[Yeti]

In this thread I hope to provide solid, practical data on not only where to go, who to look for, and what to see, but also describe the more ethereal feeling of what it's like to spend some time on Martha's Vineyard.


What: Martha's Vineyard is an island off the coast of Massachusetts, on the northern east coast of the United States. It has a reputation for being posh and ritzy. As I'll share below, while this is true, there's more to it than that, which along with some other things makes it a very interesting place.



You might also know is as the place where President Obama vacations, and Clinton before him. In fact, Obama is there now. 'The island' (as people call it, or the Vineyard) is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and I've traveled extensively.

Private houses abound - no apartment blocks or chain restaurants. No McDonald's. Just private businesses, restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, etc.


Where: NE United States. You can fly there directly from NYC, Boston, and maybe some other places. JetBlue has flights to the local airport, MVY. So it's pretty cheap to fly there direct, or transfer in NYC/Boston. You can also drive to a town called Woods Hole, MA and park your car at the ferry long-term for like $10 or more per day, and take the ferry over. The ferry takes 45 minutes or so and they run every hour or less. Various bus companies also have service directly to the ferry over to MV.


When: There are basically three seasons on Martha's Vineyard.


Summer - from about the fourth week of June (after school gets out) to the third week or August, just after the MV Agricultural fair. Basically after Obama leaves, things go quiet. During the summer, Martha's Vineyard is raging, but that's not always a good thing (which I'll explain). Summer is cool but each season has its benefits.

The weather on MV in the summer is perfect. There's nothing like a summer day in SE Massachusetts, with blue skies and the feel of salt from the sea. There are various activities that explode during this time - outdoor film showings, art gallery openings, vehicle exhibitions, cycling events... you name it. Good, clean, family fun (as they call it).

Protip: to find some lizards and to have some fun, head to the Big Bridge (also called the Jaws Bridge) on the Edgartown/Oak Bluffs town border line. You can jump off the bridge into the water. Plenty of good-looking girls.



Basically, the population increases exponentially in the summertime, from about 16,000 in the winter to more than 100,000. You may even catch a glimpse of the Magic Negro while he enjoys some family fun on holiday:



Shoulder season - from late April to late June, and very late August to early October. Actually my favorite times, especially September and October. April through June can be rainy and miserable, and still chilly.

September to October are quieter, more local, but the weather is still very nice. You can still go to the beach in September and enjoy them for yourself, basically. The crowds are gone mostly, but there are still enough people around to have fun. This is my favorite time on MV.

'Winter' - October through April - things become quiet, to the point where businesses may close, even otherwise 'year-round' businesses like good pizza shops, etc. This is a hard time to be on Martha's Vineyard. There's nothing to do except smoke, which a lot of islanders tend to do when they're young. There's no work. Winter on Cape Cod is rough, I don't recommend it. Some people escape to Florida until March or so, and I don't blame them.


Why: this is a fun little place, but you have to understand what is best about it, and what to avoid.

What is good - it's extremely beautiful.



I'll explain the women later. Besides the women, Martha's Vineyard can be very peaceful. I have been there at times in my life when I needed to slow down and reflect. It may be where I die. It's not so much that things move slower, because they don't really, but that evil things do not really come to MV. No one's going to bother you. People are pretty friendly and accepting. Personally, it was a good place for me to re-adjust back to life in the States after being abroad for a while. It has a history of accepting disparate walks of life. In the 19th century, wealthier black families would go there for holiday because they were more accepted - it has a reputation for being an island of racial harmony, even today with a very sizable (almost 1/3) Brazilian population, a lot of them undocumented.

Being surrounded by the sea, you get some nice beaches. My favorites:

Cape Pogue Beach - you have to take a ferry there from Edgartown, meaning not so many people go. It's a quiet beach surrounded by quiet roads, an island (Chappaquiddick) within an island. The waves are small. This is one of the better places to go with a bottle of wine - there doesn't seem to be as heavy a lifeguard/enforcement presence so you may be able to drink.


This is my favorite beach on Martha's Vineyard.



You may have heard of this area of the island, Chappaquiddick, from the Ted Kennedy scandal from 1969.


The Ice House - not a beach, but a pond. I'm sharing this with you guys as a special treat, because generally only the locals know about it. The water is refreshing and only a very few people will ever go there (it's out of the way and easy to get lost). Take your friends here for a skinny dip, in a quiet, peaceful setting. Definitely no one's going to bother you here if you bring alcohol.



Lucy Vincent Beach - only residents of Chilmark, one of the six island towns, are allowed to visit, and their guests. They are strict about enforcement, checking your vehicle registration sticker for the Chilmark signage. If you're sneaky you can just get around them but they are pretty good about keeping the riffraff, such as you, out.

