Provincetown...better than Brigadoon

If you ever find yourself in Boston, you should do yourself a favor and take the ferry to Provincetown. It's a little bit like Brigadoon. It doesn't only appear once every 100 years to random people, but it IS quite magical. I've said for years that Pride Day in Indy is the city's best day because everyone is friendly and fun and fabulous during the festivities. 

Provincetown is Indy Pride on very happy steroids and with an ocean view.

My dear friend Tina Noel and I found ourselves in this paradise because earlier in the year, we'd had the fortune to spend some time with our dear friend Jonathan Swain. We'd met thanks to being part of the Frank O'Bannon-Joe Kernan team, and we have thanked them both repeatedly through the years for bringing us together. Jon moved first to D.C. and then to Cambridge, Mass., while Tina and I stayed in Indy.

Rather than just sigh and talk about how much we miss seeing Jonathan after that springtime visit, we actually put our money down on air- and ferry-fare and spend Labor Day weekend with him and his spouse, Angel. Circumstance had interfered with me meeting Angel before this trip, and Tina had met him only in passing. Let me tell you, we have been missing out.

We could have been happy just the four of us, and I'd still think P-town equalled Brigadoon. But Jon and Angel's friends - primarily Bob and Michael, but also Susan and Paige and Chip and John and people we met waiting for the ferry out - were incredibly funny, welcoming and wonderful. Every time we ran into the guys we met on the pier (P-town is small) we had another happy little reunion. Jon and Angel have had a condo there for a few years, and it seemed like they knew everyone and everyone knew them. And just like a great small town, we were brought into the community with a fabulous hug.

Michael is kind of a walking IMDb, and I want him to come visit me to make my yard be all it can be. Bob had an uncanny knack for being able to connect A Family Affair to just about any subject. He and Michael had been watching re-runs over lunch. 

As we were getting to know one another, Jon mentioned my time in Terre Haute.

"Did you know that Jody and Buffy from Family Affair were from Terre Hut?" Bob asked. "That's how they said it on the show: Hut. Their parents were killed in a tragic accident and they were dumped on Uncle Bill in Manhattan." 

As Jon Richardson (you'll learn about him soon) would say, "Yes, yes, it's true."

Later, Angel was talking about his and Jon's trip to Stiges, Spain. "Did you know in Season Three, Buffy and Jodie got lost in Stiges? Mr. French had a heckuva time getting them back. It was a three-part arc."

And yes, yes, it's true! 

P-town is gorgeous. On the very tip of Cape Cod, it's full of New England cottages and lighthouses, surrounded by water and offering up 17.5 square miles of beautiful views everywhere you look. I didn't count how many bars, restaurants, art galleries, shops and other retail establishments there are. But I could happily spend many more hours and lots more dollars there. Our mornings, were, shall we say, slower-paced than our days and nights, but Joe's coffeehouse was just down the street.

We packed in so much while we were there, and we walked those 17.5 square miles at least 12 times. 

We went to Tea twice at the Boat Slip. (They don't serve tea there.) Tina tried to make friends with Billy Eichner but his bodyguard/friend/random stranger was not having it.

We walked to The Red Inn to begin our White Party Adjacent party. Up to the lawn at the Land's End Inn and The Chalice. Back that path to the breakwater. Down to the east end for art. Back to the east end for shopping and dinners. Up the hill to the Gifford House. So many places. All of them good.

We walked up and down Commercial Street about 600 time and had amazing dinners and drinks, and liked Jon Richardson so much fun we went twice. He's going to be starring in "The Jack of Hearts Club" at the Provincetown theater starting in October. There are rumors of an off-Broadway show, too.

So. Much. Fun.

Even though I love the P-town piano man, our second night with him followed a very long day. There came a time when the crowd (and even I) were singing along when I was forced to surreptitiously explore discrete options should I have to involuntarily void myself of the day's consumption. I had a plan, and it was a good one, but thankfully it didn't come to that.

When it was nearing our time to return to the Ship of Sadness (the ferry's dark side) we were both exhausted but still smiling and thinking about next year. We're hoping to reunite with Bob and Michael when they go back, too. Meanwhile, I'll be binging "Family Affair."