Look at a map of New England and Cape Cod is sure to draw your gaze. Like a dancer's hand, it unfurls with elongated grace into the brackish waters of the Atlantic. The pilgrims dropped anchor here in 1620 - initially at Provincetown and then, more famously, at Plymouth. And much of what they saw has since changed little. Mile after mile of unbroken coastline is backed by high ...

Martha's Vineyard has a history whose quirky jumble of religion, hard work and diversity echoes that of America as a whole. Dating back to 1602 when Englishman Bartholomew Gosnold's ship first dropped anchor, this history is still apparent in the six towns which spread out over the largest island in New England at 23 miles wide. Much of this acreage remains covered with sandy...

The first-ever mention of Nantucket occurs in the 1602 ship's log of Bartholomew Gosnold. While he came upon this tiny piece of land before others, he chose to continue on and settle Martha's Vineyard. One has to wonder if this pre-Colonial snub has since contributed to this 7,000-person island's vigorous sense of self and history. Indeed, it is hardly matched in all of...

Dining insight: There is life - and sustenance - outside of our beloved restaurants. While a meal on the town is hard to trump, sometimes the reply to the question 'Where to Eat?' doesn't involve a trattoria or bistro...