Provincetown

What is Provincetown?

A Place

Provincetown is most distinguished by its geographical place. Provincetown is located at the tip end of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Cape Cod is a peninsula and Provincetown is far enough out into the Atlantic Ocean to enable people to watch both sunrises and sunsets over the water. It's a small town only three miles in length adjacent to 4000 acres of dunes, forest, and 30 miles of beach that were given over to the National Seashore in 1961. Provincetown has Cape Cod Bay on the southeast and Province Lands dunes, Beech Forest, and the the ocean beaches of Herring Cove and Race Point on the northwest.

The Norse Arrive (maybe)

There is a legend that Nordic sailors came and built stone shelters in Provincetown approximately one millenia ago. A "Norse House" upholds this legend and an explorer from down Cape relentlessly researches the possibility that the legend is true.

The Pilgrims Land

Provincetown was the Pilgrims first landing place in the New World. This is commemorated by the tall granite monument seen in many Provincetown photographs. The Pilgrims stayed a short while in Provincetown then moved and settled in Plymouth, most likely because they did not find an adequate source of fresh water. Provincetown still brings its water in from Truro. Demand and economics will probably make desalinization feasible in the future.

Joined by Puritans

The Pilgrims were joined by the Puritans. On one hand, the Pilgrims were an independent sort and left England to find freedom to pursue their beliefs; but the beliefs of the Puritans required a high degree of conformity from their communal members. Provincetown remained an outpost of free-wheeling individualism until recently. Puritans gave New England its reputation for its nose-to-the-grindstone attitude.

An Art Colony

This year Provincetown will celebrate 113 years as an art colony. Cape Cod School of Art was established in 1899 and several other art institutions and many galleries reside in Provincetown.

Diversity

Provincetown has long been known as a gay resort. In summer, bikes and shirtless bodies, drag queens and drag kings share the streets (and the sidewalks) with moms and dads and baby strollers. It is more than just sharing and it is greater than just tolerance. Today it might be called diversity, but it is integration in its truest form. It is this integration that is Provincetown's trump card. This is what Provincetown has thrived on.

Provincetown All Seasons

Provincetown is paradise for spring, summer, fall, and winter vacationers. In winter, Provincetown is a quiet and peaceful place to unwind or work on a creative project. Activity surges and frivolity abounds during all the winter holidays. Some of the best restaurants in New England are in Provincetown. In July and August it is full sail ahead with activities, shows, openings and more and some planning might be needed to make the most of what's available. But it's fine if you don't plan anything; there's still plenty to do without a plan. The beaches, whale watching during the day, sunset cruises in the evening. In the "shoulder" months you can do almost everything you might do in the summer, but with smaller crowds and fewer entertainment options.

What is Wicked?

What is wicked indeed. Wicked is, of course, an old word which has been used to indicate an extreme condition. In Provincetown and in certain suburbs of Boston, the word has been used colloquially for decades, mainly by teenagers. Within these confines "wicked" is used in opposition to its original meaning.

The proper local pronunciation is "whicket" spoken nasally, as if one had a whicket condition of congestion.

Wicked is sometimes used to describe witches, but Provincetown witches will tell you they are good witches. So a wicked witch might be a good witch and a good witch might be a wicked witch. Again, in Provincetown, things are often opposite the usual. Whichever way you believe, at least now you know what wicked is and what wicked means.