It’s a sign of the times: artist Steve Kennedy’s new sign, which depicts local fishermen and pays tribute to iconic doryman Eddie Ritter, welcomes those coming into Provincetown by way of Commercial Street/Route 6A. The previous sign, which was more than 15 years old and painted by Frank Milby, faded over the years.
There are secret paths in the Cape Cod National Seashore in Provincetown and Truro that may only be stumbled upon by accident.
Head into the famous Lobster Pot restaurant and pick a crustacean right out of a tank, or try the baked scallop au gratin, which melts in the mouth. Its bar, called The Top of the Pot, is a super fun spot to enjoy drinks and appetizers with a small group of friends.
Nobel Prizing-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill got it right when he said the Provincetown and Truro dunes are “a grand place to be alone and undisturbed.” It’s particularly perfect in the autumn when it’s unusual to run into another person out there.
Provincetown Books has been a key spot in town since Paul Smith opened it in 1940, though the building that houses it at 246 Commercial St. was built around 1850 by Capt. Philip Cook. Because of its big window, in which new books by local and national authors are continually rotated, it was called the Port-Hole Building. Filmmaker-writer John Waters worked there for years starting back in the 1960s and is still a regular customer.
If you’re looking for compelling art house films, head to Waters Edge Cinema at Whaler’s Wharf, 237 Commercial St., Provincetown. Run by the Provincetown Film Society, the two-screen nonprofit theater is open year-round and shows movies that aren’t typically seen in bigger theaters.
A view from MacMillan Pier, one of the world’s natural deep water harbors, as Labor Day approaches.
The Mayflower Restaurant at 300 Commercial St. has been a favorite of Provincetown locals since it opened 90 years ago and continues to be run by the same family. Michael Janoplis started the business in 1929 and ran it until 1962. His grandchildren, Donna Hough and Darin Janoplis, are now in charge and it hasn’t changed all that much—stepping through the door and is a step back in time.
Filmmaker-writer John Waters, Provincetown’s most notorious summer resident, is out with a hilarious new book that talks about his life here in town. If you pick up a copy of “Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder” and see riding his bike on Commercial Street, he might stop and sign it for you.
