Well, we’ve arrived. The last leg of the journey today was pretty smooth sailing. Having eaten too much yesterday, I skipped what looked to be a very nice continental breakfast at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Mahwah, and we got on the road around 7:30. It’s a relatively undiverting drive, so I’ll spare the details except to say that we pulled off for lunch just before Buzzards Bay looking for a Chipotle. Unable to locate my favorite fast-casual Mexican restaurant, we pulled into a Wendy’s instead and discovered a mammoth water park called Water Wizz behind the Wendy’s. We didn’t stop.
We officially entered the cape at around 12:30 to light traffic going in. Coming out, however, was a different matter.
It was like that for about 10 miles.
Other than a few idiots driving like they had an untreated, burning rash. The rest of the drive was pleasant. The last time we drove the cape, it rained nonstop. I’m thankful for the sunshine this trip; it made looking out the window much more entertaining.
I found our guestouse, Captains’s House, through AirB&B; it’s my first time using the service. So far, so good. Our room is cozy, but perfectly adequate, and the price was great for this location at this time of year. It’s right on Commerical Street—the main drag though Provincetown.
Commercial is a narrow (barely one lane each way) track—more of a sidewalk than a road. Literally. People walk and bike and skateboard through town on it, and to drive it is harrowing. Mark drove it for one block, turned off, and decleared emphatically, “I’m not going back on Commercial.” We found a temporary parking spot a block up the hill, and I walked down to the guesthouse and purchased a parking pass for a private lot up the street.
Parking is extremely tight in Provincetown—far worse than Columbus’s Short North, and the way people bitch about that, you’d think they were being asked to trade body parts for parking spaces. I had hoped that we’d find a free space a little off the beaten track—last time we were here, I found a primo spot right around the corner from our guesthouse and left my car there for five days without a problem. No such luck this time; the parking pass was our only option—week, that or killing each other. Irene, the woman who leases out her lot to our guesthouse, reminds me of an old neighbor of my family, Jo Claggett. Sturdy, and probably a little ornery, but willing to give you the shirt off her back.
We had to walk four blocks from the parking lot. I don’t mind the walk, but I’m sure that dragging our luggage behind us made us look totally not cool. Mark is taking a short nap now. When he gets up, we’ll walk Commerical for a bit; maybe get some ice cream or some strawberry-rhubarb pie; maybe stick our heads into some galleries….
Here are a few shots from our walk.
I *must* get you guys to talk my ears off about P-Town the next time I see you. I’ve been meaning to ask for some time, actually. It’s one of my few unexplored travel spots in the U.S. and one I’ve not had much interest in until recently. Have done a good bit of reading on the area: tourist info, gay & general history, travel blogs and fiction authored by a few of the many authors who have called the area home at one time or another. Anyway, glad to hear your travels have gone relatively well so far, looking forward to more photos and stories!