Provincetown

[Guest 7Zach]

Never have been to P'town, but going either there or back to Montreal this summer. Would appreciate insights of those here who have been there, and whether they liked it or not. Tks.

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

The one in Rhode Island or the one on Cape Cod?

 

Just kidding.

 

Provincetown is my favorite United States vacation destination, however I will grant that I have not yet been to Hawaii. It is a place were cars are not needed, where you can find good food, instead of Resort/Tourist Food, where gay people can hold hands with comfort while walking amidst large numbers of heterosexuals. The nightlife is interesting but low key, the beaches are nice, the water is warm, it is very remote so you truly get a great vacation. I have always taken a private home rental, which is actually very nice since I enjoy cooking, and if you travel with friends, it ends up being far less expensive that the gay resorts, but any number of the gay resorts have good reputations and provide excellent service, without the disparity you can find in Palm Springs, Key West and other resort communities.

 

The one "honeymoon" I went on was to Montreal and if the weather is good and you speak French, I would recommend it as well, for any number of reasons, including a strong nightlife, great sites, good gay bed and baths and a community friendly to gay travelers, but my first choice would personally be to return to P-Town.

 

I would strongly urge you to request the visitors information sent to you free of charge from Provincetown. Provincetown Business Guild (800) 637-8696 and the Provincetown Reservation System (800) 648-0364 or Intown Reservations (800) 67-PTOWN. http://www.ptownres.com

 

Good luck!

[Guest dstud4hire]

Of all of our nation's gay mecca areas, P-Town is my fave!

 

Tips: Don't rent a car or even bother driving there, it's not worth it, for you'll never use it while there, and parking is a bitch. Everyone rents bikes.

 

Fave restaurants: Sal's Place and Gallerani's

 

Fave B& B : The White Wind Inn on Commercial Street.

 

Fave show: Varla Jean Merman as well as Jimmy James. Both are incredible 1 hour caberet style shows, with talented and very funny performers.

 

JUst came back from there. I go every summer!

Have fun!

[Traveller]

Definitely bike; although a lot of people skip.

 

Herring Cove beach, not Race Point. Walk to the left, and then walk some more, and then some more; about 20 minutes to get to the beach with the good-looking guys. The dunes behind the beach have a lot of action every afternoon. Marcus Iron can usually be had, if you're so inclined.

 

If you don't want to take the time to go to the beach, go to the pool at the Crown; then try the Provincetown Inn pool; and, if all else fails, use the pool at the Boatslip.

 

Do not go to the Boatslip for tea - strictly bridge and tunnel; if at all, go to tea at the Pied (which starts at 7 pm daily). Power tea at the Crown on Sunday is the best of them all.

 

For dancing and drinking, A House on Fridays (and most other days of the week); Crown on Saturdays. If you're a bear, however, go to the Gifford House.

 

In front of Spiritus every night after the bars close (which is 1 am in P-Town), there's a sidewalk sale. Also, you can find out where the afterhours parties are going to be.

 

For fun, Ryan Landry does two things which cannot be missed. Showgirls every Monday night, which is an extemporaneous drag show and just hilarious. On Wednesdays he does drag spoofs of famous shows. Currently, he's doing Carrie.

 

Restaurants, I've mentioned about Tom Chase and his BF's new place in the West End, Locatas. Most food is in the East End. Try Valeries, Front Street, Martin House, or Siro and Sals. Avoid the Mews and anything with Lobster in the name.

 

The better gym is Mussel Beach on Bradford Street.

 

The Art Galleries have openings every Friday night from about 7 to 9 pm throught the summer. They're all in the East End. There's free booze and you can get an early jump on where the afterhours parties will be.

 

For late night freebies, I hear that the police are cracking down on the dick dock and underneath the Boatslip's deck. Do these at your own risk.

 

Take the high speed ferry from the Aquarium in Boston. It's the fastest and has the best looking crowd. Avoid the two ferries leaving from the World Trade Center.

 

P-Town, in my opinion, is the most fun and has by far the least attitude on the East Coast. Ogunquit is pretty tame; the Hamptons aren't so bad (but sometimes can be farily lockjaw); and the Island is just a game that I've done a lot and gets more tiresome each time.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Later.

