Making a splash at Mansion House

I don't think I've written much about Mansion House, the luxurious old-fashioned hotel located in the heart of Vineyard Haven, even though I visit there almost every day. No, I did not get a job as a chambermaid and I'm certainly not staying there as a guest (it costs much more than I could ever afford). About a month ago, I bought a three-month membership at their wonderful health club, which offers plenty of workout equipment and classes in yoga, aerobics, pilates, etc. The real attraction for me, however, was the facility's incredible 75-foot-long indoor pool, which I have been visiting regularly.

Why swim inside when you're on an island, surrounded by water? Hmmm. Head down to the beach, dip your feet in the water and see how eager you are to get in and swim for half an hour. Although the waves are slightly warmer now than they were a month ago, they are too chilly for my taste and besides, I don't do much swimming in the kind of shallow water you find at the beaches (there are copious amounts of seaweed drifting through the currents here, for one thing, and there's nothing like getting seaweed in your hair or in your face to send you running from the water).

The Mansion House pool, on the other hand, is maintained at a steady 83 degrees, just warm enough that you don't shiver or shriek when your tummy first touches the water. It's also chlorine-free: I don't know the exact name of the system they use to keep the pool clean -- they call it "Spring Water" in their literature -- but it involves using salt water instead of eye-stinging, swimsuit-bleaching chlorine to keep the pool clean. So it's sort of like swimming in the ocean, without the distractions of unpleasant plants, rocks or mysterious sea creatures brushing up against your legs. Remember that "Jaws" was filmed in this very neighborhood, so having something brushing up against you in the water can spark all sorts of gruesome memories.

The only downside to the Mansion House experience is that downtown Vineyard Haven has a very limited amount of parking spaces and finding one anywhere near Mansion House is about as common as finding a $1000 bill on the sidewalk. Many days I am forced to park several blocks away in the neighborhood district, and I could swear I get more exercise walking to and from the health club than I actually get inside. Even so, if the weather is nice, it's hard to complain about such "inconveniences."

I was also surprised to see that Mansion House will soon be hosting "Come Together," an exhibit of artwork from John Lennon. It opens this Friday as a benefit for the Island Food Pantry. The artwork is also for sale, and I'm sure there will be something in my price range (ha!). Well, perhaps not, but I can afford the $2 admission fee, so I guess I have another good reason to keep on battling the Vineyard Haven traffic.

The second time around

Twice in one week is probably too much. But I was in Oak Bluffs this evening and I couldn't resist the Lobster Macaroni and Cheese at Sidecar Cafe. Happily, it was every bit as delicious this time around. Even better, I had my camera with me this time so I can show you what it looks like. If only I could make this photo Scratch-N-Sniff, but technology defeats me. Sidecar is a wonderful little place with very friendly service and delightful little bonuses, like the free white bean spread, olive plate and crostinis that came with the meal.

Was the meal the highlight of the day? Perhaps so. I awoke this morning to the unwelcome sound of pounding rain outside my window. The weather has been overcast and grim the past couple days, so much so that I've overheard salespeople and managers complaining that it's starting to cut into their business because everyone is staying home. Initially, the extended forecast promised a sunny weekend, but now it looks like the threat of rain will be hanging around (thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow morning).

During a break in the rain, I ventured out to West Tisbury to visit a store called Citrine, which is one of the places being spotlighted in a piece I'm doing on exotic fashions. I didn't choose the story; it was an assignment, and I vowed to make the best of it, even though it was not something I would have picked for myself. Citrine turned out to be a little eye-popper of a place, with an impressive array of scarves and beads in any color you could dare to imagine. The helpful young woman on duty there gave me plenty of information and I managed to get back to my computer and file my story before my noon deadline, so that was a plus.

Later in the afternoon, I dropped by the Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven when I noticed the doors were open. Although their first production, "Fly," doesn't open for another week, some of the Playhouse people were busy getting items ready for a tag sale that will be taking place on Saturday. They're selling off many of their props and stock items that they don't have room to store anymore, and several of them looked quite nice. I think I now have plans for Saturday morning, in fact.

To wrap up a mostly mundane day, I dropped by Stop-And-Shop, one of the island's grocery stores. Months before I came here, a knowledgeable friend had warned me, "Wait until the first time you go grocery shopping..." and she was accurate: Prices on some of the items are, well, let's just say a bit startling. You have to remind yourself that you are not in a place where trucks can deliver day or night. Almost everything is brought over on a boat and the lucky consumer gets to bear a portion of the transportation costs. So laundry detergent that would have cost me no more than $5 in Portage goes for almost $7.50 here (ouch!) and a bottle of Absolut that would have been about $20 at most Michigan party stores is closer to $24 here. But there are still some bargains to be had, as I found tonight when I got 20 yogurts for only $10. I also noticed a box of Celestial Seasons tea cost just about the same at Stop-And-Shop as it would have at D&W in my old neighborhood.

There are also other surprise savings outside of the supermarket. Several of my co-workers and I went to the Capawock Theatre in Vineyard Haven Tuesday night to see "The Hangover" and paid a whopping $5 apiece for our tickets. No, it was not "twilight bargain" time: The Capawock regularly shows movies Mondays through Thursdays for this price. Apparently, the theater had been shuttered for many years until 2006, when the Hall family, which owns the property, re-opened the doors. I don't know how they fare on a regular basis, but the Tuesday night "Hangover" was sold out (the theater has about 300 seats by my guesstimate) and this evening's show of "Up" seemed to be bringing in a healthy crowd as well. The family also owns what I guess is meant to be called the Strand Theatre in Oak Bluffs, although the missing letters on its signage make it the Sand Theatre; it's apparently only open in the summer.