Since Inna and I have never been to Cape Cod, though we heard much about it over the many years, we decided to pay a short visit, stopping at the major attractions.
After eating a small breakfast and getting ready, we started our two-hour drive to Provincetown (the tip of Cape Code), with a long enjoyable stop in Sandwich.
On the drive there, the hood of my 2010 Toyota Prius kept popping up. I had to pull over a few times to press it in. Eventually, after talking to Daniel, the owner of the Toyota Prius, he recommended that I open that hood high and slam it shut. Once I figured out how to raise the hood (it required a bit of pulling up on the hood), I hit it shut, and this solution worked!
Our first stop was at Town Neck Beach - a mostly deserted beach - with crystal clear water and pebbles on the shore. Inna was genuinely amazed by the clarity of the water! This beach on Cape Cod Bay was very calm - like a giant, peaceful lake. The water was cold, and I saw fishermen in large booties casting their lines far out while standing there.
I wanted to walk on the nearby boardwalk, but it was closed (perhaps for repair?). Feeling a bit thirsty, Inna and I decided to stop at the cutely named Snowy Owl Roasters nearby.
After ordering a mocha and a latte with a freshly baked Apple Scone, Inna and I sat down outdoors (as all indoor seating was taken). However, indoor seating opened up a bit later, and we moved indoors. I liked the freshly baked Apple Scone- it was one of the best I've ever had.
After finishing our little coffee break, we decided to see the Sandwich Glass Museum. We saw lots of beautiful examples of old glass on display.
Glassmaking in Sandwich started with Deming Jarves in 1825, as the museum biography writes:
Deming Jarves, the principal founder and manager of the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, did not choose Sandwich as a site for the glass factory because of the beach sand that was readily available. Beach sand is too impure to make glass, which requires pure quartz silica. The Company shipped in pure silica supplies first from New Jersey and New York, and later from the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts.
Jarves chose Sandwich because of its proximity to a shallow harbor and the possibility of a canal being built through Cape Cod that would allow for the shipment of goods. The local availability of timber could be used to fuel the glass furnaces. Even the salt marsh hay and grasses could be used for packing material.
Jarves brought master glassblowers with him from the New England Glass Company. He also recruited workers from England and Ireland. English and Irish glassmakers were considered the foremost craftsmen during the early 19th century. They were very skilled in making blown glassware with high lead content, the most desirable of the period.
We drove a few miles from the Glass Museum to the Heritage Museums & Gardens, where we first strolled through the excellent auto museum and then continued on to the gardens.
In the auto museum, we saw some very unique automobiles, including the following vehicles:
- 1899 Winton Motor Carriage
- 1903 Stevens-Duryea Runabout
- 1904 Oldsmobile Runabout
- 1909 White Steam Car Model M
- 1913 Ford Model T Touring
- 1922 Ford Model T Howe Pumper (Fire Truck)
I enjoyed looking at these and many other vehicles.
The 1913 Ford Model T was accessible, and Inna and I took turns sitting in the vehicle. It actually seemed quite comfortable.
After spending some time in the auto museum, Inna and I returned to the beautiful gardens.
We first walked to the beautiful Old East Windmill and then continued toward the Hart Family Maze Garden and the labyrinth.
We stopped by the Wetu, an old Native American hut used during the summer. It was made of tree branches and bark with a hole in the middle for sunlight (and to let the smoke out).
We also stopped by the Hidden Hollow area, where a beautiful treehouse overlooks the nearby landscape.
Finishing with the gardens, we drove about an hour south to Provincetown - at the very tip of Cape Cod. At first, we had difficulty finding parking and finally settled on a private lot that charged $15/day to park. Since the owner only accepted cash, I had to walk to the nearby CVS Drugstore, withdraw some money from the ATM, return to the parking lot, and pay the $15 parking fee.
Once our car was safely parked, we strolled around the main street of Provincetown. It seemed like a wacky version of Santa Cruz, with eateries, marijuana stores, coffee shops, and t-shirt shops. Inna and I decided to eat lunch at The Canteen - a seafood eatery that was highly rated.
We strolled to the counter and ordered the following lunch items:
- Boris: Cider, Fish & Chips
- Inna: Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Cider
We decided to sit outside and found a lovely table overlooking the beach. The music played 80's hits, and the preponderance of old yachting gear, with multi-colored fenders, gave the place a relaxing vacation feel. I was transported back to the 1980s and into my early teenage years.
Shortly, our food arrived, and my fish and chips were outstanding! The fish was freshly cooked and so delicious! Inna's Lobster Sandwich was not as tasty, and I shared some fish with her. The cider was strong, and Inna started to feel a bit tipsy. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
As we did not have much time (before having to return to Boston), we stopped briefly at the Pilgrim Monument, picked up our car, and drove to the nearby Race Point Beach.
From the parking lot to the beach, we trudged along in deep sand toward the calm water of the Atlantic Ocean (which is apparently populated by great white sharks who feast on seals). After a quick visit, we rushed back to our car and started the 2-hour drive back to Boston.
When we pulled into Boston, we stopped by Alex's new summer apartment at 1065 Tremont Street. We picked him up and drove to the Prudential Center Parking lot, where we parked the Prius (it was costly, $15/hour!). We decided to eat dinner at Eataly and made reservations for 8:30pm in the Terra Restaurant upstairs.
We came in a bit early and had to wait until we were seated at 8:30pm. After looking at the menu, we ordered the following items:
- Appetizer: Pane Otto (Bread), Prosciutto et Mozzarella
- Alex: Cavatelli al Raghu
- Boris: Spaghetti al Pamadoro
- Inna: Cavatelli al Raghu
- Dessert: Terra Dessert
Cape Cod Trip Report
Highlights
- Visiting the Auto Museum and the Gardens of the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich
- Eating fish & chips at The Canteen, with an overlook of the ocean and sounds of 80s music blaring through the speakers in Provincetown.
- Drinking coffee at Snowy Owl Roasters in Sandwich
Lowlights
- Dealing with the Toyota Prius' hood-popping issue on the way to Sandwich (thankfully, it was resolved)
- The long drive back to Boston from Provincetown (with crazy Massachusetts drivers)
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