[Guest alanm]

I agree with all the above comments, except the car. Since I am a

major beach person I always bring a car so I can check out other beaches on the Cape. I should say that I grew up in Massachusetts,

so the Cape for me is also Hyannis, Falmouth, Martha's Vineyard as well as many other places within driving distance of Provincetown.

Hey, P'town in itself is great, just wanted to give a slightly different view.

[marc anthony]

Well... here is a vote for Montreal. Since you asked...

 

Could P-town have as many gorgeous boys around you? And a casino too?

 

Twink in your left hand, jock boy in your right, and muscle boy in your lap. How exactly do you throw the dice???

[LAShowbiz]

Hmmmmmmm, both are great, but totally different vibe.

 

Provincetown is a complete gay ghetto... everywhere you go is gay. It's best to go early in the summer 'cause the crowds die down considerably at the end of August and then it's all the old locals (friendly though).

 

I much prefer Montreal. Their gay area isn't necessarily that large area-wise, but what they do have is very European. The whole francophile thing makes you think you're walking around in Paris. The boys are too darn cute for words (esp. those French boyz with dark hair and BIG blue eyes). What I like about Montreal is you can walk around late at night and it's still busy. Places stay open late and there's no fear of being gay amongst a bunch of straight people. In fact, their open-mindedness makes Montreal my fave vacation spot in North America.

 

I would mention the stripper bars, but I think they've been discussed a trillion times on other threads! A lot of fun... a lot of fantasy... a lot of str8 boys showing their wee-wees for a dollar or two. It's something that you can't really see here in the US (well, not to THAT extent), so those are a difintie must-see for a least a couple times.

 

Food is better in Montreal. Lazy hanging out is better in Provincetown. Your choice... you can't go wrong with either.

[Guest Thunderbuns]

Two words of caution for Ptown

 

One: Be very carefull when venturing out onto the dunes. Walking in the sand slows one down and if you walk a long way out, it takes a long time to walk back. And why is that a problem, you might ask? It all depends on your previous exposure to the sun. The sun's reflection off the white sand makes it really easy to burn. The first time I tried it, I got too much sun, almost couldn't make it back into town and was sick in bed with sunstroke for two days. Be cautious.

 

Two: Don't expect the lobster to be any cheaper than in a good restaurant anywhere else in the country. I thought that because I was right where it is caught that it would be really affordable. WRONG! And also found it really hard to get a GOOD lobster meal (unless I just didn't know the places to go)

 

Apart from that I think it is the best gay vacation one can have in the US - although Palm Springs and Key West are no slouches either!

 

I also would add that it is not fair to compare it to Montreal. That's like comparing apples to oranges. Completly differnt. One is a cosmopolitan city and the other is a beach resort.

 

Thunderbuns

[Guest Ant415]

My advise is go to Montreal, it was all you need for a gay vacation, except sand. Both the city itself and the men are beautiful, lots of nightlife, great food, and a very tolerant populace. It is close enough to make a long weekend trip. The exchange rate benefit notwithstanding, Montreal is a travel bargain. While still having most of the comforts we like in North America, it still has the charm of Europe.

 

P'town is like any beach resort, just a bit gayer. If there is ever a city that is a cliche, I am afraid it is P'town. Sure, being surrounded by gay and lez folks all the time is nice, but I think it is possible to be too gay. After a week in Ptown I break out in a terrets-like spasm any time I see rainbow jewelry.

 

One fun evening we had in Ptown was going to the Love Shack on a Tuesday for locals night. We met Lypsinka (forgot his real name) on his day off, had a few drinks, and danced to early 80's stuff. Riding bikes while drunk is a challenge. I got tired of the pizza place though.

 

I think ptown would be nice for 2-3 days... mid week. On the weekends it is B&T, like Travellor mentioned. Also, I think it is fucked up that the only laundrymat on the cape is in Orleans.

[Guest]

I personally enjoy Provincetown's atmosphere, but weather can be iffy. You just can't count on sunny beach weather. I understand that two years ago it was only sunny about two days all year. If you don't mind the possibility of rain on most days, it's a fun place to go--lots of comedy venues, theater, nice places to eat, great whale-watching, guy-watching, etc...

[Boston Guy]

Z -

 

There are many facets to both P-Town and Montreal and they're sort of hard to compare; it would be easier, perhaps, to contrast them. Montreal is big, glitzy, exciting, fun, sexy -- truly one of the world's great cities. P-Town is small, folksy, exciting, fun, sexy -- truly one of the world's great gay destinations.

