Provincetown Library

Beautiful, historic library in Provincetown!!! Stopped by the library during the week and was very impressed by how beautiful and «up to date» the library was. The library has 4 floors and also has a lower level section (with overflow books), so there’s technically 5 floors. The 1^st floor has books and a checkout area, the 2^nd floor is a children’s area, and the 3^rd/​4^th floors have reading and study areas. What was really cool is the large ship they have on the second floor in the children’s department. Despite looking old, yet beautiful, the library is quite modern… there are computers for use and also wifi. This library is a perfect retreat for a cold, rainy day!!!

What a glorious destination, the icing on the tip of the finger of the fabulous and multi-​faceted Cape Cod. Such wonderful geography, as it’s set nicely apart from other pockets of civilization on the Cape, and of course, beyond it is wherever 42 – 03 latitude lies on the European continent.
It would be fitting if that were Portugal, for Provincetown rests its might culinary laurels not lightly around the shoulders of Portugese cooking talent. Shellfish combined or separate, in broths, stews, or taken for a dip in the Friolator, is the central attraction on most menus here and the Portugese tradition of boat to table comprises many star attractions in the casual Provincetown dining scene.
Of course, Provincetown also has its kitschy side, but is not overrun by it. And should you feel it is, you can alight out into Cape Cod Bay for a twilight sail to soak up the wonderful breezes and vistas, as commercial vessels glide through these waters with regularity.
Take a date for the weekend or scheme to revitalize your marriage. Chances are good Provincetown will identify what brought you close together with your love interest in the first place.

What is there not to love? Great views, amazing beaches and friendly people… I love this place if I had the money I would move here.

We spent a day here on our honeymoon, since everyone we talked to on Cape Cod told us to come here, but Provincetown wasn’t all that it was hyped to be.
It was extremely touristy, with expensive parking, way too many shops that sold worthless junk (though there were a few decent shops), and there was a high noise-​to-​signal ratio when it came to restaurants as well.
I suppose it may appeal to folks on the cape who don’t really get exposed to this kind of place, but being from California, it really seemed like a bad imitation of San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

Perfect stop for a rainy day. It let my 1 year old time to crawl around and play. Plus their is a fabulous view of the bay/​ocean. It was a fun stop, browsed through used books and tried toi find an audio book for my hubby and i as we venture through town, but nothing good. Overall we loved the library and its location. Right in the middle of shops and restaurants.

I had a great time with friends in Provincetown today! All the little shops were fun to pop in and out of, and the shop keepers are super friendly. There are a lot of little waterfront restaurants and bars to sit and people watch, or enjoy a snack or cocktail. The only thing I didn’t like was on Commercial St, where the main attractions were, it’s a one way. There were a lot of cars going down the road with people everywhere, the sidewalk was tiny. Naturally people were in the road. I watched a couple of people from cars and on the street scream at each other.

Nice little town with a lot of small shops and different restaurant. The street a very narrow. Very busy during the tourist season, little sleepy off season. During the tourist season driving is almost impossible, parking is difficult to find. The town has lots of charm. This is definitely a must see place.

I came here one week after peak season and it seems like its still a happening town. I can only imagine what the summer brings. The small little shops as well as local bars makes it such a fun place to visit during the off season. I can’t wait to come back during the summer.

Had a GREAT time there this past weekend. The trip was a surprise for my wife. I got us a room at a B&B only to be surprised when we got there because friends of ours had made it a surprise for us! They paid for everything!!! Why that matters is how they did it. At the restaurant, everything was set up and went off without a hitch. They even paid for the gratuity. For most of the weekend, it was as if we were at an all inclusive resort. The Customer Service was second to NONE! (except for the parking, but I’ll get to that in a minute.)
We stayed at the Moffett House. Small B&B that I would HIGHLY Recommend. Had a great weekend walking around enjoying the sights and sounds. P-​Town is always fun.
We ate at Karoo Kafe — very good… casual, inexpensive and very, very good food! We also had dinner at the Mews… food was FANTASTIC!!! I had a bone in steak that melted in my mouth.
If you go… do NOT park in Duartes Parking. It’s on Bradford St. One of the first «major» lots. Staff was rude and they really do things by the letter of the law. Because my car — a CRV — is classified as an SUV, I had to pay the up-​charge for an SUV. (The CRV has a smaller footprint than most medium sized cars — Accords and Camrys are wider and longer.) And then, because I left after the pre-​paid 24 hour slot — by about 15 minutes — they hit me with another $ 6 charge. When I pointed this out, the employee he was quite rude about it. And then when I gave him $ 21 for the $ 6 charge, I had to argue with him to get change!!! Next time, I’ll park elsewhere!!!

