PTown Lobster Pot Tree Lights Up Tonight

Provincetown's famous Lobster Pot Christmas Tree  dominates
Lopes Square, lighting up for the holiday season tonight at 5:30.

10 years ago artist Julian Popko had an idea for a holiday display he wanted to build in the heart of Provincetown. In a nod to the local fishing community he assembled a sort of Christmas tree from actual, working lobster traps, called lobster pots, stacked in a pyramid.
112 of them are layered between sheets of plywood to stabilize the structure, which now rises around the giant anchor in Lopes Square every holiday season.
I'm writing this around noon on Saturday, as this year's festive structure is being finished, and I'm watching the process online at www.provincetown view.com, the webcam trained on Lopes Square. Folks are climbing this giant work of art, putting the last details in place for the lighting ceremony tonight, which we're all invited to attend.
Typically, cookies and hot cocoa are served while people gather, waiting to see the lights come on, illuminating the Lobster Pot Tree for the season. This annual event is scheduled tonight at 5:30 PM, when the "tree topper" of lobster buoys and lights will be lowered into place, lighting this charming display. You'll want to get there early to get a good vantage spot and enjoy the refreshments.
These 112 lobster pots are on loan from local lobstermen, decorated with 120 bright red bows and 46 red plastic lobsters, not to mention the 3,400 lights that will light up this giant sculpture nightly through January. If you can't make it this evening, you can find several YouTube videos of a Lobster Pot Tree lighting from various years gone by. You'll also enjoy this spot by day or by night, simply by walking past Lopes Square, where Standish Street and Commercial Street meet.
With the Pilgrim Monument lighting the night before Thanksgiving every year, and the Lobster Pot Tree lighting the following Saturday, PTown officially kicks off the holiday season. Come join us!

Jimmy's HideAway Brings Winter Tavern Menu to PTown

Jimmy's HideAway is worth looking for.

Jimmy's HideAway begins offering their winter tavern menu this week, available Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays through February 18th. They're shifting to seasonal hours, taking Mondays and Tuesdays off.
The tavern menu features casual favorites at a good price, like the HideAway Burger (Angus beef) with hand cut fries, for $12.95. There's also a Pale Ale Battered Haddock, with cole slaw and fries.
The Shrimp Florentine combines baby spinach, capers, garlic, lemon and white wine, all tossed with linguine. The Spicy BBQ Ribs are roasted long and slow, served with cole slaw and your choice of French fries or Jimmy's amazing Smoked Gouda Corn Bread Pudding, my personal favorite. If you find yourself really ravenous, order the fries with your ribs, and a side of that corn bread pudding.
It's always tough to choose what to order at Jimmy's. I try to eat something different wherever I go, so I can tell you about more great dishes, but it's so hard not to order, for example, the mini Beef Wellingtons, every time I'm there, because that's one of the really great appetizers of Provincetown, served in portions that are meant to be shared. There are ten more salads and appetizers.
Among Jimmy's selection of entrées, ranging from $22 to $38, you'll find French Citrus Bouillabaisse, Grilled Fillet Mignon Au Poivre, Portuguese Cod, and a half-dozen others, including another favorite of mine: Pork Tenderloin is roasted with onion, mushroom, white wine, lemon and rosemary, all of which make for a delightful, savory pan gravy ladled over mashed potatoes, served with sautéed vegetables.
Find Jimmy's HideAway at 179 Commercial Street in Provincetown, tucked away down a charming little brick path, then down a few stairs, to this cozy, garden level restaurant, with a view of the harbor through the tall seagrass surrounding the back dining room. Call 508•487•1011 for reservations (recommended,) though seating is sometimes available at the bar, where Jimmy himself will pour you a beer or whip you up a delightful cocktail.

Post-election Challenges - Like Just Feeling Normal Again

Regardless of the election outcome, we are stronger together!

