Nantasket Holiday

Thinning gray hair carefully brushed up and back, a prominent Star of David, and a ready smile greeted us as his wife tore a map of Nantasket from last summer’s flyer. Flanked by plastic wind whirlers, postcards, keychains, and candies, they were behind a counter of the remaining souvenir shop adjacent to the last penny-arcade still standing on the front strip of the once majestic Paragon Park.

“21 Years ago,” he replied, without a seconds hesitation to my question of when the park was torn down. “You used to drive into Nantasket and the first thing you would see is the roller-coaster where now you see the back of the condo.” he added. “I spent a summer here 40 years ago,” I said. “That makes you practically a towny, then!” he replied with a hearty laugh.
This past few days Stacy and I spent a long weekend holiday at Nantasket Beach. Stayed in an “inlaw” room attached to the back of a house on a little dead-end just off of Nantasket Ave. A new addition with a gas fireplace, pull-out sofa for our bed, and a kitchenette. Very comfy and only a short walk from the beach.

At fifteen years old I had my first summer job washing dishes and frying clams at a joint called “Buddy’s” in Nantasket Beach. Though the streets and houses are much the same, without the towering roller-coaster and the tawdry amusement park strip, the place doesn’t have the same magic. A beach bath house, the merry-go-round, and one arcade are all that’s left.
The owners of our room dropped in soon after we arrived. A very tall and robust “up with people” fellow kept us entertained while his wife crawled head first into the fireplace to light the pilot. All the clues led us to the conclusion that he was a Pentecostal Minister, what, with the Pentecostal ministry magazine left for us to peruse and part of a sermon (with his name) on the back of a note to which he had taped a key.

We asked about local eateries, specifically one that we had read about. He suggested that it was overpriced and, well, just wouldn’t measure up. On the last evening we went to the un-recommended restaurant having used up the other three in town. We were pleasantly surprised by the chatter of a lively adult scene (the other restaurants being family affairs, empty pubs, or elderly enclaves) and decided on a booth in the lounge. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was fun. It only took a couple of minutes to recognize that this was a gay scene. The non-recommendation by our Pentecostal proprietors fell into place.