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| PS This was the view from our beach house which was simply DIVINE |
Exploring the Cape
There are so many towns along the cape and throughout our time there we got to visit a good few of them. We stayed in Sagimore, which we were informed is not really on the Cape but provided ample opportunities for exploring.Sandwich
One of the first places we went to was the Sandwich boardwalk. The Sandwich Boardwalk is 1,350ft long and spawns across a marsh before connecting to the beach. Each of the boards have a dedication on them which is really nice to see as you walk along.
Plymouth
Ah the famous landing place of the Pilgrim Fathers, was Plymouth rock incredibly underwhelming? Yes. Would I recommend going to see it? Honestly probably not, but it was something that my parents wanted to see so I was happy to oblige. Plymouth itself was really nice though and also has a shopping complex nearby which we went to one of the days when it was raining!
Falmouth
We went to Falmouth originally with the intention of heading out to Martha's Vineyard but ultimately ended up not doing that and instead headed out to Wood's Hole which was simply lovely! Wood's Hole is a coastal research hub and provided one of my favourite moments of the trip when I automatically connected to the wifi at the University of Chicago satellite centre because they used the same wifi as my university at home! Wood's Hole had an aquarium and I LOVE an aquarium so I was so excited to get to go there. It was a research aquarium but it was open to the public and they had rescue seals and there was a blind one that kept swimming into walls. We also went on a lovely walk along the coast to a little lighthouse.
Provincetown
We took a trip to a flea market and I bought myself a Hamilton poster which I still have hung up in my room! My dad bought a garden ornament which was huge and I still don't know quite how we managed to get it home! Afterwards we headed all the way up to Provincetown which is the most northerly point on Cape Cod. I don't really remember much about it but here's a photo of me eating ice cream there!
Some City Hopping
We didn't just go to the nearby towns, we were also able to take a few day trips to the nearby cities which were also really nice. We headed to Providence in Rhode Island and to Boston, which is the capital of Massachusetts.Providence
Providence was never somewhere that I particularly wanted to visit but I had a friend there that I'd met online so we thought that since I was nearby we should meet up (I'm fully amazed that my parents were okay with this by the way but I was 19 so I guess they trusted me by this point). Providence was lovely and it helped that I had a tour guide who was able to take me to all of her favourite parts of the city. We went to an indie bookstore where I made a few purchases and then headed up to Brown and a lovely park that overlooked the city. We also visited the stat house which has the fourth-largest free-standing marble dome in the world behind only St Peter's basilica, the Minnesota state capitol and the Taj Mahal!
Boston
My biggest exposure to Boston was the Suite Life of Zach and Cody so I didn't know a whole lot besides the Boston Tea Party obviously. As a huge Hamilton fan we paid a visit to the Boston Tea Party memorial where they even had a copy of the federalist papers. We also headed to Boston Common which was overrun with pigeons and honestly terrified me a little bit. The Beacon Hill area was lovely and we got to see Louisa May Alcott's house which was also fun! We didn't do an awful lot in Boston but it was still such a nice experience to visit!
FOOD FOOD FOOD
Now something that I'd heard a lot about America was about their food, there are so many franchises and places that I'd heard of but had never visited because we don't have them over here! We didn't go to all of the big famous restaurants but we definitely went to a few which was fun!Dunkin' Donuts
The day we arrived just so happened to be National Donut Day and Dunkin' were giving away a free doughnut with every drink and as there was a Dunkin' just up the road a little from our house we decided that we HAD to check it out! This was the first of many trips to Dunkin', we definitely went more than we should have!
The Cheesecake Factory
I'm not a cheesecake fan but when I was in Providence I had to take a trip to the Cheesecake Factory, simply because I'd heard about it from The Big Bang Theory. I had a really great pasta dish and my absolute favourite thing about US restaurants is the free bread rolls, we do NOT get those in Northern Ireland.
McDonald's
Obviously, we have McDonald's at home but I'd heard that nothing compared to an American McDoanld's an I quite frankly have to disagree. There was less selection on the menu and it just generally wasn't as good. Sorry USA, I know you invented it but I just think the UK one is better!The Random Diner
We went to a random diner one day for Breakfast and honestly what an experience, we got free tea and coffee refills and I got this giant waffle with fruit and a big dollop of blackcurrant butter! DIVINE!
We also headed to Friendly's where I had a Mac and Cheese and Red Robin where I was just so impressed by the fact that I could switch up my fries and exchange them with onion rings!
Some Shops
One of my favourite things to do on holiday wherever I am is go shopping. Sounds weird but I love getting some pieces that I can't get from home and we had two favourite stores when we were in Massachusetts.Bath and Body Works
To say we spent most of our money in Bath and Body Works wouldn't be too far from the truth! They had a sale on so we bought about three body sprays each as well as soaps and hand gels. We LOVED Bath and Body WorksTarget
The main thing that I wanted to when coming to the States was to visit Target. There wasn't even one on the Cape so we had to literally drive somewhere to visit one but was it worth it. 100%. Target was a magical experience and obviously if you have it there all the time it's a non-event but for me, it was the BEST!
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