Daring to venture out — by water taxi

On our way to Nantucket, my travel companion and I found ourselves with a four-hour-plus layover in Boston. Naturally, I asked the JetBlue agents at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport if we had enough time to zip into the city for lunch.

The Twin Cities agents were unsure. Upon overhearing the conversation, a Boston native jumped in to warn me that traffic to and from Logan International can be horrendous. The airport sits on a spit of land in Boston Harbor, and there is only one main roadway to and from downtown.

Don’t do it, she said.

I slunk away — and began researching options.

Logan’s Terminal C, which handles JetBlue’s passengers, has a Legal Sea Foods. The restaurant is a Boston icon, making it easy for fliers to enjoy lobster rolls and New England clam chowder. But we were looking at four hours on a sunny day in one of the country’s great cities.

Before my phone was in airplane mode — and Google at rest for the flight’s duration — I had a plan. And it involved a boat ride.

I’d found Rowes Wharf Water Transport, the city’s only water taxi service that also stores luggage. As importantly, a lovely Italian restaurant was not far from its office.

So when we landed (mercifully, early), we took an airport shuttle to the taxi dock. As the company’s website suggests, I phoned them the moment we were on the airport shuttle. By the time we exited at the dock, our boat awaited.

We climbed on board, paid the $28 round-trip fare, arranged the return trip and motored past yachts and sailboats, relishing the fresh air, water sprays and Boston views.

Lunch was delicious, delightful and efficient.

Back at the airport, we had plenty of time — although the TSA PreCheck we both had was a nice security blanket.

We landed in Nantucket that evening, feeling briny, well-fed and deep into our vacation and exploration mindset.

About the Author

Kerri Westenberg