golfkat Travel Blog

Most of you are too young to remember this song, including me.  Perhaps I heard it on the radio, waiting for the ballgames to come on the air?

The songstress was Patti Page.  It earned a gold record, and published in 1957.  It became the unofficial Cape Cod anthem, and most likely, helped establish Cape Code as a major tourist destination.  Personally, I think it was the Kennedys.

Anyway, I rode the Peter Pan bus out to Cape Cod.  The company was founded by Yellow Cab of all people, and purchased by Peter Picknelly in 1933.  And they still own it today. Each bus is given a number, along with a name of a character from the Peter Pan stories.  They are a long distance/commuter bus service in the northeastern U.S.

This is their CVB:  The Cape Cod Regions, consisting of Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, will make you happy; it’s as simple as that. That is, unless amazing mini golf, even more amazing regular golf, beautiful beaches with rolling dunes, legendary seafood, homemade ice cream, countless kid-friendly activities, the world’s most romantic places to stay, pristine conservation land, and fantastic water sports don’t make you happy. But that’d be next to impossible. We said homemade ice cream!

Having spent my entire life living in California, I find it totally foreign to see wide expanses of beach without rocks, trees, or sleepy little seaside villages.

Specifically, what is Cape Cod?  It is a cape that extends into the Atlantic Ocean from the northeastern corner of Massachusetts.  Not only is it a popular vacation destination, it is also a place to retire.  The average age here is the highest in all of New England!

And it extends 65 miles into the Atlantic, and covers more than 560 miles of shoreline. It is one of the largest barrier islands in the world, and shields the coastline from fierce Atlantic storms and waves.  Barnstable is the most populated municipality on Cape Code, and includes infamous Provincetown, out on the tip, where Tony Bourdain became a the bad boy of the culinary world.

To the south are equally well known places like Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.  And many privately owned Elizabeth Islands.  With a climate more moderate than the mainland, summers are not as hot, and winters not as cold.

We all know that the Kennedy Compound at Hyannis Port became the summer White House for President Kennedy.  The family still maintains residences in the compound.  Some other famous residents:  President Grover Cleveland, James Otis, Norman Mailer, Julie Harris, Louis Brandeis, Taylor Swift, the ghost of JFK, Meg Ryan, Samuel L. Jackson, the late Gregory Peck, UNCLE Bob Vaughn, the late Jimmy Cagney (but not Lacey), Harry Connick Jr., Ben Affleck, Dan Akroyd, Michael J. Fox, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Bicycle access is said to be outstanding!  The year around population runs about 220,000.  The tourist season runs roughly between Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Golf is a big deal here, with 27 public courses, and 15 private courses.   Bed and breakfasts are the preferred lodging here.

Besides golf and cycling, sport fishing is a big time activity.  Of course, hiking, boating, kayaking, swimming, and bird watching are also popular.  Cape Cod has its famous Cape Cod baseball league, consisting of nine teams which draw scouts from the major league baseball teams.  Many college and high school players spend the summer here to hone their baseball skills.

Why am I here?  To dine on lobster, of course.  I cannot think of any better reason.  Will it be a clam shack or lobster hut?  What is the difference anyway?  It will probably not be the infamous Lobster Pot that drove Tony Bourdain to bad boy fame and fortune.   Turns out I had my lobster roll at Spanky’s Clam Shack in Hyannis.  I also visited the Hyannis JFK Museum, and a cute little ice cream parlor downtown.   Anywho, it is hot and humid, perfect for some bubbly and lobstah, Tony.