July 2012 - Block Island Road Trip

After our Baseball Trip in May to Miami, we spent the next few weekends staying put in New York because my father was going to take 2 separate weeks of vacation off that summer.

The first vacation was in July for his friend Khe's wedding in Block Island, Rhode Island.  The wedding was just for the weekend, but since it was an adventure just to get there (see below), my family decided to extend the trip and turn it into a week long vacation after the wedding.  And to make sure they had a good time at the wedding (ie, without their dear infant daughter), they brought my grandmother along to babysit.

For those of you who haven't heard of Block Island, you're not alone.  My father had never heard of it before being invited to the wedding.  Block Island is a lesser known WASP summer vacation spot between the Hamptons and Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard.  It's very beautiful and serene but not as popular as the other two destinations, probably because it's much more of a PITA to get to.

There are only a few transportation options.  You can fly there on a tiny propeller plane or else take 1 of 3 different ferries.

• Ferry 1:  Viking Fast Ferry leaves from Montauk, Long Island (schedule will require spending a night in Montauk if coming from NYC via train)

• Ferry 2:  Block Island Express leaves from New London, CT (best for those coming from NYC via train)

• Ferry 3:  Block Island Ferry leaves from Point Judith, Rhode Island (only option if bringing a car)

Only the Point Judith ferry, however, lets you bring your car on board.  The others are only for passengers and bicycles.  And since my parents were taking me along for the trip, they didn't think my car seat fit nicely on a bicycle, so they were bringing the car.

If you're thinking about taking a trip to Block Island with a car, you MUST plan ahead.  A few notes to help you strategize.

1.  Only the Point Judith Ferry lets you take a car.
2.  Car reservations during the summer weekend ferries sell out quick in the first few weeks of the year.
3.  Boarding for cars happens about an hour before the ferry departs.  Be very good at driving backwards.

To make sure my father got the ferry he wanted, he called when 2012 reservations first opened on January 3rd to book his car reservation for July 13th.  I highly suggest you call that early if you're fixed on specific dates.

But once we all arrived to Block Island, it was beautiful and relaxing.  The same New England charm as Nantucket but without the pretentious Boston socialites who secretly wish they were New Yorkers.  My father rented a scooter and my parents rode around the island (takes less than an hour to drive the entire thing).  Here are some photos from the week in July.