I’m arriving and leaving on Wednesdays, exactly to try and avoid the worst of the traffic. 
Plus, I’m spending a night in NJ on the way both up and back.
Just thought I’d bump this thread now that my trip is next week… 
I’ll leave the D.C. area a week from today and drive to NJ, where I’ll spend the night; I’ll arrive in P-town on Wednesday afternoon (6/14), and stay until the following Wednesday.
In terms of activities, right now my only plan is to look into some whale watching. I’ll go to the ticket office in person, and see what’s available during my visit. I’ve ruled out a dunes tour, because they seem to be either more physical or more couple-oriented (or both) than I care for. In general, I don’t see spending a lot of time in town/doing stuff: except for a few trips for shopping, dinner, and (maybe) whale watching, I plan to be pretty freaking lazy with a focus on reading and hanging out on the beach near the condo I’m renting.
There was a pretty bad fire in town over Memorial Day weekend. I’ll be interested to see how the cleanup has gone, and I’ll try to make some donations if funds are still being collected.
Yes, the afore mentioned Lobster Pot is no more, and from what I understand 6 other places, little shops etc. Tough break, right at the beginning of the season, and it’s all going to make getting around even worse than usual
I think the Lobster Pot is still open. There was a fire nearby but the Surf Club, the Red Shack, and Tatiana’s are the restaurants that were affected.
You’ll have such a great time!
There’s a nice Irish pub called the Squealing Pig that makes a great BLT. Any restaurant will have non-seafood options. The Mews and The Pointe Restaurant (that’s too different places) are good if you want to treat yourself but not completely blow the budget. East End Market is good for picking up stuff to eat back at your condo.
I love wandering around the piers and walking on the bike trails. If you want to venture a bit further afield (not on a weekend day because of traffic), the Wellfleet Audubon Society sanctuary is a beautiful spot with gentle walking trails.
Sunsets at Herring Cove Beach are gorgeous, assuming weather is good. Which is should be! Finally! And yes, there is a green fly season and no you don’t want to know more.
Oh good, the vid my sister sent certainly looked like the top of that bldg. was gone!
I’m so jealous! I find that part of the Cape enchanting! The Wellfleet drive in is fun, a little hike from P town, but worth it. Also enjoyed renting Kayaks and poking around the harbor area. Would check out Arts dune tours, the time I went there were single people so don’t feel you have to shy away, the dunes are magical. If you’d rather explore them on your own, theres an access point on rt 6 a little ways South of the Cumberland Farms store. You’ll see a dirt road that leads to a trail up them, & locals could probably tell you of other access points as well, I’m sure. Enjoy your trip!
My parents had a house in Brewster for a few years in the '80s. I would visit during college winter break and always made a trip up to Provincetown. It was one of those cozy I could live here places. I enjoyed walking around the commercial street area (hitting the aforementioned Lobster Pot for their awesome clam chowder) and walking around the dunes and bogs northeast of town. I only went during the off-season though so it was pretty quiet. Enjoy!
Thanks, everyone…I’ve been planning this for a month and a half, and can’t believe I finally leave in two days!
Looks like it’s going to be ~20 degrees cooler there than it will be here (near DC), which is just fine with me. That means it won’t be too hot to sit on the beach for a couple hours each day. Maybe needing a thin sweatshirt around the fire pit each night sounds great. And I’m thinking about tackling the trail from Snail Road to the ocean one day, which I understand is about a 1-hour walk each way, so reasonable temps make that much more likely.
I know I’ll miss my dog, but I’m really looking forward to a quiet week away from home with no one/nothing to worry about but myself. I’ve never done that before.
Ooh, I do love me a good Irish pub! I looked at their menu online, and they make a shepherd’s pie with Guinness. YUM. 
(a) That doesn’t mean anything. They could have been miserable. 
(b) A dunes tour is still a bit more physical than I’m up for. But thanks. The whale watch will be my main “try to do” thing, other than simply walking around town to shop and eat and look at galleries. I do have Pilgrim Monument/Provincetown Museum in the back of my mind, but not the climbing part. grin
So, how was it?
On the whole, it was great! All of the driving went fine*, and I arrived around mid-afternoon on a Wednesday. I went to the beach the next day and downtown Ptown on Friday (I even wound up having lunch at Local 186!), but then it got cold and rainy and I spent most of my time in the rental condo. And, I realized that I’m not actually cut out for *that *much solitude. So, I left on Sunday – three days earlier than planned. I got home Monday afternoon.
It worked out, though: I got to go somewhere new and sit on a beach for a while, but then I got some “extra” time at home and I got to pick my dog up early.
Thanks for asking! 
*I had some car trouble the day before my trip so I wound up renting a Dodge Charger, and it was highly amusing to see the number of people who thought I was a cop (based on their reaction to seeing me in their rear-view mirror). 
Glad you had fun, I haven’t been back to the Cape in many years, but it’s a beautiful place.
Been chatting with friends about travel recently, and decided I’m only good for about four days at a time, then I’m ready to be home in my own space. When we still had our dogs I hated being away from them for too long, so getting home early must’ve been great for both of you.
If I hadn’t been alone, staying for an entire week would have been fine. I’ve long held the position that I don’t like to travel by myself, and this experience reinforced that preference. Luckily, my next vacation – I’m going to Paris for the last week of September – will be with 3-4 friends.
This trip also definitely made me realize/appreciate how much companionship my dog provides (I live alone). It had been years since we’d been apart for an entire week, so picking her up early was absolutely a bonus!