I'm still kind of paralyzed after the election last week, but one thing we can all do to feel more normal again, and maybe even hopeful, is to grab a friend or two, go out for coffee or a nice dinner, and begin talking about what's next.
We can begin to make plans about how we're going to fight to hang on to advances made over the last few years, and tactics we can use to head off attacks on the rights and treatment of people of color, women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, students, inmates, low income families and all of the other minorities and groups that stand to lose significant ground under this combative new administration.
And don't forget about the planet. Earth issues aren't likely to be a priority for our new government if we don't keep these topics in the forefront and influence policy wherever we can. It is now more important than ever to think globally and act locally, all the while keeping pressure on federal officials to do right by the planet. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? Yeah, it is!
Happily, my governmental representatives in Massachusetts vote exactly the way I would want them to, nearly all of the time. But that doesn't let me off the hook. I'm going to need to spend a little more time watching what's going on in other states and jurisdictions, and participating when I can, signing petitions, writing letters, and writing checks when I'm able, too, to support folks elsewhere who are working on issues I care about.
We'll all have to become insistent on having our priorities upheld by elected officials, even in other parts of the country, which may require more of our time, money and sheer determination to keep us stepping forward rather than backward, and to minimize potential losses in these next four years.
We vote with our dollars whenever we buy any product. I'm going to become more informed about who makes the products I buy, and what public policies their profits support. Impacting a company's bottom line is a very effective way to get their attention and to influence change, and together, we can do that.
Just by resolving to become more active and informed, to continue to fight the good fight and support others in that same effort, and to engage people of differing views wherever possible, I'm beginning to feel a tiny bit better. I only cried twice today, so that's already a little progress.
I'm fortunate to live in a place where the impact of the election probably won't feel quite so crushing as it might in other parts of the country, because in Provincetown, everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and I'm now even more grateful for that.

Campaign Button Foretold the 2016 Election Disaster

This campaign button predicted the awful truth of yesterday's Presidential election.

You'll forgive me for not writing for a few days…
I'm laying in a pool of tears, curled up in the fetal position, arms tightly clutching a pillow to my chest for the little comfort it will give me. When I'm able to take nourishment again, I'll find a way to write something.
Of course, that will be difficult, what with my head exploded and all.

Provincetown's Famous Soup Kitchen Reopens Monday for 2016 Season

SKIP volunteers serve up a warm welcome along with a tasty meal, and, of course, their legendary soups!

As much for the feeling of camaraderie and friendship as for a great bowl of soup, folks will begin flocking to the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) on Monday, November 7th. Their 25th season providing nutritious, hot meals and a sense of community for Outer Cape residents will begin around noon that day, as a crowd begins to gather in the dining hall of Provincetown's United Methodist Church.
Lunch won't begin until 12:30 PM, as usual, but there will be plenty of folks hugging, handshaking and conversing with friends they may not have seen for months, since the Soup Kitchen closed for the season at the end of last April. People always gather early and stay late, talking with friends and socializing a bit, which is equally as important as having the meal itself.
Every weekday from now until April 28th, SKIP will be serving lunch from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at the Methodist Church, at 20 Shank Painter Road. They serve about 80 meals on the average day, so if you do the math, you'll realize that amounts to a figure somewhere around 10,000 meals prepared and served by volunteers during their annual six-month season.
There is no charge for this hearty lunch, and everyone is welcome. Many diners are regulars who come from other Outer Cape towns to mingle, converse and enjoy a meal together. It's easy to become isolated in the solitude of the off-season on Cape Cod. Many also depend on this wonderful community resource to help make ends meet at a time of year when a lot of us have little or no income.
Come and join us in ushering in the new season for our wonderful Soup Kitchen.

With More Than 58 Gender Identities Currently Recognized, Provincetown Welcomes Fantasia Fair 2016

Provincetown welcomes Fantasia Fair, celebrating
gender diversity here every October since 1975. 

Fantasia Fair is underway, welcoming transgender people of all stripes to Provincetown. Among these folks we'll find a full spectrum of people who are pushing past the gender identity barriers traditionally foisted upon us all from birth.
This conference/fair/festival/celebration has grown both in scope and attendance ever since its first gathering here in 1975. It is the oldest and longest running event of it's kind. The week brings dozens of seminars, workshops, keynote addresses and panels, led by more than 40 presenters and experts in gender issues and topics.
As much a social event as a conference, the fair affords attendees the opportunity to experience "full immersion" as they feel free to spend the entire week, 24 hours a day, presenting their gender just as they choose. Provincetown offers a safe space and supportive community for those exploring gender identity. A number of partners, spouses and significant others also attend Fantasia Fair, with many of their own workshops and events, and a chance to develop friendships and create their own feeling of community as well.

Erin Spencer is wonderfully funny and original.

