After a good night's sleep, we rise to face our relocation day. It will be a bit more complicated after what we heard yesterday: the Oak Bluffs Ferry Terminal is closed. We heard two stories: 1) some mechanical issue with the ferries actually getting docked and 2) Covid-related staffing problems. Either way, after breakfast and packing our small bags, we head to the bus stop for the short ride to the Vineyard Haven Terminal. The situation actually helps us. When we get to VH, there are two ferries, one unloading and the other loading. We leave the bus and go right onto the ferry that is loading. No wait!
The crossing is calm and peaceful. When we debark at Woods Hole, we get right onto the shuttle bus and it soon drives us to the lot. We get into the X3 and exit, taking the scenic route back into town to follow MA 28 east to Cape Cod. The car was covered with tree pollen and other detritus and while driving along, as soon as Amy suggests we get the car washed we happen upon The Green Ocean Car Wash. 7 minutes later, we are back on the road and our ride is looking clean.
We continue east, then around Orleans, we turn north on the Cape road (US 6). We start looking for a place for lunch and the combination of early season and Covid closures stymies us. We finally find a place: Mac's Market & Seafood in Eastham. Amy has the Fish Sandwich and Wayne was the Tuna Tacos. We are able to sit outside in the sun on picnic tables. Really delightful, both the food and the setting.
Back in the X3, we finish the 75 mile drive to Provincetown and our new home:
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| The White Porch Inn |
We check in with Tom, one of the owners, who gives us some suggestions for dinner. After getting our bags into our room, we head out to Commercial Street (the main road in town, 1/2 block south of the Inn) and explore our location for the next 3 days.
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| Sculpture: Tourists |
Provincetown is very quiet for 8 months out of the year. Come Memorial Day, it turns into tourism central, its population growing by thousands of visitors who get here 1) on a ferry from Boston or Plymouth or 2) car on the highway we just travelled. Activity is currently everywhere with innkeepers, shopkeepers and restaurant owners putting the final touches to be ready for the weekend crush. It starts in two days!
We walk up and down commercial street and scope out the dinner places. The most interesting-sounding one, Strangers & Saints (a reference to the two kinds of people who arrived on the Mayflower), is closed tonight and booked completely for the rest of our stay. We do find some other options and book for all three nights. We no longer have any worries about missing dinner while here. During this walk, we also get oriented and learn something about what else there is to do during our stay.
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| The Penney Patch (Candy Store) |
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| Street Scene, Provincetown |
After resting and getting organized, we head back to the main street. Tom had earlier suggested we try cocktails at "The Lounge", a block or two southwest from the Inn. We enter and the view of the water/harbor is marvelous. They serve no food here, drinks only! Amy has the Blood Orange Margarita and Wayne has the Black Manhattan. Tom's was a good suggestion, we thoroughly enjoy this pre-dinner spot.
Our dinner reservations are at the Red Inn, a little over a mile from the Lounge. After our drinks, we have a nice walk, the weather is pleasant. We're feeling we need a lighter meal tonight, so we skip starters. Amy has the Cod, Wayne has the Creole Shrimp. A delicious meal! We head home for the night's rest.
In the morning, we set out to explore the northmost section of the Cape Cod National Seashore. After wandering around the area in the X3, we find an entrance near the Provincetown Airport, park and take the path to the beach. We turn west and walk about a half mile before turning back. The walking is a little uncomfortable as there is a good slope on the beach to the sea. Along the way, we see two separate groups of Gray (I believe) Seals.
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| North Shore, Cape Cod National Seashore |
It's peaceful, but very cool and windy. We head back to town for lunch.
We reslot the X3 in front of the White Porch, grateful we know how to fold-in the side-view mirrors. We wander along Commercial Street until we find the Blue Monkey Bistro. Really great decor; monkey statues, monkies in fabrics, wallpaper, etc. We split a side salad, Amy has the Ratatouille, Wayne has Lobster Ravioli. This latter was especially delicious.
