There Once Was A Man From Nantucket

TBT plays a traveling Fall-themed New England festival put on by a Surf brand

Hey everyone,

I’m writing to you today from the Nantucket airport. Like every other building on this island, it’s sided in cedar shakes and painted grey and white. Once, this vibe (I can’t use the word aesthetic anymore, apparently) was, of course, created out of necessity. Cedar is real slow to wear out and whites and greys were readily available paints way back when. That paint added a nice extra layer of protection from the heavy wind, rain, and ice that often pummels this bump of land in the Atlantic. Nowadays, these architectural decisions are mandatory out here, as is the keeping of the incredibly uneven cobblestone streets that bring the summer tourists and summer-home residents to the shops that fill the quaint downtown (is there a more Nantuckety word than quaint?) Nantucket realized long ago that making this island feel old and authentic is a large part of its charm, and people pay a pretty penny to be embedded in that charm. I know it’s forced, but I can’t disagree with the outcome.