These visitors give back to PTown by raising funds for our local charities and community organizations while they're here, and in other ways, as well. One of those was last night's "Dinner and a Show" event, held at the Provincetown Theater. This annual function is free, and open to the public. It's a chance for local people and fair participants alike to meet each other and socialize together, and get to know each other.
The evening began with a sort of social hour. Standing at the bar, waiting for my turn to order, I met Barbara, active in the fair for many years, and the current director of the event. I met Sherri Gray, a therapist making a presentation today, but perhaps better known for the YouTube video of her song about marriage equality, called (What If We Are) Just Like You? It's been seen by some 77,000 people.
A nice buffet supper was catered by Angel Foods. Of course, I tasted everything, from the pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables to the lasagna with garlic bread. There was a great baked mac and cheese, and a very tasty shepherd's pie. At the same time there were interesting conversations going on in every corner. I've attended a few of these dinners over the years, and each time I've come away with a little greater understanding of this complicated, immense topic of gender diversity.

Jaye McBride said she had gone "too far, too far…" as bruising, hilarious
jokes about her family and difficult dad left the crowd roaring between gasps. 

Next came the entertainment, which began with a few numbers performed by several members of the Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus. This Boston based choir is among the first all-transgender singing groups in the nation.
The chorus was followed by Boston area comic Erin Spencer, who has a ready supply of material based on "the oddities of living as a transgender woman in the city." Boston comic Jaye McBride rounded out the evening. She has opened for comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, Aziz Ansari, Bobcat Goldthwait and many others. She also won the Times Square Comedy Showdown. Both of these women were laugh-out-loud funny, and the audience loved them.
After the show there was dessert and coffee (thank you, Angel Foods,) and another chance to meet and mingle. This event will definitely be on my list to attend next year, and it should be on your list as well. Other events open to the public include tonight's Fashion Show, at the Crown & Anchor, 8 PM, and the Fantasia Fair Follies on Friday night, also at the Crown.
The Follies combine both professional and amateur talents, ranging from lip synch to dramatic readings to original songs served up through voice or musical instrument. Any kind of performance might be found here. This is always a fantastic show, bringing folks from far and wide to enjoy this very entertaining production. It will also give many people (some of them rather shy,) a chance to shine during their moment in the spotlight.
This is a fundraiser for SKIP, Soup Kitchen In Provincetown, where around 10,000 hot meals will be served over the coming winter, with a place of community offered to anyone who drops in. Over the years, Fan Fair participants have raised more than $50,000 for Provincetown and Cape Cod charities, nonprofits and community organizations.
Doors open at 7 PM, so you can get a good seat, maybe have a drink, and meet more people before the show starts at 8 PM. Have your dinner at the Central House at the Crown and they'll reserve priority seating for you, so you don't have to rush, or wait in line to get a good seat for the show. Let the restaurant staff know that you have show tickets and they'll take care of it for you. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended. Call the Central House at 508 487-1430.
Take plenty of dollar bills with you to the show, to tip the performers and show your appreciation. Proceeds from ticket sales and all tips will be donated to SKIP, so be generous as you reward performers for their courage in getting up on stage.

The Hot Lobster Roll at The Coffee Pot Warms This Cool Provincetown Weather

In PTown, The Coffee Pot's hot lobster roll is a delicious lunch time bargain.

This big, hot lobster roll at The Coffee Pot really hits the spot as PTown weather begins cooling off with the changing season. I added an order of their terrific French fries, too. Fresh from the fryer and still sizzling, these are some of the best in town.
This very generous lobster roll starts with a big bun that's split open and grilled a bit, face down. The tender inside gets warm and toasty, and the outside is just a bit crusty, and perfect for the delicate filling that's coming…
It's lined with a leaf of fresh iceberg lettuce, then stuffed with 6 ounces of succulent, warm lobster meat doused with melted butter. This great sandwich is so simple, but sooo good! It has about 50% more lobster than most others in town, and the textures of the bun and filling are great together. Add a little crunch from an order of fries and this satisfying lunch or supper has got you covered, all for a price that's less than most others as well. You just can't beat it.
Find the Coffee Pot at Lopes Square, in the heart of Provincetown, where Standish Street crosses Commercial and heads down toward the pier. Eat-in or takeout, or carry your meal out to their patio seating for a little people watching while you eat. You might get one of their fresh baked goodies for dessert, too.

A Little Rain and a Stiff Breeze Can't Dampen Spirits in Provincetown

Umbrellas and ponchos on Commercial Street, seen through raindrops
on my windshield, show that a little rain can't stop a good time in PTown.

