Palm Springs vs Provincetown

[YourMascMuscle]

Ok so someone was just enlightening me on Provincetown and compared it as being the Palm Springs of the east coast. I have never been to either and I'm curious what other people's view is on this comparison. Which do you perfer more and why?

[+ Lucky]

Provincetown for the ocean!

[+ Charlie]

From the early 1960s, P-town was my gay resort of choice. In fact, that is where I met my spouse in 1968, and we used to go back regularly; however, we stopped going in the 1980s, and the last time we were there was twelve years ago. We didn't come to Palm Springs until 2004, and have lived here since then. P-town was where I had lots of sex and gay fun when I was young and there weren't many places where one could be openly gay. Palm Springs is where I live in an "active adult" community, shop, play tennis, and no one I encounter thinks it unusual that my spouse is a man. So it is hard for me to compare them, since my familiarity with them occurred at different times in their history and my own. For me now, the only important difference is the climate: I remember P-town as grim in winter, but much nicer than Palm Springs in the summer.

[+ keroscenefire]

I think it's a bit of a seasonal thing. Palm Springs is pretty nice in the late fall-early spring but gets rather hot in the summer. Whereas, Provincetown is pretty cold in the winter but nicer in the summer. I've only been to Provincetown (but PS soon!). I went in the summer and it was quite nice...bit of rain and humidity here and there, but the ocean breezes kept it milder and comfortable for the most part. And the people/town was a lot of fun.

[marylander1940]

Ok so someone was just enlightening me on Provincetown and compared it as being the Palm Springs of the east coast. I have never been to either and I'm curious what other people's view is on this comparison. Which do you perfer more and why?

 

if you like cold water to go Ptown it's also beautiful because of history, etc. I would include in you trip taking the ferry across the bay from Boston just don't go there when it's not summer as implied by @keroscenefire .

 

Palm Springs if you like relaxing at the pool, hiking the desert, mountain, etc.

 

Where do you live?

[+ WilliamM]

if you like cold water to go Ptown it's also beautiful because of history, etc. I would include in you trip taking the ferry across the bay from Boston just don't go there when it's not summer as implied by @keroscenefire .

 

Palm Springs if you like relaxing at the pool, hiking the desert, mountain, etc.

 

Where do you live?

Totally agree.

 

And one can hike a relatively short drive from Provincetown in places with Martha's Vineyard

[marylander1940]

Totally agree.

 

And one can hike a relatively short drive from Provincetown in places with Martha's Vineyard

 

Great place to have lobster too

[YourMascMuscle]

if you like cold water to go Ptown it's also beautiful because of history, etc. I would include in you trip taking the ferry across the bay from Boston just don't go there when it's not summer as implied by @keroscenefire .

 

Palm Springs if you like relaxing at the pool, hiking the desert, mountain, etc.

 

Where do you live?

I'm from Canada but I spend about half the year this side of the border. I'm often based in NYC which is not all that far from P town. ?

[YourMascMuscle]

if you like cold water to go Ptown it's also beautiful because of history, etc. I would include in you trip taking the ferry across the bay from Boston just don't go there when it's not summer as implied by @keroscenefire .

 

Palm Springs if you like relaxing at the pool, hiking the desert, mountain, etc.

 

Where do you live?

This was a very helpful post thank you!

[marylander1940]

This was a very helpful post thank you!

 

I'm from Canada but I spend about half the year this side of the border. I'm often based in NYC which is not all that far from P town. ?

 

From NYC you could take Amtrak to Boston

[+ Charlie]

Our nexdoor neighbors in Philly had moved to P-town a few years before we retired, so we learned a lot from them about living there, and we did consider it briefly, but for me the drawback was always the winters. I remembered what it was like visiting there in January, and it was not a fond memory.

[kingsley88]

I've never been to Palm Springs (going there first time next month) but have gone to Provincetown several times over the years.

One thing I found interesting about Provincetown is during the summer, each week practically has its own theme: bear week, family week, women's week, carnival week, etc.

