|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
 |
 « April 2007 | Main | June 2007 » May 31, 2007
Plenty to Do on Cape Whilst on Holiday
Hi Arthur. My wife Audrey and I are visiting Cape Cod from 14 to 18 June 2007, from England. We are both in our early 60s. Do you have any advice on where to go and what to see whilst we are on holiday? Thanks for writing, Fred. First of all, it's great that you (apparently) don't hold any hard feelings about that Boston Tea Party brouhaha. I say, let bygones be bygones; we're happy to welcome you to our fair commonwealth. Second of all, we here in the States enjoy the peculiarities of the King's English that you've shared with us. You wrote: "Do you have any advice on where to go and what to see whilst we are on holiday?" The rough Massachusetts translation of that sentence would be: "Do youse know any wicked good places to pahty on the Cape?" Third of all (and I had better wrap this up soon, because I'm running out of fingers), Cape Cod is a wicked huge peninsula on the eastern coast of Massachusetts. There are a myriad of places to visit, stay, dine, play, and explore--far too many to summarize in a five-day itinerary. That doesn't mean you couldn't put together a wonderful vacation, er, holiday; it just means you'll have to do a little pre-planning to find the accommodations, restaurants, sights, and activities that fit your budget and interests. Any Cape Cod jaunt would have to include a visit to at least one of its many beaches. I suggest you put the National Seashore on your itinerary. Operated by the National Park Service, the stretch of beaches from Eastham to Provincetown is among the world's most beautiful. With its panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and its feisty surf (perfect for body surfing and boogie boarding), my favorite is Coast Guard Beach. For a more romantic setting (hey, folks in their early 60s need some romance, too!), you could plan a twilight walk along Nauset Light Beach. After you experience the crashing waves, sandy dunes, cool breezes, and twinkling reflections of the moon and lighthouse beacon in the water, you just may fall in love with old Cape Cod--and each other all over again. To get a better handle on all that Cape Cod has to offer and begin planning your getaway, here are some resources:
Have a great Cape Cod holiday. We'd love to hear about what you did. Write back and share some of the highlights with us. -Arthur Photo: National Park Service May 29, 2007
Cape cool: In search of Cape Cod's best ice cream
From September, 2006: We observed, sniffed, licked, gently chewed, slurped, pondered over, gently chewed some more, and otherwise snarfed down eighteen scoops of ice cream at six of Cape Cod's most highly regarded shops in an attempt to determine which joint had the best cool, creamy stuff. Our conclusion: BURP! No actually, the crack ice cream survey team I assembled was able to pare down the list and come up with some winners. If you arrived here first and want to learn more about our highly sophisticated, if wholly disreputable, survey process as well as discover more about our adventures at Cape Cod Creamery, Polar Cave, and Four Seas Ice Cream, click over to Part one of my Cape Cool blog series. To learn more about our ice cream samplings at Highland Creamery, the Sundae School, and the Ice Cream Cafe, zip over to Part two of the series. If you're waiting with your tongues hanging out and your stomach growling to find out who the winners are, read on. Ed McMahon, please call for the timpani. We sampled vanilla, chocolate, and one flavor that each shop identified as its signature. We used a five-point rating system and judged the ice cream on attributes such as texture and flavor intensity. I crunched all the numbers. Of the six shops we visited, the winner, with an overall score of 4.61, was Cape Cod Creamery (Route 28 in S. Yarmouth, 508-398-8400). Rating a 4.69, its chocolate also topped our survey. And its signature flavor, Craigville Caramel Crunch, scored a near-perfect 4.82 and blew away the competition in that category. A relative newcomer to Cape Cod's dessert scene, the Cape Cod Creamery offered smooth, obviously fresh, and creamy ice cream with distinct and tasty, but not overwhelming, flavors. Coming in second place was Polar Cave (22 Falmouth Rd., aka Rt. 28, in Mashpee, 508-477-5553) with an overall score of 4.21. Its vanilla rated a 4.43 to top our list, although its Almond Joy didn't quite fill our survey team with joy. Just behind Polar Cave with an overall score of 4.17 was the Sundae School (381 Lower County Rd. in Dennisport, 508-394-9122-- also locations in Harwichport and East Orleans). Its ice cream scored well for all three flavors, but the shop is best known for its unique sundaes and its cute schoolhouse charm. Perhaps the biggest surprise of our ice cream gorge-a-thon was the disappointing results at the legendary Four Seas Ice Cream (360 S. Main St. in Centerville, 508-775-1394). Perennially praised for having some of Cape Cod's best ice cream, we rated the 72-year-old shop last with an overall rating of 3.76. With strong hints of cinnamon, its chocolate was just plain weird. And the texture of the ice cream was a bit gummier than the other shops. My personal favorite shop was Highland Creamery (Route 6 in Truro, 508-487-3435). Its Chocolate Heart Attack (deep chocolate ice cream with fudge chunks, Godiva-soaked brownie pieces, and shaved white chocolate--can somebody scream, "Amen!") is to die for. And with its bubble machine, disco ball, and other wacky frou-frou, its decor was beyond funky. Do you have your own favorite Cape Cod ice cream shops? Do you think my Cape Cool survey team was wildly off base? Write to me using the "Ask Arthur Here" box in the right column. Photo: Business Brokers.com Web site May 24, 2007
