The Vineyard [Martha's Vineyard, MA]

I spent Labor Day weekend on "The Vineyard" for a very reasonable sum.
Approximate expenses:
$64 - round-trip bus and ferry from Boston's South Station subway stop to Vineyard Haven [town on the island].
$15 - 3 day bus pass on the island
$25 - groceries of sandwiches and salmon steaks
$86 - 3 nights at the hostel [w/ $25 off coupon]
$11 - dinner and liquor in Wood's hole

I left Boston on the 3 pm Bonanza bus. You can just buy the tickets at the bus terminal before you leave and I think the buses leave about every hour or so. The traffic was pretty bad so we missed the 5 pm ferry. We arrived early for the 6:15 ferry, so I stopped at the burger restaurant and liquor store around the corner. I bought a $5 burger and a Bacardi and Dr. Pepper. On the island I caught the bus to Edgartown and loaded up on groceries at the Stop 'N Shop. I then headed over to the hostel in West Tisbury [bus from Church St. in Edgartown]

I relaxed at the hostel and cooked my salmon steaks in the kitchen oven. They came out great and cost less than the lunch meat I bought. The hostel also had a smore's cookout, and I roasted up some marshmallows with graham crackers and chocolate.

On Saturday, it rained most of the day, so I hung out in the hostel reading an Agatha Christie novel. I don't think I have ever read an entire one all the way through. It was ok, but it seemed geared towards old people. I then went out to Oak Bluffs and had a few drinks. I ran into some fellow Texans at the bar who were playing dominoes in the lounge. Weird.

I met Jacob, a guy from Montreal on the bus back to the hostel, and we hung out with two french girls the next day at Aquinnah. That didn't work out as well as I had hoped since I didn't know any French. I got a medium burn in all the places I didn't put suntan lotion, but it wasn't too bad.

I caught the ferry back on Monday, which was pretty uneventful. (other than me finishing the murder mystery ;)

I found on the web that there is another bus company that goes to the ferry for Nantucket and futher up Cape Cod. [Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway http://www.p-b.com ] I'd like to check out some more of those hostels. [http://www.capecodhostels.org]

I think my next travel adventure will be to Montreal.

Note: this hostel has 2 free computers and free wifi.