South Beach - a public and popular beach with good waves. Lots of honies, the best of the riffraff basically considering that if you don't like one girl, there are hundreds of other to choose from. It sometimes becomes very crowded, but never really to the point where you can't find a place to sprawl out.

This is South Beach. During the day it'll get more crowded:



Turkeyland Cove - again, not a beach, but a cove/pond. (A cove is a partially enclosed body of water that connects to the sea.) You can go kayaking here and there's plenty of place to unload from your vehicle and park. It's not particularly beautiful but a good place to bring your dog and unleash him.

Here are directions (it's kind of a pain in the ass to get to).

I think that you get the general vibe of Martha's Vineyard by now. This is not really a place to go crazy and partake in a bang mission. Those opportunities are there, to an extent (which I'll explain). But this is more a place to soak up the general atmosphere - non-judgmental, free, chilled out place where you can reconnect with your friends and family for a week or two before heading home. Or if you live there, as I did, to escape from the exigent nature of the modern world.


Who: Martha's Vineyard has various, distinct groups. Basically they are: the Brazilians, the American university students, the Eastern European university students, the year-rounders, and the summer people (more specifically, those on holiday, generally from Boston, NYC, or New England generally).

The Brazilians - as much as 1/3 of the island, at least as recently as a few years ago, before the American economy began its descent into a middle class-less existence.

The Brazilians on Martha's Vineyard are cool shit. They started coming in the late 1980s. See this story - How Migration Transformed Martha's Vineyard.

The Brazilians don't really speak English, and many are undocumented. It's kind of funny because they do the physical labor, driving trucks, etc. but they cannot obtain driver's licenses. So one in, say, every 10 cars is driving around unlawfully.

The Brazilians are also pretty fat generally. Not worthy of gaming - having said that, a very select few of the younger Brazilian girls that came when they were teenagers can be sweet, hot, and friendly... maybe five or so on the island total by my scientific estimation.

The year-rounders - these are the roughly 16,000 who are also laborers, but also the doctors, bank tellers, etc. They're cool people too. A very select few can be a bit bitter come the advent of tourist season with its 'summer people'. A lot of year-rounders collect unemployment during the winter, when the summer people (and their jobs) have gone back to New York. What many who visit Martha's Vineyard don't realize is that though it is seen as a ritzy place, many people who live there struggle to make ends meet.

What's cool is that they've nonetheless built an island that has a healthy, stable community. They've preserved the natural environment of the island remarkably well - it's a very green place, the beaches are clean, and generally it feels like a wealthy place. They make it a nice place to live and visit, or even work there for a summer, as many people do...

A lot of the year-rounders have roots in the left-leaning days of the 1960s and 1970s, when they moved to Martha's Vineyard to further their own version of a liberal paradise. Back then, the island was cheap and you could definitely buy a summer house, or live there year-round. The place has completely gone the other way since then, especially starting in the 1990s when Clinton vacationed there, and now a basic house will cost at least $400,000, with several houses selling for many millions of pesos.

Anyway, the year-rounders are pretty fat, the women definitely not worthy of gaming.

American university students - they come to work from May through late August, when classes are out, because of the higher wages and surfeit of employment. They work in cafes, in landscaping, as taxi drivers, whatever. Basically they serve rich people.

There are a lot of good-looking women in this group but I find their attitudes difficult to swallow, as I do with American women generally. Some of the girls from smaller, liberal arts colleges in New England, like Colgate, Colby, UMass Amherst, etc. are a bit more educated and refined, they are pleasant and poetic, but unfortunately they also tend to be children of the earth (hippies) and plump.

Here's a picture. I would say that this is significantly above the average quality that you'll find of the American girls:



This is a pretty good indication of the more upper scale American girls:



Having said that, you do find some amazingly beautiful women floating around the island, generally either American college girls, well-groomed limousine liberal girls there with their families from New York City, or Eastern Europeans.

I'll tell you a story. I was coming home from Oak Bluffs (the main town, where a lot of bars are) one day and got on the bus. I saw some American guy who'd probably just got off work climb aboard, swipe his card, and wearily sit down. Outside the sun was setting and we were driving along the beach road - it couldn't be more beautiful. The American dude looked busted and worn out.

A bit later an Eastern European girl - I think from Bulgaria - climbs aboard and I think that they're co-workers because they start talking about their shift, etc. The Bulgarian girl was absolutely lovely and engaging, energetic, optimistic, and something nice to look at (healthy and thin). The American was withdrawn and tired. It was then that I started appreciating more the presence of...

Eastern European university students - the best of the best, the university students who are on the island for a summer to make some money and live like kings back home, when school starts. Though there's less of a disparity these days.