YMCA cooks up Children's Museum in Salem
Is your child a budding firefighter, chef, letter carrier, or movie star? Toddlers, in particular, would enjoy dressing up and trying these and other careers on for size at the museum. Activities also include a tidepool, a climbing structure, hands-on science experiment stations, crafts projects, and a constantly changing series of special exhibits. The museum is available for birthday parties, sleepovers, and other group functions. How kid-focused is the North Shore Children's Museum? Since the facility isn't really for them, adults get in for free. Kids, however, have to pay an admission fee. Presumably, their parents will foot the bill--unless the children really are professional chefs. North Shore Children's Museum Photo: ECR Hospitality May 22, 2007
From stuffed shirts to ripped shirts at Symphony Hall
The Pops continue their spring season with Symphony Hall performances until July 1. Highlights include a series of "Film Nights," starting tonight, May 22, and through Saturday, May 26, with Laureate Conductor John Williams taking the baton to lead the orchestra through great movie scores, including his own standards such as "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." May 29 through June 2, Gary Burton, Chick Corea, and Dianne Reeves will help Lockhart and company celebrate the Pops' Jazzfest. On June 26 and 27, indie rocker M. Ward will shake the hallowed rafters of Symphony Hall. On July 4, of course, the Pops will help the hordes celebrate Independence Day with the annual Esplanade concert. If you're planning on attending, you may want to consider bringing along a specially reinforced shirt. Boston Pops Photo: BSO May 17, 2007
Express Yourself goes "Wild" with STOMP in Boston
The stars of the show are from Express Yourself, an incredible North Shore-based program that brings young people from area Department of Mental Health facilities together each year and immerses them in music, dance, visual art, drumming, and other creative pursuits. The program culminates in the spring with a live, invariably wonderful, performance at the Wang. In past years, Express Yourself has collaborated with Blue Man Group and Keith Lockhart. At next Wednesday's show, which is called "Put Your Wild On," a performer from the hit show, "STOMP," will add her unique blend of found percussion, dance, and rhythm, to the Express Yourself ensemble. Also featured will be a choir from North Shore Music Theater as well as jazz great Stan Strickland and his band. Strickland is a co-director of Express Yourself. Put Your Wild On Photo: Express Yourself Inc. May 14, 2007
Multi-generational Cape escape
Hi Arthur, my husband, my two daughters and their husbands, and my two grandsons, ages 5 and 2 will be visiting Cape Cod the week of June 16. We usually spend one day in Hyannis and one in P-town. [That's Provincetown for you out-of-towners.] Can you suggest any other activities (including beaches) for us? Thanks. Thanks for writing Bonnie. Sure, I can offer some Cape Cod touring tips:
Whatever you end up doing, have a ball on your Cape family trip. Photo: A lifeguard chair looks out to the blue ocean at Coast Guard Beach, on the Cape Cod National Seashore, in Eastham. T.S. Amarasiriwardena, Explore New England.com. May 9, 2007
Rockport celebrates spring--and Motif #1
The artist community, with its many galleries, quaint shops, restaurants (featuring seafood, of course), inns, beaches, and spectacular views is a joy to visit anytime. During Motif #1 Days, the town will take on a more festive air. The galleries and shops will be bringing their wares out to the crowded sidewalks, for example. Among other highlights:
Motif #1 Days Photo: Rockport Chamber of Commerce May 7, 2007
Have Mom go ape at the zoo
Apparently the Meninos are able to let bygones be bygones. A few years ago, one of Franklin Park's gorillas slung some feces at Mayor Thomas Menino as he was making a presentation at the zoo. And one of Kiki's other offspring, Little Joe, caused quite a stir in 2003 when he escaped from the zoo and briefly roamed around the area before being captured and returned. Little Joe has been on his best behavior since then, and will be part of the Mother's Day ceremony. I'm not sure what happened to the feces-slinging gorilla, but I believe the feces may have hit the fan--and he was sent packing to another zoo. Mrs. Menino may want to bring some protective gear just in case. Gorilla Exhibit and Sculpture Unveiling Photo: Franklin Park Zoo May 2, 2007
You CAN get anything you want--at the Berkshire Film Festival
Set in Stockbridge and featuring many of the real-life locals depicted in the song (including Berkshire dweller Guthrie), Alice's Restaurant has an offbeat style that complements the wacky song about the Vietnam War, littering, and Thanksgiving. Penn, who is also a Berkshire resident, helmed other great films such as Little Big Man and The Miracle Worker. Among the feature films, documentaries, and shorts on the schedule, the Festival will help celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jacob's Pillow by showing some dance-related films. Berkshire International Film Festival Photo: Reel.com     This blog is a feature of explorenewengland.com. It is not produced by
writers and editors of The Boston Globe. Questions or comments? E-mail us.
