Santa Rosa Pete
Beach Comber
Tootsie:
I concur with Mango's suggestion of Truro, MA on the tip of the Cape. My wife and I will be in North Truro July 15-22 with about 20 family members at the annual get-together. When the week ends, we all head directly to the Betty Ford Clinic!
North Truro is about three miles in from Provincetown (P'town, as it's popularly known). I recommend staying on the bayside vs. the Atlantic side because the water is calmer and the housing options are greater. Days and nights are fun in P'Town (accessible via The Shuttle, a free bus service that runs every 15 minutes or so along 6-A, the shore road).
As Mango mentioned, it's an artsy community. Read that as very gay and lesbian with a heavy tilt towards lesbianism. Think of it as Key West on steroids. The other thing that makes it fun is people-watching. You're on their turf so all inhibitions are tossed to the wind. You often see outrageous outfits ... ultra-muscled men who are more than happy to display the efforts of their gym dedication ... bulldikes that often will NOT make room for you as you pass on the narrow sidewalks ... drag queens on roller skates hyping that night's drag revue at the P'town theatre ... etc. It's fun to watch families with kids who weren't aware of P'town's summertime Gay population. Their expressions and neck snapping are priceless. It's enough for an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos!
Aside from the people show, there are some great little shops, antique businesses, and restaurants that often specialize in Portugese recipes. Be sure to stop by the Portugese Bakery for some bread. It's awesome.
I also recommend Marine Specialties on Commercial Street (the main drag through town, no pun intended) for treasure hunting. It's part junk shop, part salvage shop, and part antique store. You can find all sorts of things in there at all price points. My nephew bought a gas mask there for $5 and insisted on wearing it back home on the flight (pre-9/11 so nobody freaked out).
While you're there, take the dune tours through Provincelands. I recommend Art's Dune Tours. They'll take you along a state-approved route through the sand and you'll see some of the highest and most pristine dunes on the planet. Plus, they'll take you by the remaining "dune shacks" which writers, poets and painters from around the world clamor to stay in for a week every few years. No electricity, no running water, just a back-to-nature experience that is said to cleanse the soul.
Also, take a hike out to Race Point Light, go whale watching, do a sunset cruise on the Bay Lady II, tour Cape Cod Light (also known as Highland Light), play the links golf course built around Highland Light, and definitely stop by Truro Vineyards at 3pm each afternoon for their wine tasting. For $7, they'll sample 5-6 wines and give you an etched glass from the vineyards. I sometimes just ride my bike over there for a mid-afternoon break and a touch of vino. They also have a nice little gift shop with some very nice vineyard-themed paintings that look beautiful when framed.
If you're into day-tripping, be sure to spend time in Chatham, Wellfleet and Hyannis. They're all beautiful, quaint, authentic New England towns with great shops, pubs and galleries. And, of course, Martha's Vineyard (the "vinyid", as locals call it) and Nantucket are spectacular. I recommend the high-speed Hy-Line Ferry out of Hyannis to get to either island. It costs twice as much (about $125 pp round-trip) but it saves you nearly an hour each way so you have more time to kick around on whichever island you choose to go to.
One last thing ... bring sweatshirts and/or jackets. Days are warm but the nights can get delightfully cool.
Hope this helps!
Pete.
PS - If you decide to hit the Cape and fly into Boston (Green Airport in Providence, RI is much closer but usually costs twice as much), take 3-A south of Boston and stop in some of the coastal towns. I recommend Scituate on the South Shore because it's a classic New England seaside town -- and where I grew up! (Some would say I'm still in the process of growing up.) Have funn!
I concur with Mango's suggestion of Truro, MA on the tip of the Cape. My wife and I will be in North Truro July 15-22 with about 20 family members at the annual get-together. When the week ends, we all head directly to the Betty Ford Clinic!
North Truro is about three miles in from Provincetown (P'town, as it's popularly known). I recommend staying on the bayside vs. the Atlantic side because the water is calmer and the housing options are greater. Days and nights are fun in P'Town (accessible via The Shuttle, a free bus service that runs every 15 minutes or so along 6-A, the shore road).
As Mango mentioned, it's an artsy community. Read that as very gay and lesbian with a heavy tilt towards lesbianism. Think of it as Key West on steroids. The other thing that makes it fun is people-watching. You're on their turf so all inhibitions are tossed to the wind. You often see outrageous outfits ... ultra-muscled men who are more than happy to display the efforts of their gym dedication ... bulldikes that often will NOT make room for you as you pass on the narrow sidewalks ... drag queens on roller skates hyping that night's drag revue at the P'town theatre ... etc. It's fun to watch families with kids who weren't aware of P'town's summertime Gay population. Their expressions and neck snapping are priceless. It's enough for an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos!
Aside from the people show, there are some great little shops, antique businesses, and restaurants that often specialize in Portugese recipes. Be sure to stop by the Portugese Bakery for some bread. It's awesome.
I also recommend Marine Specialties on Commercial Street (the main drag through town, no pun intended) for treasure hunting. It's part junk shop, part salvage shop, and part antique store. You can find all sorts of things in there at all price points. My nephew bought a gas mask there for $5 and insisted on wearing it back home on the flight (pre-9/11 so nobody freaked out).
While you're there, take the dune tours through Provincelands. I recommend Art's Dune Tours. They'll take you along a state-approved route through the sand and you'll see some of the highest and most pristine dunes on the planet. Plus, they'll take you by the remaining "dune shacks" which writers, poets and painters from around the world clamor to stay in for a week every few years. No electricity, no running water, just a back-to-nature experience that is said to cleanse the soul.
Also, take a hike out to Race Point Light, go whale watching, do a sunset cruise on the Bay Lady II, tour Cape Cod Light (also known as Highland Light), play the links golf course built around Highland Light, and definitely stop by Truro Vineyards at 3pm each afternoon for their wine tasting. For $7, they'll sample 5-6 wines and give you an etched glass from the vineyards. I sometimes just ride my bike over there for a mid-afternoon break and a touch of vino. They also have a nice little gift shop with some very nice vineyard-themed paintings that look beautiful when framed.
If you're into day-tripping, be sure to spend time in Chatham, Wellfleet and Hyannis. They're all beautiful, quaint, authentic New England towns with great shops, pubs and galleries. And, of course, Martha's Vineyard (the "vinyid", as locals call it) and Nantucket are spectacular. I recommend the high-speed Hy-Line Ferry out of Hyannis to get to either island. It costs twice as much (about $125 pp round-trip) but it saves you nearly an hour each way so you have more time to kick around on whichever island you choose to go to.
One last thing ... bring sweatshirts and/or jackets. Days are warm but the nights can get delightfully cool.
Hope this helps!
Pete.
PS - If you decide to hit the Cape and fly into Boston (Green Airport in Providence, RI is much closer but usually costs twice as much), take 3-A south of Boston and stop in some of the coastal towns. I recommend Scituate on the South Shore because it's a classic New England seaside town -- and where I grew up! (Some would say I'm still in the process of growing up.) Have funn!
so that's why we don't go.