 

If you have never been to P-Town, go there. Every gay person should visit sometime. But be aware that there isn't one just one P-Town; instead, there are many and each of us sees different ones at different times.

 

There is the 4th of July P-Town: Gay with Gusto, jam-packed full of gay men and women partying their asses off, cruising from morning to night. There is the mid-June P-Town, full of anticipation of the season and the mid-September P-Town, a little tired, coming down off the party, slowly thinking about wrapping things up for the season.

 

There is the quiet P-Town to be found walking over the breakwater (Be careful! It's farther than it looks; bring sunscreen and water) and lounging on the beach to be found on the far side at the other end. There is the early morning P-Town, with its sometimes-impossible light, the light that has drawn artists for over one hundred years.

 

There is the P-Town that, more than any other place I have ever been, will let you be who you are, no matter who you are, so long as you're not trampling on the rights of others. Want to walk down a busy street with your arm around your boyfriend? You won't even get a second look in P-Town. Dying to wear red chiffon and pumps? Go to P-Town.

 

There is the sexy P-Town to be found in the eyes of the boys and men on every street and in every shop and bar and beach. There is the P-Town full of hope in the eyes of each visitor, arriving in cars and planes and ferries. There is the lonely winter P-Town, less lonely than it used to be, but still possessing more alcoholic souls per capita than most other places Massachusetts.

 

And there is the family P-Town, and the tourists and families and fathers and mothers and little kids who come to visit and stroll about and eat salt water taffee and go deep sea fishing and get sunburned and eat fried clams and lobster. And the P-Town to be found on your bike, on the bike trails in the beech forest and on the dunes of the Provincelands, truly magnificent bike trails where you can cruise down a winding trail at full speed, often alone, even on a busy summer weekend.

 

We each bring a little bit of P-Town's magic back with us when we leave and most people seem to choose to go back, often again and again. P-Town has a way of getting inside us, tugging at our souls and our hearts.

 

If you have never been to P-Town, go to P-Town. Montreal will still be there for another day. Go to P-Town. You'll have a grand time and you'll love it.

 

BG

[+ Lucky]

Boston Guy: I really liked your post. Very nicely done!

[+ Charlie]

Boston Guy, thanks for conjuring up the P-town of my gay youth (the 1960s). I haven't been back for many years, but it made me really want to revisit it.

[Guest Willy]

I've lived in and around near Boston since 1990. To me, P-Town in the summer is a hassle from start to finish. Traffic getting there, crowds and noise when you're there, traffic getting back. On the other hand, if you're into the gay bar/circuit party kind of atmosphere, then summertime in P-Town is for you. Myself, I think gay people are at there least attractive in such settings, but hey, different strokes.

 

In the off-season, i.e., Labor Day to Memorial Day, it's great. Low-key, relaxed, friendly. A great place to stay is a place called Land's End. Was owned by a gay guy (David Schoolman, I think) who passed from AIDS. While he was alive, it was decorated in an eclectic style best described as a cross between the Grateful Dead and Erte.

 

He left the place to a foundation that was supposed to benefit the performing arts, and the result was some sadly typical bitch fighting among the local queens. All that stuff aside, the inn itself still has enough of the previous feel to make it worth staying at. The Cape Cod seashore is fantastic in October. There are some good restaurants out there, too.

[Guest Kenny021]

Thoroughly agree with Willy. I stay away from July 4th thru Labor Day. I can't put up with the crowds and traffic. I find the most enjoyable time there is late May thru June...nice beach weather with much lighter crowds.Everything is fresh. September is my favorite month there. You think you're in heaven...beach is super in Sept, nice warm days, cool nights, light crowds where you can actually enjoy going to restaurants and can walk down Commercial st without being jostled.

[IamI2002]

Forgive my innocence, but could you define:

 

TEA

BRIDGE & TUNNEL

 

Again I apologize for being naive and beg your indulgence in instructing me.

 

Thanks

[Chuck50]

Still waiting for the "Hooboy" story of P town guess we will never hear. Must have been too much fun and doesn't want to get more people to go there and spoil it. LOL I am sure he had a good time it is one of the only times the site has been shut down. NO connection. I am sure there was lots of connections in Ptown but not by Phone. LOve ya Hooboy thanks for being here for us HUgs CHuck