New England – Fall 2010 – Day 16: Hyannis & Provincetown

We breakfasted in the hotel and this was a mistake, we got up later than we had planned and went into breakfast near to the time that they would have closed. Rather than disappoint us they served us but the buffet was past its best and they were already laying out the room for an evening function.
While writing about the hotel I might as well add a few general comments, it was I feel the weakest performer in our list of hotels, the free WiFi did not extend to our room and the patio doors onto the car park were “secured” by an ad hoc piece of metal which could have been unbalanced by a determined squirrel let alone a human trying to gain entrance from outside. Neither of these things was significant as it turned out but the fact that we were often in the lobby using the WiFi there meant that we observed other failings of the hotel. On the first evening a coach party arrived. One couple placed their luggage successfully in their room and went out of the room only to find on their return that their key no longer worked and the hotel staff was unable to let them in. This meant that the same lady was sitting in the same place in the lobby when we set off for dinner as she was when we returned. Getting ahead of myself, the following evening one of two coach parties which had stayed the previous night returned as planned only to find they had been checked out rather than the other party which was not returning. The problem was not helped by the fact that the returning guests had been allowed to leave their baggage in their rooms but now couldn’t get in. It took a considerable time to get this sorted while the social event was building up in the restaurant area and some of those guests were being assigned the rooms which were already occupied.
Meanwhile back to us in the morning, we drove out of Hyannis towards Provincetown where the pilgrims had first anchored. We had decided to check out Provincetown at least in part because of this article:
Provincetown History Page
Provincetown is without a doubt the most eclectic of all Cape Cod towns.
How did it get this way? Is it because the Pilgrims who landed first in Provincetown decided the place wasn't for them so they sailed across the bay to found Plimouth?
Possibly, because as soon it was abandoned by the sober colonists it apparently became a port of call for the less upstanding of those who plied the oceans during the 1600s. According to Donald Wood's "Cape Cod - A Guide," the sand dunes of what was then called Cape Cod (what we now call Provincetown) sheltered "a wild, undisciplined and unprincipled crew of traders and fishermen from nearly all parts of Europe. Drinking, gambling and bacchanalian carousals were continued sometimes for weeks with unrestrained license." As settlers moved down the Cape from Sandwich and Barnstable and Yarmouth towards the tip, the town of Truro was incorporated in 1709 and the sandy hook known as Cape Cod and its big harbor was included. But this didn't stop the activities of the smugglers and the privateers who frequented the wild area. Finally, more English settlers arrived, the wilder elements were somewhat tamed, and Provincetown was incorporated in 1727. As a town, it then declined until the end of the French and Indian Wars when deepwater whaling became an industry. Provincetown's great harbor came alive. By the War of 1812 Provincetown had a thousand residents. During the war these residents remained neutral and after the war, as whaling activities grew, whaling captains, replenishing their crews in the Cape Verdes and Azores brought Portugese to Provincetown. As the whaling phased out, Provincetown became a center for the Portugese fishermen whose descendents are part of the backbone of Provincetown's economy today.
While fishing continues to represent a major part of life in Provincetown, today there is another side to Provincetown, which began at the turn of the 20th century when Charles Hawthorne established an art school. As an art colony Provincetown flourished and in 1915 when the Provincetown Players was established, it became a mecca for theater. Eugene O'Neill joined the players in 1916. Art, theater and fishing still exist side by side in Provincetown. As do alternative lifestyles.
As a place to visit Provincetown is popular for many reasons. Want to go whale watching? The MacMillan Wharf is the place to start. Want to people watch? The human parade up and down bustling Commercial Street is an endless opportunity to satisfy the urge. Want to climb higher than anywhere else on Cape Cod and then indulge in some history? Climb the Pilgrim Monument, rising 252 feet above the 100 foot hill it sits on. Its cornerstone was laid in 1907 as President Teddy Roosevelt looked on and President Taft attended its dedication in 1910. For all the details and more of Provincetown's history, the excellent Provincetown Museum is at the base of the monument. Exhibits range from memorabilia of Adm. Donald MacMillan's Arctic expeditions to the history of Provincetown-Boston Airlines, the first commuter airline in the country, founded in 1949 by John C. Van Arsdale.
We found parking difficult but that actually helped us as we were forced to drive through the area and from that we got our bearings quite well. We parked outside the town on the coast and took some pleasing photos, looking along the coast, back towards the town, featuring the brightly painted wooden houses on stilts to allow for high tides. We also got our first clear view of the Pilgrim Monument.
We drove back into town and parked in a large lot next to the whaling pier. We investigated the possibility of a whale watching voyage but it would have taken up too much of our visit with no guarantee of seeing whales. My whale expert niece, Kelly, told us we were heading to New England at a poor time for seeing whales and she should know having worked for the Whale Center of New England in Gloucester MA. We enjoyed the pier and the harbour area before setting off to find the Pilgrim Monument. It was hard uphill walking for me as my back was still hurting but we found the base of the monument and paid over our $7 to go up the tower.
The Pilgrim Monument commemorates the history of the Mayflower Pilgrims, their arrival and stay in Provincetown Harbor, and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. It is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States. Visitors can walk to the top on a series of stairs and ramps. During the climb, we saw many interior stones donated by cities, towns, and organizations from all over the United States. The strange thing for us is that these names are almost all English town names which probably reflected home towns of the settlers either before or after the Mayflower. The view from the top is spectacular and we watched the Whale Watching boat leave harbour from the top of the tower.
On our return from the tower we enjoyed the museum which clarified the timeline of the pilgrims including their residence in Holland and their earlier attempts to leave England in pursuit of freedom of religion which did not prevail there at the time.
On our walk back towards the car we noted a plaque on a building commemorating the Ryder Homestead which as part of the “Underground Railway” had sheltered escaping slaves on their way to freedom in Canada, I only hope they were well prepared to deal with the Canadian Immigration Officials!
We also took in the memorial to the Mayflower Compact, which incidentally bears the signatures of the major players amongst the pilgrims amongst them William Bradford who is a relative of Julia’s Headmistress at Rosliston School.
We decided to sample a Lobster Roll having seen them advertised everywhere along the coast, we agreed to share one and I opted for their plainest version, just with butter. The experience was best summed up as an anticlimax; in fact the fresh tasty bread roll was the highlight. It was a $12 disappointment.
On our return towards Hyannis we switched off the SatNav and tried to follow the coastal road with mixed success. We did however find the world’s most deserted beach. We parked in a rest area next to a closed bar/restaurant where we were warned to keep off the dunes and that there was no life guard on duty. We resisted the temptation to frolic on the dunes and swim!
We returned to Hyannis with the assistance of the SatNav.
After tea in our room, you should be familiar with the routine by now; we went down to the indoor pool. We discovered that a rebellious spirit prevailed, while we swam in the pool, in the hot-tub were two middle-aged men drinking beer from bottles against the rules of the establishment as displayed prominently. Then, while we took their places in the hot-tub, without a drink, a couple took our place in the pool and found each other irresistible. They may not have been aware of us tucked to one side but they must surely have noticed the viewing area from the lobby! Discretion took us out of the situation.
This was our final full day with a car so we needed to fill the tank for the final time and we did this on our way to find somewhere to eat. The attendant pointed us in the direction of a local Mall and here we found a TGI Friday and one of our best meals of the holiday. Julia chose a chicken dish which was spicier than she could handle but we swapped and the both enjoyed our meals. It was also excellent value if a little less scenic than some of the other places we had eaten.