Our trek from the west has finally brought us to the east. While in Massachusetts, we’ll cover Cape Cod, Salem and Boston.

Good lord and what the heck! Who knew Massachusetts had all this to offer? Let’s dig in.

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Hello, Massachusetts. This state is steeped in historical significance. You’re likely to literally trip over it. The brickwork is lovely and uneven in places. The Boston Tea Party was a thing, “no taxation without representation.” Remember that? Massachusetts. Might you be curious if there was a diminishing return on the amount of seafood that I consumed while in the Boston or Cape Cod area? Are you ready to plunder your way through a pirate museum? Did you realize that sea captains used to keep cats aboard as early warning detectors of impending storms? Have you ever had your RV bay door open randomly while crossing a bridge at speed? Would you like to see more haunted stuff? What is Provincetown? Have you ever thought about going where everybody knows your name? Man the starboard, pull anchor and hoist the mainsail for we’re about to depart into recently charted waters in this episode of Leons’ Great Escape.

WEST TO EAST

We done made it, my friends. We’ve dipped our toes in the Atlantic. It was no small feat and we all let loose a sigh of relief upon this victory. Prior to Cape Cod, which is where our story will start, we ran aground in Upstate New York so please do check that out if you haven’t. We’d leave the KOA in Woodstock, NY and travel 277 miles to reach Atlantic Oaks Campground on The Cape.

How much do you know about Cape Cod? I can tell you this. It’s a hook shaped peninsula connected to the state of Massachusetts and it’s a launching point to elite favorites like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. It’s also home to a fishing party village called Provincetown.

THE BRIDGE

We had a bridge to cross to enter The Cape and that is the exact point in which one of the RV’s basement side-hinge doors decided to open. I’ve grown accustomed to all manner of distractions and randomness occurring while driving this thing. [Like that time when one of our screens imploded and landed on Dahlia while we were barreling down the road, a story for another day.] Candice was recording when this one occurred. I can’t claim that I was cool like Fonzie when it happened but no one was hurt and there was just a bit of paint scuffed off the door.

PENINSULA TO PROVINCETOWN

It would take longer than we anticipated to get from one side of the peninsula to the other. Our RV park was smack in the middle and it would still take an hour to get to the tip from there. It’s not cheap in RV terms to stay here. We paid north of $80 a night and the park was booked solid such that we could only get 3 nights in total out of them. I’m trying to say that you should plan in advance if you want to visit. Procrastinators, ye be warned.

It’s an eclectic population that floods the streets of Provincetown each summer without judgement of sexual orientation or religious persuasion. Writers, performers, poets, journalists and other marvelous misfits commune together in bars and cafes. The place has been described as an artistic colony that relishes in avant-garde freedom.

“Here, everyone can be his or herself without fear of being disapproved by others,” states visit-provincetown.com

Then like clockwork, the winter mutes that bravado and empties the masses like the tide receding.

CAPE COD FOOD

The seafood… I’m tearing up reminiscing on the crisp, the fresh, the brine, the mouth watering, the unforgettable cornucopia of crustaceans. It’s more likely than not that you’re going to have one of the best meals of your life wherever you go here.

My first lobster roll of the trip was at Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar. Candice had Fish and Chips that were flawlessly executed. Their raw bar is bountiful and located inside with a separate line. Expect to wait for 30 to 40 minutes to get an order in on the hot side if it’s midweek and who even knows how long it will take if it’s the weekend. Arnold’s is walking distance from Atlantic Oaks so that’s another point in favor of staying there.

Island Cafe & Grill is a quick and quiet breakfast joint with a Caribbean flair. This is located in Hyannis which is close to the museums that we’ll discuss later.

Spiritus Pizza, their pepperoni is fine for the money. There are limited options if you’re choosing to have pizza by the slice. You should know that this is a cash only joint. If I had a party that wanted to party, then I’d spring for the Spiritus Special pie which features mushrooms, pepperoni, onions, linguica, green peppers, sausage, extra cheese, garlic and anchovies. Let me know when you want to be there and I’ll arrange my travel plans accordingly.

If you’re only half paying attention, then it’s time you focus because the words that I share next will change your life. Portuguese Kale Soup. I’ll say it again. Portuguese Kale Soup. Sure, I also had muscles and a full lobster and they were great and all but, say it with me now, Portuguese Kale Soup. It’s the only time in my life that I thought kale wasn’t a useless leafy green. Imagine a light at the end of a tunnel of dismay and you’ll have an idea of the power of this brothy goodness. The Lobster Pot also sells it in quart containers to go.

NAUTICAL NOTES

I promised pirates and I’m going to deliver but before that you’ll need to be a proper sailor. I suggest you visit the Maritime Museum in Hyannis. The woodwork and the techniques invented and perfected over thousands of years will captivate you. The museum isn’t huge but we were entranced for 2 hours. You’ll pay $10 per adult and children 3 and under are free. I soaked up as much information as I could. Did you like that opening tidbit about cats on ships? Cats and superstitious seafarers go back to the 15th century. I learned that there and then went on to snoop Wikipedia to further bolster my feline mariner knowledge.

“Cats are able to detect slight changes in the weather, as a result of their very sensitive inner ears, which also allow them to land upright when falling. Low atmospheric pressure, a common precursor of stormy weather, often makes cats nervous and restless.” - Wikipedia

You’re familiar with the nautical speed unit of measure known as knots?

