A trip to this fishing village turned art colony turned gay-friendly resort town brings you to the tip of Cape Cod, the land narrowing so much as you approach on Route 6 that you can see water on both sides, Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay. Provincetown is the clenched fist at the end of the slender wrist that is Truro, with the forearm of the Outer Cape towns of Wellfleet and Eastham leading down to the flexed elbow, made up mostly of Orleans and Chatham. As you enter P-town, the dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore loom, as does the 252-foot-high Pilgrim Monument, visible from anywhere in town. From the Pilgrims' landing and five-month stay in 1620, through the town's emergence as a strategic harbor bordered by rich fishing grounds, to the introduction of rail service in 1873, P-town has a long history as a destination.
Tip of the Cape
From art galleries to museums to beaches, this resort town has it all
Spend
The two main streets, Commercial and Bradford, run parallel to each other, and Globe critic Robert Campbell has called the town's architecture "random and jumbled, a series of happy accidents." Many a visitor has stumbled upon Little Gorgeous Things (359 Commercial St., 508-487-6171, littlegorgeousthings.com), seven connected gallery spaces that wend their way from a courtyard off the street to a lovely small deck jutting into the harbor. More than 100 artists are represented, and the store runs the gamut from fine art to model ships. Puzzle Me This (290 Commercial St., 888-789-9537 or 888-789-9537, puzzlemethis.com) offers a rare haven for people who love games and brainteasers. Now Voyager Bookstore& Gallery (357 Commercial St., 508-487-0848, nowvoyagerbooks.com, Friday-Sunday through Dec. 31), across from the Provincetown Library, offers bestsellers and classics, a selection of Cape Cod books, greeting cards, and artwork with local themes.Fuel
Provincetown has a high concentration of restaurants. The Wired Puppy (379 Commercial St., 508-487-0017, wiredpuppy.com) offers coffees, teas, and accessories, along with free Wi-Fi. Try the Hair of the Dog blend. Spiritus Pizza (190 Commercial St., 508-487-2808, spirituspizza.com, pizzas $15 and up) opened in 1971 as a pizza parlor, but the legendary late-night meeting spot has added coffee, ice cream, and continental breakfast to its repertoire. Level (386 Commercial St., 508-487-7800, levelbistro.com, entrees $22-$35) features nightly specials from pizza to beef Wellington and got a boost when David Plante, Aquitaine Boston's chef, joined David Ogren, Level's chef, for the 2007 summer. Ogren was once Plante's sous chef. Napi's (7 Freeman St., 800-571-6274, napis-restaurant.com) bills itself as the town's most unusual restaurant, and owners Napi and Helen Van Dereck integrated antiques, artwork, murals, and sculpture into the construction of the local seafood favorite.Advertisement
Advertisement