Surprise! I'm back with another annual blog post, but this time, ~travel diary edition~. I'm going to be honest — writing out this post took a lot of convincing and persistence. I haven't written anything in about a year now. I was nervous that taking a year-long break from writing meant all of my storytelling skills, and even passion, have inevitably went down the drain. Shout out to my closest friends for encouraging me to stop worrying about not being a great writer and to just pick up a pencil (or in this case, my laptop) and start practicing again. I can't promise myself that I'll be writing every week now, but hopefully more than once a year.
Alright, that's enough of this sappy and way too personal prologue. Here are a few of my favorite highlights from my mini vacation to Cape Cod last week.☺
Food Favorites
When you think of Cape Cod, you probably think of sunny beaches, Victorian houses, Vineyard Vines, and of course — seafood galore. Or maybe that's just the foodie in me talking.
The one thing I was most excited for on this trip was the seafood. There's lobster rolls, baked clams, fried cod, clam chowder... the list is endless. You just can't take a trip to Cape Cod and not indulge in all of the seafood options there is to offer.
Funny story, I actually believed I was slightly allergic to shellfish up until I went on this trip. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to try one of Cape Cod's delicacies: lobster roll. The first restaurant we tried lobster roll at was Skipper Chowder House in Yarmouth. The roll was jam packed with lobster, so you really get your money's ($22.99) worth. The lobster was delicious, but unfortunately, the bread wasn't as buttery as I hoped. My favorite lobster roll place we stopped at was Nancy's Restaurant in Martha's Vineyard. The bread was a good balance of crispy and soft, and the seasoning of the bread was just *chef's kiss*. The only downside was that the roll was small and about the same price as Skipper's. Overall, I have to say that lobster roll was the number one food highlight of my trip, and possibly one of my favorite foods now.
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| Lobster Roll with homemade chips from Skippy's |
A close second to the lobster roll was the clam chowder. No joke, I think we all got a side of clam chowder at every restaurant we hit up that weekend. By far, Skipper Chowder House had the best clam chowder I've ever tasted. Not only was it perfectly thick and creamy, but there was also a generous amount of clams in there. The chowder at The Lobster Pot was also delicious but not as creamy as Skipper's. Aside from the clam chowder though, The Lobster Pot had amazing food overall. I got their seafood pesto, and it was 10/10.
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| Clam chowder from Skippy's |
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| Seafood pesto from The Lobster Pot |
If you're willing to splurge a bit on a nice dinner, my friends and I loved eating at Old Yarmouth Inn. Everything we ate here so good. And you know the food is great when no one at the table is talking to each other, but instead indulging in their meals and happy dancing with every bite. I got the roasted panko haddock as my entree, and our table shared a key lime pie, carrot cake, and tiramisu for dessert. It was definitely pricey, but in my opinion, worth it.
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| Roasted panko haddock from Old Yarmouth Inn |
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| Carrot cake from Old Yarmouth Inn |
Lastly, my favorite brunch spot was Ann & Fran's Kitchen in Yarmouth. The inside is super small, but don't be fooled by the tiny and modest interior. The brunch food here was so delicious and flavorful. I got the pulled pork omelette with home fries, a side of corned beef hash, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Definitely make sure to show up earlier in the morning though, as the wait for a table can get pretty long.
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| Pulled pork omelette from Ann & Fran's Kitchen |
Destination Favorites
Aside from all of the food we stuffed ourselves with, we also had an amazing time exploring some of the popular destinations of Cape Cod. We were only staying for four days, so we didn't get to experience the entire area. Also, it was heavy raining almost everyday because of Hurricane Elsa. However, we didn't let a little (or a lot) of rain ruin our vacation.
My favorite place that we visited was Provincetown, which is located at the northern tip of Cape Cod. If you're really into local art, drinking, and boutiques, then this town is perfect for you. Provincetown is known for being a haven for the LGBTQ+ community, and you can really feel and see the pride everywhere you go. Not only did we see rainbow flags at every storefront, but there were also a handful of Stop Asian Hate and Black Lives Matter flags! I've honestly never felt safer walking around here at night, and every person we talked to was so friendly and welcoming. If you're a big dog lover, there's also an endless supply of cute puppies at every block. I highly recommend stopping by Provincetown for the day and window shopping at the eclectic boutiques, gazing at local art, grabbing a drink at a local bar, and ending the day with dinner by the beach.
Another favorite destination we traveled to was Martha's Vineyard. Unfortunately, there's no sight of a vineyard on that island, and my friends and I still have no idea who Martha is. Besides the lack of grapevines, this summer vacation spot was filled with rocky beaches, cute Victorian houses, yummy food, and frat bros dressed in Vineyard Vines. Fun fact: Vineyard Vines was actually founded on Martha's Vineyard. But that's probably not a surprise. Jokes aside, my friends and I had a lot of fun exploring the island, even though we didn't get to stay there the whole day. Most of our time was spent eating food and drinking, shopping for souvenirs, and walking on the beach. You can probably experience a lot more of Martha's Vineyard if you spend 2-3 days there, but you can also take a day trip like we did by ferry. Just be sure to have a schedule of the ferry times and account for the 45 minute ride.
My all-time favorite destination highlight of this trip was visiting the Cape Cod Potato Chips lighthouse (Nauset Lighthouse) in the middle of Hurricane Elsa's downpour. We didn't even get to go inside the lighthouse since tours were closed. However, the vibes were truly immaculate. It felt like that main character moment on Tik Tok with Lorde's "Ribs" playing in the background. Basically, we all got drenched in the rain while taking stupid self timer pictures with the lighthouse, and our umbrellas nearly snapped in half with the fast winds. I don't think I've laughed that hard in awhile, and I'm so glad I was able to experience such a small but memorable moment with my closest friends. With that being said, go visit the lighthouse in the pouring rain, take tons of pictures with your friends, and have your own main character moment.
Our trip to Cape Cod was a short one, but filled with so many memories with some of my favorite people. Here's to going on more vacations and making even more special moments.
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