|
Even though I've been toiling away within its vast collection of tubes for a few years now, the Internet still amazes me. It's fairly astonishing that I can peck out something in my living room here in Massachusetts, and a bloke in England can easily read it and reply to me. A bloke such as Fred, who sent this email to my Explore New England mailbag:
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. That means it's time to stock up on trashy novels, head to Old Cape Cod, drive yourself insane at mini-golf, and slurp away at ice cream. Ah, ice cream. One of the sweetest, most anticipatory phrases known to mankind is, "Let's go get some ice cream!" Here in the Boston area, we raise ice cream fondness to the level of idolatry. At what Cape Cod ice cream shrines should you plunk down your hard-earned dough for a few moments of gustatory bliss? At the end of last season, I assembled a crack (or is that cracked?) crew of taste testers to determine the Cape's best ice cream. Herewith are the results. Keep in mind that the prices and other info were current in 2006, but may be different this year. Our love of ice cream, however, is timeless.
There's about a month left before school's out for summer. The loooong vacation period will leave harried parents scrambling for things to do with their kids, especially on rainy days. One option for folks in the northeastern part of the state is the North Shore Children's Museum. The Salem YMCA recently took over the please-touch, kid-centric museum and relocated it to their center on Essex Street. The museum is a great place for younger children, up to about age ten, to explore, interact, and learn in a fun environment.
The bedlam in the balcony at the season-opening Boston Pops performance caused quite a brouhaha. Along with edgier guest artists, such as alternative rocker Ben Folds, the audience fracas was another sign that this is not your father's Boston Pops. Then again, dads and granddads can take comfort in the longstanding traditions that maestro Keith Lockhart and the Good Boys (and Girls) of Boston hold dear such as the corny sing alongs, the light classical music, the Broadway show tunes, and the umpteenth rendering of "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Watch the crowd go predictably wild as the American flag unfurls during the Sousa march's rousing finale--but hopefully not ripping-off-shirts wild.
Here's a great tip for some mid-week fun: Want to see a fabulous live show with music, singing, dancing, incredible set pieces, and special guests from the cast of "STOMP" and the North Shore Music Theater? To sweeten the deal, admission will be free. Nada. Zip. Just show up at the Citi Wang Theater in Boston on Wednesday, May 23 at 6:45 p.m., walk right in, and be prepared to be blown away.
The summer tourist season is heating up, and that means tons of families will be heading to Cape Cod looking for things to do. Bonnie and her gang is one such family. Here's her email to me:
It's one of the most painted, photographed, and recognized buildings on the planet. The humble red fish shack that sits gracefully in Rockport's harbor has become indelibly linked with the town. It makes sense, then, that the community dedicates its first major event of the season to its signature structure. The weekend of May 19, Rockport will be celebrating Motif #1 Days with music, a chowder festival, street entertainment, artist demonstrations, exhibits, and other activities.
Forget flowers and Sunday brunch. This Mother's Day (which is this Sunday, May 13--you didn't forget did you?), take Mom to the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. The attraction's new indoor gorilla exhibit will make its official debut, and the star animals will be the mother-and-daughter gorilla duo of Kiki and Kimani (pictured). The zoo will be staging a ceremony to introduce the exhibit as well as unveil a sculpture of the gorillas. Presiding over the unveiling will be Angela Menino, the Boston mayor's wife.
There's no word whether Arlo Guthrie, Officer Obie, or Alice herself will be there, but Arthur Penn, the celebrated director who turned Guthrie's rambling song, "Alice's Restaurant," into an Oscar-nominated film will be the featured guest at the 2007 Berkshire International Film Festival. Scheduled for May 17 to 20 in Great Barrington, the Festival will include about 50 screenings as well as panel discussions and presentations by filmmakers. In addition to Alice's Restaurant, Penn's seminal film, Bonnie and Clyde will be shown at the event. 