These are the girls that you want to game. Many of them are beautiful. 19- and 20-year-olds abound. Really they are among the best girls that you will find, they speak English, they're smart and international-minded, and generally more pleasant to be around than Americans, though they can be pretty cold.

Basically these girls run in social circles, so they can be tough to crack. They're generally not interested at all in the locals or American university students. That's because of a couple things. First, they're working all the time. A lot of them hold down two, or even three jobs, and don't get a lot of sleep. They're here to make money before fucking off back home.

Second, the male competition is pretty heavy - alpha, smart, fit Eastern European men who speak their language.

Honestly it's not very hard to get invited to the Eastern European parties. Just talk to them - guy or girl. They all take the bus (the island has a fantastic bus system that goes everywhere, or close) so it's not hard to become connected. Be a social G and they'll be happy to speak English with you, and the guys at least might invite you out. The Eastern Europeans tend not to go to bars (a lot of them are under 21, and anyway they're not that attracted to Americans) but instead hold private house parties. Find these house parties and that's the best that you can do.

Protip: ride the #13 bus at night, anywhere along the 30-minute route. It's like being in Russia. The beach views are sublime, the perfect setting to sit across from a Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Russian, or Lithuanian girl and spit some game.

The summer people - generally left-leaning, from NYC, Boston, or New England. The island has a reputation for being well-to-do, and you do see a lot of limousine liberals, but working class families tend to vacation here too. They're here on holiday for a week or two and leave all of their thinking back on the mainland - it's like they become stupider as soon as they step onto the boat on the way over. They're here to relax and stop thinking for a while.

So now that we know who you'll find on MV and some of the prettier/more relaxing places to visit, what else is going on here?

Partying - it doesn't really happen. The Eastern Europeans are busy working but have house parties. The bars are generally full of Americans, both year-rounders and not, who are tightly woven into their social circles. The quality is pretty low, and the prettier girls are often in with either their family/social circle (if summer people). Some of the good-looking American girls (university students), however, will go out in Oak Bluffs - there aren't many places to go out, just head down to the Lamppost in Oak Bluffs, Sharky's, or anywhere on Circuit Avenue.

One good place is the Portuguese-American club (the PA Club), which serves food and drinks. It's a bit set off from downtown Oak Bluffs but it's not a bad place to game. It's not just for Brazilians.

Oak Bluffs and Edgartown are wet towns - you can buy alcohol. The other towns are dry - you can't buy alcohol. Good places to socialize in Edgartown include the Wharf (a busy bar downtown, with a separate restaurant) and... well that's about it I think, as far as bars go. There are plenty of upper scale dining establishments like Alchemy and Lure where people in their social groups go to verbally masturbate each other. My advice is to save your money (anything high end on MV is very overpriced) and get invited to house parties. Again this theme pops up: the island is not so much about what happens on the street, but finding the places behind closed doors (house parties, private dinners, being invited into someone's home).

So what else can I do?

There's a lot of hype about certain places on MV. I would say that you should generally avoid these places:

The cliffs at Aquinnah - there's nothing to do there except take a picture in front of the lighthouse and go home. If you must go, there's a huge grass area by the bus stop where you can have a picnic, drink wine, etc. That's nice, but still a little boring, considering how far it is, and that you can have a picnic in so many nicer and more convenient places.

State Beach - this is where they filmed Jaws (1975), where the boy gets eaten. It's a family beach with inconsequential waves. Not many gaming options because the girls are seven years old, or 53 with an annoying Long Island accent.

The Agricultural fair - this too is for families and not that great. It happens for a few days in about the third week of August.

Restaurants: generally the food on MV, I find to be ho-hum and overpriced. I can't think of any place in particular that serves really terrific food.

One good place is Shiretown Meats - they sell amazing cuts for not very high prices. They design their own cuts too, like a special kind of lemon chicken. It's all rather delicious and they serve sandwiches for you to take on a picnic, or to buy cuts of meat in bulk.

Mad Martha's - this place has amazing ice cream if you want to put on some weight. The Oreo Cookie Nookie is really good.

Protip: you can get into private hotel pools for free. Just go in and pretend that you belong. Some honies tend to go to the pool. I've done this fairly often and no one bothers you, at the Harbor View Hotel if I recall correctly, either that or the Edgartown Inn or the Victorian Inn - they're all on the same street in Edgartown. You aren't bothering anyone either, there's plenty of room for all.

Katama - this is an amazingly beautiful area. A good place to bicycle around. In fact, generally MV is very bike-friendly, and the buses take you pretty much everywhere.