We don't pay a lot of attention to weather forecasts in PTown, because the prediction will change in about an hour, and again in another hour, and still be wrong. What I do is stick my head out the window, and if it comes in dry, I go out. If it comes in wet, I put on a jacket, and go out. We don't let a little rain stop us from enjoying ourselves.
It is a little difficult to predict the weather here, since we're virtually surrounded by deep water, which acts as a kind of insulator for us. Generally, we stay a little cooler than the folks in Boston in the summer, and a bit warmer than they are in the winter. That's nice, but it also makes accurate weather prediction a little tougher.
I have absolutely nothing to back this up, but it seems to me that when dire weather conditions are predicted far in advance, when the day rolls around, about 70% of the time the weather's not so bad after all. If they say on a Monday that Thursday will be rainy all day, often we get a reprieve, with just a little rain for an hour or two, or none at all.
The Provincetown Chamber of Commerce used to take the Boston weather forecasters out to lunch every spring and explain how predictions a week in advance for a weekend of lousy weather on the Cape killed our opportunity to make our living. People would make plans to visit Maine instead, or just stay home altogether. By the time it became obvious that the weekend weather would be lovely, it was too late to reserve their favorite spot or to get a decent rate on a flight.
We actually need the rain we've gotten the last couple of days, and they're calling for nice weather for Columbus Day and Women's Week, so let's hope this way-too-early prediction holds out.

Check Out This Lobster Bargain at PTown's Post Office Café

The Post Office Café lobster special is among Provincetown's best deals, just $18.

I stopped in for lunch at the Post Office Café the other day, just in time for their lobster special. I got the last one before their afternoon delivery would arrive a few minutes later, bringing in another batch of lively lobsters, right out of the water.

My fresh, tender, local lobster was served with coleslaw in a light, mayo-based dressing with just a slight sweetness to it. I’m not a big fan of coleslaw, but I ate every bite of this one. There was also a big ear of corn on the cob, and this quintessential New England seafood meal is just $18 when ordered with a drink of $3.50 or more. I had an Arnold Palmer, blending a big, frosty glass of iced tea with pink lemonade. Other soft drinks are also available, along with beer and wine, and an array of specialty coffee drinks and cocktails from their full bar.

P O's Arnold Palmer, made with pink lemonade.

Seating at the Post Office Café is indoors or outdoors on their patio, or you can grab a stool at the bar, and if you have dinner here, you’ll get priority seating for shows in the Post Office Cabaret, above the dining room. There will be a full lineup of performers of all sorts for Columbus Day and Women’s Week celebrations, October 10^th to 16^th, so keep an eye on the marquee box in front of the P O to plan the shows you’ll want to see.

In the meantime, stop in for a lobster while this special is going on. I’ve read all the ads I can find, and searched menus in other Cape Cod towns I’ve visited recently, and haven’t found a better deal on a lobster lunch or dinner anywhere on the Cape. Bon appétit!

A Bit of History - A Pilgrim Monument Moment

This vintage postcard shows the type of "Accommodation" driven by
Si Young in 1907, before motorized versions took over around 1911.

Josiah L. “Si” Young made his living driving the “accommodation,” Provincetown's horse drawn, covered, open air wagon that carried people from one end of town to the other for a nickel a ride around the turn of the twentieth century.

On Aug, 20^th, 1907, he was asked to drive a rented Victorian carriage that had been brought down from Boston for a special occasion. Surrounded by Secret Service agents, Young carried President Teddy Roosevelt the short distance from Town Wharf, where he had arrived by presidential yacht, to the top of the hill behind Town Hall, where a grand ceremony had been planned, and Roosevelt would lay the cornerstone to begin construction of the Pilgrim Memorial Monument.

The newspaper later quoted Young, who called the drive “…the most jittery experience I ever had and I thought we would never get to the top of that hill.” The President tipped him a dollar, which Young pressed between the pages of the family bible for safekeeping.

Photo of "Si" Young on the right, "holding down the bench" with friends.

Around 1911, when motorbuses became the mode of transportation for town folks running their errands, Young continued to drive the “Accommodation.” In the 1940s (and his 80s) Young became a fixture on the bench in front of the family antique business at 375-377 Commercial Street, where he chatted with friends who would stop by to rest a little and shoot the breeze. A 50s era postcard shows him there in his rocking chair.

Shops there have sold, glass, bamboo, Portuguese crafts, and even gourmet foods, but of all the shops operated here over the years, Silk and Feathers, with its eye-catching window displays of free-spirited clothing, may be the one best remembered.

