Celebrating Valentine’s Day in P-Town

By Sonja Stark

It was a dark and dreary February when our friend Michelle suggested we get away to her romantic, seaside rental in Provincetown or “P-Town,” as it’s affectionately known.

We had had enough of the winter blues and an off-season trip to a place swelling with the notions of paradise sounded perfect.

Ample parking, unfettered access to beaches, no queues, and vacancy everywhere; we couldn’t have been more grateful.

We debarked on the trip before non-essential services were affected by the stay-at-home orders of the novel coronavirus. Looking back now, only three months later, makes the memories even more special.

Bunking on the East End

It took roughly 4.5-hours to drive from Albany, N.Y. to the tip of Cape Cod. Michelle O’Connor-St.Pierre’s cozy cottage rental, a HomeAway property proved easy to find.

#452 sat on the corner of the historic East End stretch of Commercial and Bangs Street. We brought a cooler full of provisions but made note of provisions at Angel Foods grocery store across the street.

Unit 1 was one of 4 units that Michelle makes available for renting. It was 422 sq. ft in size, located on the first floor, with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. We parked the car in an unmetered spot a short distance from the house.

We typed in the keylock combination and swung open the door to a sunny sitting room with a boatload of character: vintage shiplap, weathered hardwood flooring, and whimsical wall art.

A high-top table near the picture window looked out onto a trail leading to the beach. A well-lit and functional space to blog each night, I figured.

Maritime Decor in Provincetown

The bathrooms, one off the kitchen, another adjacent to the master bedroom, included historic maritime decor and spotless linens. I smiled seeing how creative old-timey accessories mixed with modern amenities.

A kitchen full of dishes, cooking supplies, even a Keurig coffee machine made eating out optional. Empty dog dishes reminded us that pets were allowed but we (wisely) left our barking duo with the sitter.

In the dead of winter, our charming unit warmed up quickly turning on the portable heaters. Sleep came easily after a late dinner at the nearby Napi’s Restaurant.   A television colleague recommended it. As a homage to P-town, we started with a big bowl of Portuguese Soup and ended with the panko-crusted cod.

Brisk winds on the Pier

The next morning, we mistook the sun and surf for warmer conditions. With the wind chill, temperatures hovered near zero degrees Fahrenheit. We huddled together tightly, like a scene out of March of the Penguins.

Surrounded by water, Provincetown measures in at only 17.5 square miles in size. It’s small enough to not need a map but helpful if you have a destination – gallery, restaurant, or retail shop – in mind. We printed out our own from the Visit Provincetown website but agreed to let the prevailing winds take us in whatever direction it saw fit.

We stopped briefly at the MacMillan Pier to watch the ebb and flow of the low tide. The serenity of the shoreline stretched from one dock to the next and towards the elongated hook.

Empty Boardwalk

The wooden boardwalk was bereft of noisy charter boats and sails, both of which take visitors to whale watch in the summer. We had the entire pier to ourselves.

We ducked inside the super-friendly waterfront Kohi Coffee & Co. and lingered on barstools with steaming cups of cocoa and coffee. If we were to continue to trek, George’s exposed ears needed protection from frostbite. Lucky for us, all the gift shops remained open, some with tongue-in-cheek adult accessories!

Kinky Treasures of Provincetown

“What about this?” George asked, lifting up a quirky-looking tchotchke. Turned out it was a purple penis bottle opener! I laughed out loud.

“That’s probably good for something, honey, but not sure if it’s your style…”

He bought it anyway.

Need I remind you, this is P-town, an open community that identifies more as LGBTQ+ than anything else. Retailers are still happy to accommodate humdrum straight couples like George and me so no worries.

Onward we walked, block after block of quirky treasures, up and down a narrow strip of road that, I imagined, couldn’t possibly be wide enough for cars in the summer. We tried not to let our happiness wain when we noticed that the historic landmark, the Pilgrim Monument, was closed for the season.

Waves of Fashion

Owner Jay Gurewitsch, the town’s quintessential ambassador, held the door open at Arcadia. His store’s unique sundries shared stories with a nod to the town’s colorful past.

In the summer, the town is one big wave of drinking and debauchery but winter hibernation restores civility to the shoreline.

I pointed to the same fashionable knitted beanie with a playful skull and crossbones that the owner was wearing. It proved too small for my mate so, of course, I bought it. I gave George my old one with the knitted pigtails. (When in P-Town, anything goes!)

New England House Envy

Walking around the artsy end of town, I stopped to envy New England architecture. While George prefers cars, I marveled at cedar shake cottages and designer interiors.

P-Town has some of the most varied aesthetics, from crumbling fixer-uppers to hip restorations to midcentury Victorian guest houses. It’s all here so bring plenty of batteries for your camera.

We stopped to use the facilities at the Land’s End Inn at the top of Gulf Hill. Their 18 oceanview guest rooms are said to be a beacon for special events. I peeked in on rooms decorated like an ornamental art gallery – kitschy but quaint – many accented with fresh flowers.

Having reached our destination, we jumped boulders and watched gulls break open clams with their beaks.

The famous breakwater causeway is how you would get to the Long Point Light Station and Wood End Lighthouse if you weren’t suffering from empty stomachs like us.

We looped the peninsula and headed back on Bradford Street stopping to share a famous breakfast special at Liz’s Cafe Anybody’s Bar.

A vintage ship wheel sat prominently above the bar. 80’s-inspired music filled the room.

Speaking of cuisine, scoring a two-top at Spindler’s romantic French bistro on Valentine’s evening proved a challenge. Instead, we popped a squat on ottomans near the bar.

We dined on small plates of fresh oysters with and a side of pumpkin puree while eavesdropping on conversations around us.

Bluffs and Dunes

The next day, my scallywag initially objected to hiking The Province Lands Bike Trail.

But, that gave way to resignation when he realized how blissful the temperatures had become. Compared to the day before, it was Xanadu!

We ditched the car at the parking lot of the closed Province Lands Visitor Center for a day of hiking the shape-shifting sand dunes called CACO dunes, without needing the proverbial dune buggy.

The winding bike path made its way past craggy vegetation, low-lying cranberry bogs, and a quiet municipal airport. Pine forests opened up onto the Race Point Beach and the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station.

We raced to the water to dip our toes into the cold Atlantic. After exploring the area, we lagged behind a young French couple, visiting from Paris, with the same destination in mind: the Race Point Light House.

Acres of pillow-white sand dipped and curved past erosion fences and tall grasses until the mirage that was the lighthouse lay in our sights. Other property buildings included the Keeper’s house, the Whistle house, and a sandy clothesline.

This northern half of Provincetown has always been heavily protected from manmade development. It’s changed very little since the Mayflower landed with Pilgrims aboard. Though, I imagine, that will change as the ocean rises. 2020, the year that marks the 400th anniversary of that voyage, has postponed some ceremonial events due to COVID safety concerns. Hopefully, by June, the free events should be kicking off.

The moors and bluffs draw an endless canvas for native flora and fauna to play artistically. They twisted and turned from a constant ocean breeze into geometric art, some scenes depicted crop circles, others showed squares and triangles.

In the evening, our vacation culminated with a beautiful sunset at Herring Cove Beach. Again, many thanks to Michelle for making it happen!

To enjoy more photos, visit the author’s FLICKR album!