Kicking Off Summer in Ptown, part 2
In part 1, I mentioned the Norse Wall House where we laid our heads during Memorial Day weekend in Ptown. Searching for an inn or hotel in Provincetown can be a little tricky, especially if you’re not familiar with the area. Absent of big chain hotels, there are a series of inns that span from basic, to luxurious. My recommendation is to search for a private home or condo to rent for a week or weekend while you’re in town, which is exactly what we did. The Norse Wall House is in the west end of Ptown which is very close to town, but quieter than staying right on Commercial Street. Comprised of 3 vacation rentals on the owner’s property, Chelsea and I selected the 2nd floor Waterview unit with sweeping ocean view to the west and a perfect view of the Pilgrim Monument to the south. We were greeted by Richard, one of the property owners, and Thorwald, the resident golden retriever. The house is a historic greek revival with all the modern conveniences. Richard walked us through the beautiful shared patio (with grill and outdoor shower) up the stairs to our Waterview unit. Beyond the beautiful views, we chose this unit because of the large private deck complete with lounge chairs and a bistro table and umbrella. We ate breakfast on the deck each morning and took a little disco nap on the lounge chairs each afternoon.
The Waterview unit is decorated in a perfectly Cape Cod style with nods to a midcentury modern aesthetic. Perfect for a couple (or BFF’s like Chelsea and me) the living room, dining room, and kitchenette are arranged in an open floor plan. While compact, we never got under each other’s feet throughout our two days. Also, don’t worry about cups, plates, or glasses, Waterview is equipped with all of the above, and, a couple pots and pans to make quick meal. But let’s be honest, we were only interested in the wine glasses and coffee mugs. The bedroom has a queen sized bed (with bedding), nightstand, dresser, and an ensuite bathroom (with towels). Each room has large windows with incredible cross ocean breezes, wifi, cable, and air conditioning. We didn’t use the TV once, but I did however use the wifi… constantly. Richard and his partner Peter were incredible hosts and chatted with us throughout the weekend, but weren’t the “hovering” type. The Waterview unit (where we stayed) is available for rental the last week in June, last two weeks in July, and the first week in August. It’s a fantastic value in Ptown and a great getaway spot. Bookings can be made through Homeaway.com or directly through the owners at NorseWallHouse.com.
Just down the street from Norse Wall House is Relish, one of my favorite spots in Ptown. Think of Relish as an elevated corner store/bakery/deli that serves up house-made, delicious food all morning and afternoon. A ‘must visit’ each time I’m in Ptown, I can say that the breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, sandwiches, and salads are amazing. The best part is they’re affordable, especially for Ptown standards. The beach is a short walk from Relish and perfect for a picnic. We decided to bring back breakfast from Relish to our roof deck to fuel up for the day’s activity: biking. As an avid spinner, I was really exciting to get on a bike, on the road, through the scenic beaches and roads of Cape Cod. We rented bikes from Gale Force and road for about 3 hours from the west end, to Herring Cove Beach, up Bradford Street (those hills!), and finally looped down commercial street in the middle of the afternoon. For me, it was thrilling to weave in and out of pedestrians and cars while biking down Commercial. For Chelsea, it felt less thrilling, and more panic inducing. We rode back up to the west end, dropped off the bikes, and headed to the roof deck for a quick snooze… and glass(es) of wine.
Dinner on Sunday night was at Nor’East Beer Garden which I’ve wanted to visit for years. It was chilly evening, so we were apprehensive to sit outside (the entire restaurant is outdoors), but Nor’East had heat lamps which kept us toasty. Along with lots and lots of beer, our meal was delicious and included lemon ginger wings, jamon serrano, and cauliflower carbonara. Admittedly, it was a lot of food for two people, but necessary to sop up all the alcohol we’d been consuming throughout the weekend. Service at the bar was fantastic and in true Ptown fashion, we ended up chatting with the patrons next to us at the bar.
Many people think of exclusively Ptown as an LGBT destination, and admittedly, it’s very gay friendly. However Ptown is a destination for anyone who enjoys good food, great drinks, seafood, beautiful scenery, and a place to always have a good time. I’ve had plenty of wild times in Ptown (that’s for another blog post) and even more weekends just like Memorial Day Weekend where I enjoyed all Provincetown has to offer, without going overboard.
The Norse Wall House provided discounted lodging in exchange for media coverage. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