After lunch, we need to burn some calories. We walk West to the Provincetown causeway and pay respects to the members of the Mayflower party who landed here in 1620.
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| Provincetown Causeway at Low Tide |
After six weeks on the Cape, the Pilgrims sailed across the bay to land at Plymouth Rock, where they established their colony. The locals always like to emphasize that their first landing was here, not at the Rock. We return to the Inn having gotten a significant number of steps in (satisfying Wayne's fitbit addiction). All the walking has tired us, so we rest until dinner.
Dinner is at WayDownTown. We may have to sit on the back porch overlooking the Harbor, so before dinner, we stop in a souvenier store to get Amy a sweatshirt and Wayne some mementos. At dinner, we start with drinks: Amy gets the "Red Panties" (Cosmo-ish) and Wayne gets "The Third Degree" (Gin-Tonic-al).
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| The Third Degree & The Red Panties |
We share a half dozen oysters and each get a cup of chowder. We also decide to share the Pan-fried Brie starter and split the Seaside Risotto. When we return to the Inn, it is another day happily concluded.
We rise to our last full day here. After breakfast, we face a grim reality: this has to be Wash Day! We gather up all the clothes to be cleaned and head to the west end of town to find the Provincetown Laundromat. The hardest part of the whole experience is actually locating the building. We try both the X3's GPS and the iPhone. Neither gets us there. We do some more internet searching and finally find the place on top of a short hill overlooking the grocery store that was the last place the iPhone said was where the Laundromat was supposed to be. Only thing is, the entryway is on the back side of that short hill. Even though this wastes 5 minutes or so, it's still really efficient: we get three loads done in parallel in less than an hour and 15 minutes! All done, we decide to celebrate with lunch at The Lobster Pot, a Ptown Institution.
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| The Lobster Pot |
We split the Lobster Avocado Cocktail, Amy has the Halibut Fillet and Wayne has the Baked Cod, stuffed with shrimp and lobster. Caloric Heaven! After lunch, we decide to check out the Pilgrim Monument.
This 252 foot granite tower was begun in 1907 (Teddy Roosevelt laid the cornerstone) and completed in 1910, with dedication attended by William Howard Taft. We approach the base of the monument and confront a dedication to the Mayflower Compact, which was signed here, not on the west side of Cape Cod Bay (Plymouth). To get up to the tower, there is a short, inclined elevator that allows one to travel up to the base of the tower. Construction on the elevator was begun in April, 2020. Despite a law suit and the pandemic, it got finished and its dedication will be after Memorial Day. We won't be here, but happily, the elevator is already open and working.
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| Bas-Relief of the Mayflower Compact |
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| The Elevator Ride |
The view from the tower base is wonderful. We go inside and climb the 115 steps and 60 ramps. The view from the top is even better than from below.
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| View from the Tower's Base |
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| View from the Tower |
We head back down and visit the Museum. What is notable to me is how the museum has responded to the times. The presentations are no longer exclusively from the perspective of the Europeans. The facts of the first contact are presented, such as that the mission of the settlers was to force the indigenous people to accept Chrisianity and that several of these same folk were forced into slavery. The Museum has worked diligently to include descendents of indigenous people in the presentations that they have newly created about the Mayflower arrival. The complete story is much harder to tell, but that's the way life often is.
The Museum is really interesting and we are glad to have spent time here. We head back down the elevator and walk back to the White Porch Inn to rest. Refreshed, we head out to our last dinner in Provincetown at Pilgrim House. Amy has a glass of Sangria, Wayne has the Bourbon Old-Fashioned. We share the Braised Short Ribs, the Fish Tacos and Lobster Won Tons. We have been so active and productive today that we even share a desert: Bread Pudding. It is all absolutely wonderful.
We head back to the Inn wondering if we will be able to visit here again.
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| The Pilgrim Monument |
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