An All-Time Favorite Provincetown Dish I Hope to Taste Again...

This daily special of local pan-seared scallops at Patio is still one
of the best meals I've ever had, and tops among my food memories.

I've been thinking recently about some of the spectacular dishes I've enjoyed all over Provincetown since I began writing this blog, four long years ago.
Each time my culinary thoughts turn to some of these remarkable meals, a few of those memories always make me pause, remembering for a moment the bliss of tasting those dishes the first time, and I end up hoping against hope for another taste of those very same meals.
That second chance meal is really not likely to happen since some of those were created years ago by chefs who have moved on, but I can dream, can't I? Here's a bit of what I wrote in June of 2012 about a meal that still makes my mouth water…

"Of the two dozen meals I had all around the town this past week, the best thing I ate anywhere was the scallops at Patio, hands down. This dish was the special that day, and I hope to find it on the menu again sometime. Each day Patio features the freshest, the most beautiful, the most succulent... whatever is the very best seafood, meat, poultry, vegetables or herbs that become available each day will inspire the chef to create a new dish to offer along with the varied choices of his regular menu. When owner Joachim Sandbichler, fishing on a rare day off last summer, landed a beautiful Striped Bass, it became a special on the menu that evening, just hours out of the water.
"This night I was wanting something vegetarian but I couldn't resist ordering the special once I heard the waiter describe it: pan seared PTown scallops, Baby Gem Lettuce (kind of a cross between Romaine and Buttercup) sautéed with bacon and shallots. The pan must have been smokin' hot when the scallops went in because they got a nice, crusty caramelization but stayed perfectly tender and succulent inside. The Pan was deglazed with a sherry-tomato-caper vinaigrette, and the dish was finished with a Lemon Beurre Blanc drizzled on the plate. This was the most miraculous combination of flavors and textures I tasted this past week. The tender sweetness of the scallops paired with the very slight bitterness of the lettuce, which has a firm texture a bit like flawlessly cooked leaves of Brussels Sprouts, was a stellar combination, and when you add in a bit of acidity from the vinaigrette along with the velvety creaminess of the Beurre Blanc, this dish was perfection on a plate."

See why my mouth is watering? I'll bring up a few more of my all-time favorite dishes over the summer. Feel free to comment below on your favorites, too. Here's to a new summer season, and more truly memorable meals in a town with some 90 restaurants, clam shacks, takeouts, delis, bakeries and coffee shops to offer us something great to eat.

PIFF Brings More Than 50 Movies and Events to Provincetown Over Five Days

Pick up the film fest schedule at the box office, just beyond the
rotunda inside the Whalers Wharf, at 237 Commercial Street, or
in other likely spots, or go online to see what's playing and get
your tickets to see some of this year's most remarkable films.

The 18th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival is underway, running through Sunday night. This fabulous event comes in the middle of June every year, and typically brings more than 50 films and events to PTown in the space of just 5 days.
All over town, and stretching out as far as Wellfleet, there are films, seminars, talks, parties, and events honoring both filmmakers and actors, not to mention various awards to be bestowed on both first-timers and seasoned veterans of the movie industry.
Watch for stars like Cynthia Nixon and Illeana Douglas, and director Ang Lee, among others, any of whom might be found this week walking or pedaling a bicycle down Commercial Street.
You've missed your chance (Thursday morning) to hear Ms Douglas (Goodfellas, Cape Fear, To Die For, Grace of My Heart) talk about her passion for film. But Ms Nixon, this year's Excellence in Acting awardee, and Mr Lee, who is named as this year's Filmmaker on the Edge, will share the stage at Town Hall Saturday at 5 PM as they receive their awards and talk about their work.
As always, this amazing festival brings something for everyone, with feature films, shorts, foreign language, animation, multinational films, narratives, documentaries, student works, character studies, dramas, comedies, a couple of past favorites, and a couple of films with unflinching scenes of things that are downright hard to watch.
The goal of the Provincetown Film Society, and the point of this marvelous annual festival, is "to make Provincetown the global destination for creative exploration in film," and each year we stretch a bit closer to that lofty ambition. We thank the few actual staff members, the tremendous legion of volunteers, the filmmakers who travel all this way, and the local and national sponsors that make this wonderful event possible.
Now go on, get out and see a couple of movies. For some of these, this may be your only chance, ever, to see them.