Some Things You Won’t Find on Martha’s Vineyard

We’ve have so much good stuff: gorgeous beaches, amazing food, incredible shopping…so what don’t we have?

1. Stoplights. Okay, there is one tiny (we’re talking 5 feet high) blinking red light, but that hardly counts. Drivers beware, the five corners intersection in Vineyard Haven doesn’t even have stopsigns on every corner.

2. 24-hour restaurants. If you like to eat all night, you’ll need to stock your rental fridge, hotel mini-bar or camping cooler. I have it on good authority that the only food available in the middle of the night hails from the emergency room vending machines.

3. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Staples, Home Depot. Do you get my drift? Our stores are one of a kind. Head to The Galley for a good burger, Mocha Mott’s for coffee, Humphrey’s for a donut, Educomp for pens and pencils and the Shirley’s for all things hardware.

4. A few faded stars. As long as the clouds aren’t hanging out, our night skies are loaded with stars. Constellations nearly jump off the ’screen’ with no city glare to fade their sparkle.

5. Silence. Of course, it’s all relative. On the one hand, the Vineyard is filled with laughter, live music and joyful voices. On the other, away from the people, you might think you’ll find some silence…but I’ve found that there are always sounds: chirping birds, lapping waves, wind rustled leaves. I guess you could say those are the ’sounds of silence’ – they definitely provide peace and quiet.