“A knot is one nautical mile per hour (1 knot = 1.15 miles per hour). The term knot dates from the 17th century, when sailors measured the speed of their ship by using a device called a "common log." This device was a coil of rope with uniformly spaced knots, attached to a piece of wood shaped like a slice of pie. The piece of wood was lowered from the back of the ship and allowed to float behind it. The line was allowed to pay out freely from the coil as the piece of wood fell behind the ship for a specific amount of time. When the specified time had passed, the line was pulled in and the number of knots on the rope between the ship and the wood were counted. The speed of the ship was said to be the number of knots counted (Bowditch, 1984).”

WHYDAH PIRATE MUSEUM & A LIGHTHOUSE

The Whydah Pirate Museum takes you on a voyage through the salvaged remains of a real pirate ship. You can see pieces of eight, cannon balls and cannons, as well as learn of the love story that likely sunk the vessel.

We closed out that evening with a moonlit walk on the Chatham beach which is the home of a lighthouse which was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson about 200 years ago. And it was here that we first dipped our toes in the opposite shore of the country and took some commemorative photos in the dark.

SALEM’S DARK PAST

Salem, Massachusetts… Oh, Salem. Salem had to apologize 300 years after the fact for giving into a hysteria that would claim the lives of 20 innocent people. There is a monument dedicated to the victims of the witch trials and it’s located next to an old cemetery. You can learn about these events and others if you visit the Salem Witch Museum. At the museum you’ll see a sort of reenactment of the witch trials which is followed up by Q&A with a staff member there. They’ll walk you around to read placards and see some dried herbs. This was on the cheesy side of entertainment while still remaining entertaining.

Speaking of reading, we used this book, A Haunted Guide to New England, to delve into the hidden haunts of Salem.

The best brewery in Salem is Notch Brewery. These guys specialize in session beers which means that you can enjoy multiple, due to the lower ABV. They’re located next to some water which is fun to watch flow and they’ve got Skee-Ball which was probably the highlight of the establishment for Pepper.

One of the highlights for us while in Massachusetts was that we got to meet up with friends and family. It was happenstance that our friends Matt and Megan were flying out of Boston while we were there so we executed an intercept of them and caught up, as you do. As a double whammy, we also got to celebrate our adopted Aunt Gabbie’s 50th and gift her with that glass art that we made in New York. We’d like to thank Chelsea Miko for sharing her family with us. Pepper’s Grandma Linda and Papa Paul Fougere were also in attendance of the festivities. Like a cherry on top, we even got to play some music together which is where we bonded with Papa Paul’s brother Peter. He plays guitar.

There are so many smart folks in Boston. M.I.T. and Harvard help to ensure that. Our adopted family member Peter Fougere is among those bright Bostonians and he truly loves his home. Peter took us on a walking tour of Boston and filled us in on what we were seeing and how it’s changed over the years.

One Man Band

How about this guy? He’s Ramblin’ Dan the One Man Band and you can find him at the Boston Commons Park.

Cheers

This iconic building was featured on the sitcom Cheers. They’ve built out a replica of the set that you can drink at and pretend that you’re being served by Ted Danson and Shelly Long or Kirstie Alley. It’s up to you, really, it’s your fantasy.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Faneuil Hall Marketplace is often also called Quincy Market. The building was a gift to the city from wealthy Bostonian named Peter Faneuil and originally opened in 1742. It has just about any delicacy that you can conjure.

WALDEN POND

19 miles from Boston is Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. A book called Walden by Henry David Thoreau inspired part of our trip so it was fitting that we’d see the pond that inspired him to write it. Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King all credited Thoreau with influencing their comportment. I’m not trying to compare myself to them. I’m just pointing out that we have similar taste. They’ll charge you $15 dollars to park there so I recommend that you get the most out of your money and plan on sitting on the shore and taking it all in for awhile. You won’t be alone in doing so. We saw plenty of folks swimming, hiking and simply basking in the sun.

It’s that time again where we wax poetically or pathetically (depends on who you ask) on the subject of domicile. Here’s the thing, we all know the winters in Boston should throw it out of the running. Boston and The Cape moved us. It has traffic but it also has adequate public transit. When looking at home price/value, this is courtesy of Zillow:

The median price of homes currently listed in Boston is $745,000 while the median price of homes that sold is $643,100. The median rent price in Boston is $2,800.

It’s not cheap but it has the high paying jobs to back it up. Compare that to what we’re used in LA, ahem, Zillow:

The median price of homes currently listed in Los Angeles is $849,500 while the median price of homes that sold is $709,400. The median rent price in Los Angeles is $3,500.

Boston is an improvement. We’re not going to commit to living in Boston but we’re not going to take it out of the running. I guess we have to actually put it in the running because, prior to this visit, we weren’t considering it. That’s about all I can say for now. Visit Massachusetts. Avoid it when it’s cold but don’t avoid it altogether.

In regards to that burning question of whether or not there is a diminishing return on crustaceans consumed. No friggin way. Clam, muscle, lobster, scallops, and oysters dance in my head like sugar plum fairies in The Nutcracker. I’m their worst nightmare, an unbridled eating machine of gluttonous proportions.

Our tentative plan is to wrap up our travels by November so let’s see how much we can cram in before the clock runs out! Cheers!