[+ WilliamM]

And John Kennedy attended church on Cape Cod when he was president.

 

So did I, at the same church during college (1961-1965)

[Luv2play]

I’ve been to both places, twice to PS and three times to PTown. Ages ago. Always in high season, so summer in PTown and winter to early spring in PS.

 

About 10 years ago I met in Montreal a real life couple of male escorts who lived in both communities during their respective high seasons, working as bar tenders and doing sex work. They were a lot of fun. Never seen them since.

 

I would go back to either place if the occasion arose for the reasons others here have stated.

[YourMascMuscle]

And John Kennedy attended church on Cape Cod when he was president.

 

So did I, at the same church during college (1961-1965)

Oh wow did you ever see him there?

[+ WilliamM]

Oh wow did you ever see him there?

No, but then Senator John Kennedy did speak at my high school in Massachusetts. So I saw Mr. Kennedy then.

 

And I saw Senator Robert Kennedy campaiging for president in Philadelphia in 1968

Edited March 19, 2021 by WilliamM

[+ WilliamM]

Our nexdoor neighbors in Philly had moved to P-town a few years before we retired, so we learned a lot from them about living there, and we did consider it briefly, but for me the drawback was always the winters. I remembered what it was like visiting there in January, and it was not a fond memory.

I few weeks ago, I did a quick check of my high school classmates in Massachusetts from the early to mid-sixties.

 

I was very surprised so many lived in Cape Cod, or in southern New Hampshire near Hampton Beach.

 

The Winters in Provincetown may be a bit worse though- at the end of the town. I hated being there once in late November. Ugh

[rvwnsd]

There's an easy solution. Spend the summer in P-town and decamp to PS when it starts getting chilly.

[marylander1940]

how come nobody so far has mentioned the "dick dock"?

 

Take a peek under “D*ck Dock,” one of the world’s most frequented cruising spots / Queerty

[+ WilliamM]

how come nobody so far has mentioned the "dick dock"?

 

Take a peek under “D*ck Dock,” one of the world’s most frequented cruising spots / Queerty

 

I must have been at the well attended concert with Broadway diva Barbara Cook on that night in 1999.

[OCClient]

Provincetown is crowded. That might appeal to some. Lot of young energetic boys. ?

The above lobster comment brought back memories. Good eating.

The beach is nice. My friend got a terrible sunburn! ☹

 

Palm Springs is relaxing and beautiful.

[+ WilliamM]

Provincetown is crowded. That might appeal to some. Lot of young energetic boys. ?

The above lobster comment brought back memories. Good eating.

The beach is nice. My friend got a terrible sunburn! ☹

 

Palm Springs is relaxing and beautiful.

 

There have always been energetic young men in Provincetown on Summer weekend night as far back as I can remember (early 1960s) It is Cape Cod where families go for vacation. Falmouth, Hyannis in particular drow young people

 

Try Rockport and Gloucester on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Not gay, but beautiful places to visit

Edited March 19, 2021 by WilliamM

[YourMascMuscle]

Provincetown is crowded. That might appeal to some. Lot of young energetic boys. ?

The above lobster comment brought back memories. Good eating.

The beach is nice. My friend got a terrible sunburn! ☹

 

Palm Springs is relaxing and beautiful.

I'm not TOO much into the younger crowds. If they are mature then it's all good lol. But Ptown being a little older (at least I heard that) is something that also appealed to me.

[+ WilliamM]

Provincetown is crowded. That might appeal to some. Lot of young energetic boys. ?

The above lobster comment brought back memories. Good eating.

The beach is nice. My friend got a terrible sunburn! ☹

 

Palm Springs is relaxing and beautiful.

Fried clans are also very popular in Massachusetts. Not sure about in Provincetown though

[AshburyGuy]

As Ptown gets more expensive, the crowd tends to skew older these days (though there is still a wide age range of visitors). The other thing not mentioned here is that you don't need a car in Ptown (bicycling and by-foot are the best modes of transportation) but one is absolutely required in Palm Springs.