Hello! Welcome to Monday Memories, a weekly series where I post past trips throughout the US of A.  I decided to start this series because I’ve visited a fair amount of states before I started this blog and if I only post about places that I go moving forward, I won’t actually get a chance to write about all 50 states!  Ideally I’d love for you all to get to read about every state, not just the places I visit this year…also it’s fun to relive some of my past vacations.

Ok let’s get into it.  Today’s memory is from a trip to Martha’s Vineyard that I took right around this time last summer.  My lovely roommate invited me on a long weekend vacation with her family at their Barn House in the quaint town of Chilmark.  Now, some of you may know me and think that the words “Barn House” and “Shayla” should not be in the same sentence but I was so game.  We boarded the SeaStreak at 31st street in Manhattan, a chartered boat that transports passengers straight to Oak Bluffs in five hours.  In my opinion, this is the ideal way to travel to MV seeing that the only way to get to the island is via plane (expensive) or driving and then taking a ferry.  While five hours seems ridiculous, the boat  has a bar and food, making it easy to relax, read, watch movies, make friends, etc.

The Barn House is set up like a timeshare in the sense that my roommate’s family purchased into the compound with other families and they can book weeks throughout the summer when they want to stay.  The land has cabins sprinkled throughout, and all of the families come together in the central Barn House where a chef prepares daily meals.  The cabins have electricity but all showers are outdoors.  There is also a central bathhouse with multiple showers and toilets.  There is no wireless internet, no television, no AC, and spotty cell reception…also known as my idea of perfection.

Our first day was a bit chilly and rainy but that only seemed to enhance the beauty of the natural landscape.  We reverted back to our childhood and picked raspberries and blueberries, swung from trees, biked until our legs felt like jelly, took a yoga class and of course hit the beach when the weather cleared up.  I don’t think I’ve ever packed so much physical activity into a three-day weekend! It was easily one of the most relaxing vacations I’ve ever had because of the beauty of the surroundings.  With nothing but a sky full of stars and the wind blowing through the trees to fall asleep to at night, I was able to reach a deep level of relaxation I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Tons of pictures are below! I have to give a huge shout out to my roommate for welcoming me to partake in her family vacation.  It was an experience I will never forget. Love you!

Martha’s Vineyard on Dwellable

Getting blown away on the upper deck of the Seastreak!

Our cabin

Playtime

The Barn House

Artists used to come here and drink during prohibition…sneaky!

Wheels in Edgartown

Lobster dinner!

Barn House from outside

Where the majority of playtime took place

Fresh berries

Fishing town of Mnemsha

Row houses in Oak Bluffs

🙂

Perfect day on the docks