. The “Vinaigre de Bully”, a patented aromatic lotion to perform ablutions and preserve skin tone, earned a flattering reputation across Europe. This classic beauty product ensured his unprecedented notoriety for more than a hundred years.

From the moment you walk into their store on Rue Bonaparte you feel like you stepped back in time. The walls are lined with aromas, oils, and natural scents all with original labels. The women helping you are in their traditional parfumerie garb and even hand write your name in calligraphy on the box. The entire experience is incredible and such a treat! You feel like you are getting the royal treatment!

As for the lotions. Call me a fanatic. I am 100% obsessed and addicted to their products. I walked happily away with the Pommade Virginale (I bought a few of these), Lait Nettoyant, and the Huile Antique. And because I collect matches from every place I visited I couldn’t leave without buying a box of their Scented Matches. The products not only make my skin softer and more hydrated but they also smell like heaven on earth. I am not lying. I literally want my heaven to smell like these products!

If you ever find yourself in Paris be sure to stop by Buly 1803 for a unique and unforgettable souvenir/memory.

Buly 1803
Located: 6 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France

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