Tempe, AZ (home base)
USA
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Once upon a time, in an east coast land far far away, two young women (not just any women, The Get There Girls!!) traveled to a little town called Plymouth. “It’s where the Pilgrims landed,” one girl said. “And where the Mayflower still rests,” the other said. At which point they both agreed to spend a whole day dedicated to the likes of Plymouth, but after seeing the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, and twittling their thumbs for 20 minutes…the two young women decided to use up the rest of the day in another town they’d heard much about; to a town they’d seen in movies, commercials, and television series; to a town where some celebrities were rumored to have visited and bought houses; to a town called Cape Cod.
Taking in the scenery in Cape Cod
The drive wasn’t long, in fact it wasn’t hard at all to take the 495 highway into one of the most highly talked about towns residing in the east coast. It took half a CD maybe, perhaps one conversation about lobster and the different styles in which to eat it; or simply put, 23 miles. The day was clear, the highway under construction, and the two girls were pleased to be able to include Cape Cod in their tight travel schedule. After all, it was Cape Cod . . .
Upon arriving in Cape Cod, The Get There Girls anticipated a jam packed town with lots of tourists all clambering over cod magnets or crab wind chimes, or shirts that say, I (heart) Lobsters. They pictured cute delis where the owners made every sandwich with fresh ingredients and a lot of love, adorable cafés with uniquely flavored coffees, and maybe Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes munching on one of the famous lobster sandwiches, that apparently, no matter what booth you choose, are $13.
Gettin into a Lobster Sandwich in Provincetown
But where was the white sand? The beach? Where did John Travolta park his jet? Were they simply hiding behind the incoming clouds? Were the beaches and the sand themselves on a vacation to some other beach? Where was the Cape Cod-esque-ness of this town we drove all the way to see? And damnit, where were the charming restaurants and vintage souvenir shops that were supposedly drawing crowds of people to spend all their hard earned cash in?
The TGTGs didn’t know if maybe the area had been swallowed up in some catastrophic, cataclysmic world ending scenario and the town they were currently walking around in was borrowed from another simpler galaxy where the tourists were all blue-hairs enjoying herbal tea and taking pictures by the wooden whale that rests on the pier. Or maybe the citizens of Cape Cod were abducted by aliens looking for friendly proud Cape Codians and replaced them with cantankerous human replacements that are harried to smile or show a little CC pride.
Regardless of what scenario took place in the somewhat visually stimulating Cape Cod, the TGTGs were hard pressed to ignore the simple fact that the area was indeed anticlimactic. The girls continued to the tip of Cape Cod to a place called Provincetown,
Tim's Used Books, Provincetown, Massachusetts
walked the streets (finally stumbling across at least a few of the quaint shops they had anticipated being
overwhelmed with like Tim’s Used Books), window shopped for a tad, bought way too much saltwater taffy (since it was really all there was to do), and like all the other towns they’d visited, filled their tummies with local foods. There was the one restaurant - The Outer Crepe - that provided excellent service and delicious vegan food including one of the best crepes I’ve ever tasted,
The Outer Crepe Veggie/Vegan Restaurant
but other than that, the two TGTG travelers agreed Cape Cod could be seen in less than half a day (despite what Massachusetts citizens say…sorry guys).
The TGTGs drove back and used the time to discuss the highlights of their visit. Four minutes about The Outer Crepe (seriously, it was super awesome), two minutes about saltwater taffy, and a few seconds discussing how much better Cape Cod probably is in the summer.
They used the other thirty-nine minutes singing car karaoke.
Cape Cod Pier on a giant whale
TGTG Photo Op: Taking a giant bite of a lobster sandwich. Or lying on top of a large wooden whale.
TGTG Driving Tip: Go right before lunch; there’s only one way to get there and it’s under construction and there’s less traffic going into town around noon or so.
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