Ptown is one of my favorite places on earth, I swear! I tend to go to Provincetown at least 3 – 4 times during the summer every year. The minute I arrive my face sports a huge smile. Yes, it is quite expensive there but aren’t most seasonal touristy spots?
Everything from a tasty bowl of chowder at the Post Office Café to a cocktail at the Shipwreck Lounge. Not to mention the fabulous art galleries as well. It always seems as everyone is in a good mood here.
The fast ferry gets you to here from Boston in about 90 – 100 minutes. The beach here is not my favorite as it is quite rocky, but the water is usually pretty warm here in the summer.
Gay friendly, everyone welcome and the epitome of a New England summer getaway. How do I love thee Ptown? Let me count the many ways…
Now, what kind of person puts Provincetown down for getting Lyme disease? I do believe that you can get that anywhere… get a life.

OK, if you take the scenic route, you shave a chunk off your life to get here. It’s allllllll the way at the tip of the cape. If you’re not into trading this chunk of life for consummate Cape Cod scenery, take the main highway… you’ll get there in about half the time. I was questioning my decision to listen to our innkeeper who said not to miss this place…
…until we pulled into town. Being summer, we pulled in with hordes of other people. But, I didn’t care. This was the cutest little beach community… with its own unique personality. A cute harbor, sand dunes, tons of touristy and chic boutiques, and a flamboyant Pride vibe. Loved it!!! We didn’t want to miss anything, so we opted for the trolley tour. So glad we did… it saved us a lot of walking (and my sanity as I had my 13 year old daughter in tow).
If you’re a photographer of any level, you’ll be busy here. Everyone should allow a full day here… one shouldn’t rush Provincetown.

It is an interesting town to visit but not to stay if you are on a family vacation. Definitely take ½ — 1 day walking around the piers and the Commerce Street when you are in Cape Cod.
btw… the whale watching from the Ptown is fun but 1.5 hour commute each way in a rough sea will do a job for some of your follow passengers’ stomach — therefore the smell on the boat can be a bit too much…

Free internet for all the tourists. Cheap printing. Plenty of tables to use. There’s a SHIP on the 2^nd floor. The new façade is gorgeous, but Andy and I both agreed, more reminiscent of Puerto Rico than New England.

