Ottawa To Cape Cod

Ottawa to Cape Cod, Massachusetts; no, this is not just a day trip from Ottawa, and it really does not have a lot to do with this Ottawa site, except that my partner and I just did it; visited Cape Cod from the Ottawa area, and we had a marvelous time. I thought you might be interested in getting a bit of firsthand information about this very interesting place in our world, should visiting Cape Cod be on your agenda.

I had never been to Cape Cod, and it’s been over thirty years since Sue visited, so essentially it was a new adventure for us.

Cape Cod juts eastward out into the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boston Massachusetts. Once you cross onto the Cape, highway #6 is the main route from beginning to the very northern end at Provincetown, along about 50 miles (80 kilometers) of dunes, water views, salt flats and ocean.

Here’s a Google Map showing the Cape Cod area.

As I mentioned we’d never been to Cape Cod together, and since our knowledge of the area was limited, and since we know that it’s one of the main tourist areas in Massachusetts, we determined that our best bet would be to find lodging in Cape Cod via the internet before we left the Ottawa area. We also decided that we would like to stay right at the northern tip, and that meant looking for a motel, hotel or guesthouse in Provincetown, MA.

An internet search turned up dozens of places that we might stay at. Not knowing anything about the area it meant that we really had to take “pot luck” in our selection and pick the one that we thought best filled our needs.

The first three places I selected and called were booked for the whole period during which we wanted to visit. Our fourth phone call was answered by Ken, who is a partner in the Ampersand Guest House (more information below). A few moments later our room was booked, we now had a definite destination to plan our drive around, and we were ready to head out to Cape Cod a couple of days hence.

From the Ottawa area, Cape Cod is a very full day’s drive. We enjoyed marvelous, early-summer weather all the way which made the driving very pleasant, and managed the total distance (over 900 kilometers / 600+ miles) in just under 12 hours, averaging over 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour all the way.

From the border crossing from Canada into the U.S. at the 1000 Islands the trip was entirely interstate and turnpike driving. Not the best for seeing the country, but certainly the best for making speed.

You drive south-bound down I-81 to I-90 at Syracuse NY, and then east on I90 through New York state onto the Massachusetts Turnpike and then on to Cape Cod. There are tolls as you drive east and west on I-90 and the Mass Pike, currently running about $8.00 for a trip each way.

For what it’s worth, it seems to me that the New York State freeways are in much better driving shape than are the toll roads. Makes me wonder where the toll money goes?

Beautiful P-Town

Known locally as P-Town, Provincetown isn’t a typical tourist destination. Here’s a bit of information about the culture, rather than just the history of P-Town.

For those that don’t know, and that included us, Provincetown MA is a former fishing village with a strong Portuguese history. Now P-Town is also an outstanding visual arts oriented community that welcomes, respects the uniqueness of, and offers dignity towards those that practice both mainstream and alternate personal lifestyles.

If gay persons offend you, P-Town is not your destination of choice. Same-sex and heterosexual couples wander the streets and tourist sites of Provincetown often holding hands or with arms entwined as they stroll along.

Here’s a Google Map of downtown P-Town Massachusetts. Why don’t you see if you can find Cottage Street, where we stayed while we visited?

As you drive into Provincetown the main east – west artery is Bradford Street as you can see on the map (link just above), but it’s Commercial Street, a one-way artery a couple of blocks towards the inner harbor, that houses the heart of Provincetown.

Commercial Street stretches about 3.5 miles (6 kilometers) or so just up from and along the beach on Cape Cod Bay. Almost anywhere you stay in Provincetown then, is but a few minutes walk from the City Hall and the myriad of attractions that Provincetown offers the visitor.

For two very full days we wandered P-Town’s Commercial Street, many of the offshoot lanes and alleys, and made inroads towards visiting, what seemed like, hundreds of points of interest. But there’s still many left to see. We couldn’t do ‘all’ of P-Town in two days, so we sure couldn’t see all of Cape Cod in three, which was the length of our stay this trip.

Click here for a series of pics from downtown and Provincetown area.







Earlier I talked about getting lodging at the Ampersand Guest House. Just above is a picture of Cape Cod Harbor from the roof-top terrace of the Ampersand Guest House. Sorry, but my picture doesn't do justice to the view, and can't show you just how pleasant it was to sit at a table on the Ampersand terrace with an ice cold Sam Adams, enjoying the ambiance. The Harbor is lovely, and you get to see some authentic Cape Cod homes in every direction.

Click here if you want to see a bit more of the Ampersand Guest House and information on some really great restaurants in Provincetown.








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