Getting a job on Martha's Vineyard - if you want to work there in the summer and make some money, try to find a company that provides housing. I know that to some G's on this forum, $900/month might not seem like a lot to pay for a place, but when you're a college student, and when that $900 is per person in a 5-bedroom house, you're not going to be so happy with your living situation. A company might have employee housing set up, but basically if you work a summer job you're going to spend a lot of your income on rent, so you may need to work two jobs, one full-time and one part-time (many do). Start looking in May - you'll probably work part-time until late June, then it's balls to the wall until college starts.

Where to stay - pretty much anywhere. Don't even worry about staying near downtown Oak Bluffs or Edgartown (the two main entertainment areas) because you're probably not going to be pulling girls back from the bars anyway. It's much better to set up in a secluded or otherwise luxurious place in the woods or near the beach, and enjoy a change of pace from your normal, urban lifestyle. And it's a highly seductive move to take someone back there. Anything down-island (Edgartown, Vineyard Haven (Tisbury), and Oak Bluffs) is at most a half-hour away anyhow.

Honestly I'm not up to date on how to rent places on MV. Airbnb? Any place that you rent is going to be in a house or a cottage or something like that, not an apartment. Which is good, because you're here to relax. Generally the housing stock is stellar and well-maintained. It's expensive though. A quick look on Airbnb and places are going for a few hundred per night in September, which isn't even peak season.

Is Martha's Vineyard expensive? Yes! Your biggest expense will be accommodation. The fun stuff doesn't really involve much money, especially if you become connected. You can go to the beach for free. Get invited onto someone's boat, or kayak outing. Bring a bottle of wine to your friend's dinner party. Simple stuff. I'll say it again: don't worry too much about going to the bars or clubs (which don't really exist) - this is an island more for being outside, being at peace, and getting some exercise. Read a book. Go swimming. Leave your machines at home.

Well, that's about all that I can think of for Martha's Vineyard. I really like the place. It's one of the more unique places that I've experienced. The people are nice and beauty surrounds you.

I'm happy to answer questions, I'm sure that I've missed a few things.

[Menace]

Excellent data sheet man, for an area that has a lot of cultural importance to the North East power set. To me this sounds like the perfect place to bring your own girl and just relax and enjoy it's beauty.

[TheBulldozer]

Yeti,



You're giving away my spots brother. The Lower Cape or MV is where I plan on spending the seminal summers of my life.

Excellent data sheet. The info here is highly accurate and was never shared by me because, well, this was the one place I wanted to keep under the wraps. This part of the world is a little too familiar for me.

Also, it's funny to note that in the WASPiest part of the US you run into one of the most concentrated Brazilian/Portuguese populations outside of Brazil or Portugal. Linguica, mmmmmm.

[Menace]

MD, I don't think you're going to see a huge RVF influx into MV. If there's no tales of threesomes, no one cares (i.e. Budapest).

[TheBulldozer]

(08-15-2014 01:26 PM)Menace Wrote:  

MD, I don't think you're going to see a huge RVF influx into MV. If there's no tales of threesomes, no one cares (i.e. Budapest).

True. I'm more Cape anyway.

It's not a place for a single player to go and set up shop.

I'm more about a boat to a private beach, a bonfire, a liter of whiskey and skinny dipping with bioluminescent fish with the girls until the sun came up. How I loved being 20 spending summers on the Cape.

[nomadicdude]

@Yeti: the "Magic Negro"? This is not the Stormfront message board. Get the hell out of here.

[Dantes]

Nice data sheet on a special place. My family has a house on the cape. I've been going there since I was a kid. Some of the highlights of my time there was taking the ferry from Hyannis and going to Martha's Vineyard for the day. I was there and remember the buzz when the Clinton's were
there. I was also there when the gores where
vacationing in tuoro. There is a long history of important political families escaping Washington for the quiet, natural beauty of the cape and the islands.

I wouldn't worry about it becoming overwhelmed by forum guys. I think of the cape and the islands as a place to retreat and spend time with family. The local girls are nothing to write home about, especially in comparison to other places discussed on the forum. I found the Eastern European girls difficult to crack as the were working all the time. Instead the cape has always been a place for me to take a break from work and game. I've been to many exotic places but none match the unique natural beauty here.

[Sp5]

What about high class black girls in Oak Bluffs?

[aeroektar]

The Vineyard and the Cape are very special places to me, I grew up in Plymouth, now live in Boston, but the lower Cape still feels like home. My aunt managed the Wesley Hotel in Oak Bluffs for years, she owned one of the cottages and I used to spend whole summers over there as a kid.

I haven't been back in a while, but I agree, the shoulder seasons are a great time to visit, just to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. If there's ever a meet up, I'd love to meet some other guys who are familiar with the area.