Dear Provincetown,
Not to be all dramatic or anything, but you pretty much ruined my 2010, and you’ve already got your claws dug in deep for 2011. (2009 was a wash thanks to you as well, I just didn’t know it yet.)
Yeah, you’re gorgeous, and you’re full of adorable shops and restaurants, and holy &^#$ those clams and oysters were to die for, and yes practically every establishment is owned by gay people and it’s like Pride 24/​7, but you do not get one, not one single star, for any of that, because as mentioned, you are kind of ruining my life.
I visited you twice, so I can’t be positive which trip was the one that led to my life being taken over by terribleness, but I have my bets on the 2^nd trip, because though I was there for far less time, I laid in the grass. Granted, I did lots of bike riding in the woods when I was there in 2006, and I even picked up a mouse (with a towel) that my cat brought in, but I was totally fine for years after that, with no life-​ruining symptoms whatsoever. I’ve pretty much narrowed down my world getting screwed to laying in the grass in my ex’s yard for an hour or so in June of 2008, since the symptoms started the following winter.
The thing with lyme disease– which is the nasty life-f*cker I caught in P-​Town– is that if you don’t know you got bit by a microscopic tick that is smaller than a pin head, and you seem fine for months to years after, you end up with what is referred to as chronic lyme disease, where it has taken over your entire body on a cellular level, and is far, far harder to kill than if you had gotten the bull’s eye rash when bit and knew it then.
I’m not gonna go into the details of how neurologically f-​ed up I am now, how I’ve got such nonstop pain the doctors call it fibromyalgia, how my once amazing memory is now spotty at best, how talking is hard and half the time I can’t find the right words, or even any words at all, how having auto-​immune thyroid disease caused by it totally sucks, how spending all my time taking supplements to avoid years of iv antibiotics completely blows, how I have no energy and an hour of work knocks me on my ass, how much it feels like monsters inside trying to come out when you’re having a die-​off, how my girlfriend has grown accustomed to impromptu piggy back rides when I lose steam while trying to walk a block, or how having parasites in your blood, known as «lyme co-​infections,» that make all the emotional and physical symptoms even worse, just really put the cherry on top of this illness sundae that I call my waking existence.
No, there’s no need to go into the details off all that, and I’d probably forget what I was writing about before I finished anyway, what with how my brain has been literally eaten up by lyme spirochetes. So I will say only that Provincetown, good for you for existing so that all those people in the midwest have a vacay spot where they can go and be gay in public, but for having one of the highest rates of lyme disease in the country, you don’t deserve to be a tourist destination anymore. That said, you really shouldn’t be allowed to have any industry at all there unless you plan on giving everyone who has taken the time to drive down that ungodly long two hour highway to your town at least a one-​month supply of preventative antibiotics upon entering. I hope that lyme awareness begins some year soon, so then people would know about the godawful disease they could catch while visiting you, and thus, decide to vacation elsewhere.

I have been to Provincetown twice. Once during the off season and once during the ‘on’ season. Both times had their advantages and disadvantages. During the off season Provincetown seems like your typical small town. Sleepy. Not much going on at all. Only scraps of evidence was shown with lonely shop keepers peering out the windows of downtown hoping for a sale and not having the common sense to shutter up until tourist season began again as most shops do here. The restaurant we ate at was nice and quiet, not an exceptional meal but fair. I can’t remember what the name of the place was. Since Provincetown does bring in lots of gay men there was a die hard going up a hill in his electric wheel chair with a rainbow flag waving proudly. Looking at the beaches were very nice but very chilly so we did not walk around much. It was in the dead of winter when we went there.
In the tourist season my stay there was very brief and a bit frustrating. No parking anywhere at all! I did not even see much for parking garages. Coming from the west this was very unnerving where a parking space is almost always available no matter where you go, or one turns up shortly. Lots of tourists, lots of sun worshipers and lots of gay tourists that gives Provincetown its reputation. Nice place all around but if you go there during tourist season, just take a ferry from Boston or fly there. You save yourself much hassle!

A library
with a
surprise upstairs
Provincetown has very close connections with the ocean and like many places associated with the sea, great drawings, photos and models of ocean scenes, lighthouses and beaches are common. However I never expected to see a 55 foot boat dominating the upstairs of the library.
It’s not really a true boat but it is a damn impressive 55 foot model of the Grand Banks Fishing Schooner Rose Dorothea. Not just a model but a complete reproduction that is accurate in every detail.
You go up those stairs and once you look inside your jaw will drop. I’ve seen some cool things in eccentric libraries but never anything quite like this. They even cut away part of the ceiling to accommodate the top of the mast.
The building is actually an old Methodist Church and the library was moved here from down the street in 2005. It’s still ongoing renovations but even without the ship the building is stunning. Beautiful windows, wood and great old bookshelves quickly tells you that this is not just another library.
Of course the library has it’s modern side too, with computers, audio-​visuals, large prints and periodicals. Not a bad place to relax and or do some research. Great views from the windows never lets you forgot where you are.
In a lot of ways the Provincetown Library reminds me of the Antheneum on Nantucket. A fantastic old building, filled with history that just happens to be used as a library. A place that is so cool that it would still be great even if it didn’t have any books at all.

Definitely worth a visit if you are in the cape. Commercial Street is quite a happening street. Great for perusing shops like Black Dog, strolling down the long wharf, and burying your toes in the beach. I happened to be around during a party week with lots of people in outrageous costumes and music pumping from a distance. Great atmosphere.