Expedition East Coast: Day 19 Plymouth, Cape Cod and a man called Pole

CrispyA · 28 Oct 18, 04:58 PM

6 August

We were heading out to Cape Cod today which wasn't a long drive, so again we had a leisurely breakfast before packing and tidying up the apartment. Kenji had said he was happy for us to stay until 4.00 or longer but we didn't need to be there for that long. We were quite sad to be leaving Kenji's place (apart from Evan who had suffered for long enough with no Wifi) and although it had been a last minute find and cost more than we had wanted to pay, it had been really comfortable and a lovely place to be.

We got in the car and headed out of Boston, fortunately avoiding the worst of the traffic on our route. The first planned stop was Plymouth which wasn't too far away. We parked on the main street and walked down to the seafront where the famous Rock is housed.

It was really hot and we thought it looked like quite a nice seaside town. The Rock itself was somewhat underwhelming but it was set in a fancy temple like structure.

After viewing the Rock, we wandered back up to the main street and thought that Plymouth was a charming little place and would have been good for a stop. We didn't bother with the Plantation as we didn't think we had enough time.

Back on the road, we had finally learned our lesson about planning in meal stops and had set the trusty satnav for Wendy's. Paul went to the counter to order the food while the kids and I found table, and when he came to sit with us to wait for our food, he told us that the server had asked for his name.

Paul: It's Paul

Jayquan: I'm sorry, what was that?

Paul: Paul

Jayquan: *pause* I'm sorry, what was your name?

Paul: *confused* It's Paul

Jayquan: It's okay, I was just checking.

To much hilarity, Paul had been listed as "Pole" and we were beside ourselves laughing at the screen that shows the order status, with "Matt", "Dave" and . . . "Pole". Jayquan must have had a story to tell after work: "This English guy came in and you'll never guess what his name was - Pole! I know, I had to check three times!"

Needless to say, he has been known as "Pole" ever since. He doesn't have a particularly strong accent but Americans have struggled with his name before, notably at the ET ride at Universal Studios on our honeymoon where the lady just gave up in the end!

Once we'd eaten our food and stopped laughing at "Pole", we set off for Cape Cod.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how big and busy the road to Cape Cod was. I think I was expecting something a bit more lowkey and casual, but it was definitely a big old road.

We didn't have too far to go as we were staying in Hyannis which is nearer the mainland. We checked into the Hyannis Travel Inn, where the guy on the desk was friendly, as in really and slightly unnervingly friendly. We could quite easily manage our cases but he insisted on summoning one of the numerous young men about the place to carry our bags to our room. There were a lot of staff about and they were all very friendly but we did find it a little bit weird to be honest.

We got changed and headed for Kalmus Beach, having been reassured that due to the position of the Cape, the beaches here were much more sheltered and the water much warmer. You did have to wade through a forest of seaweed to get into the water but it was much warmer than it had been up the coast and we had a nice swim before watching the boats.

After a nice time on the beach, we drove back to the hotel and had a dip in the pool there before getting ready to go out. We had a short walk along Hyannis Main Street and then went to the British Beer Company for tea. The name had put us off but it actually turned out to be a really nice place and nothing like a British pub, fortunately! The food was really good and we could get vegetables as sides which made a nice change and we had a good meal.

We popped to the nearby Kandy Korner and got ice cream and a lobster shaped fridge magnet. We were enjoying Cape Cod and wished we'd booked another night here rather than moving on, but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

We also commented on the number of people we'd seen on this trip in walking casts with broken legs. Are the good folk of New England particularly accident prone we wondered? Who knows?

Back at the hotel, we chilled on the balcony with a beer before turning in for the night.

Melbatb · 28 Oct 18, 06:04 PM

Ahh - the Rock! Thank goodness for the sign! And trust me, you didn�t miss much with Plimouth Plantation

We liked Hyannis - a cute place. Cape Cod is actually really big!

mouli1 · 28 Oct 18, 06:07 PM

was the Hyannis Inn ok though, we have a reservation here next summer

katiebaz · 29 Oct 18, 07:48 AM

Glad you got a warmer swim and cape cod looks lovely. The rock looks a little underwhelming though but loved the Pole/ Paul incident...

Pussycat Doll · 29 Oct 18, 08:39 PM

We love Cape Cod and also Hyannis. Sounds like a lovely day.

CrispyA · 1 Nov 18, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by Melbatb

Ahh - the Rock! Thank goodness for the sign! And trust me, you didn�t miss much with Plimouth Plantation

We liked Hyannis - a cute place. Cape Cod is actually really big!

It was a cute place and we wished we had stayed a bit longer there. Glad to have seen the Rock but also glad that we didn't go out of our way to visit.

Originally Posted by mouli1

was the Hyannis Inn ok though, we have a reservation here next summer

It was nice - we would have stayed longer.

Originally Posted by katiebaz

Glad you got a warmer swim and cape cod looks lovely. The rock looks a little underwhelming though but loved the Pole/ Paul incident...

Pole/Paul was hilarious and we've laughed about it ever since.

Originally Posted by Pussycat Doll

We love Cape Cod and also Hyannis. Sounds like a lovely day.

It was a really lovely day and we would have happily spent longer in Cape Cod.

i love jack · 2 Nov 18, 08:58 AM

Lovely day

**WileyCoyote** · 4 Nov 18, 05:54 PM

What a lovely day. Looks like some nice places. I�m still pondering on the leg cast observation, maybe it�s so pretty they don�t watch where they are going and trip up all the time .. sounds like the sort of thing I would do anyway .

CrispyA · 4 Nov 18, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by i love jack

Lovely day

Thanks, it was.

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

What a lovely day. Looks like some nice places. I�m still pondering on the leg cast observation, maybe it�s so pretty they don�t watch where they are going and trip up all the time .. sounds like the sort of thing I would do anyway .

The leg cast thing was weird - once we�d started noticing them, they were everywhere!

28 Oct 18, 04:58 PM	#1
	28 Oct 18, 04:58 PM CrispyA Imagineer
CrispyA Imagineer Join Date: Oct 11	Expedition East Coast: Day 19 Plymouth, Cape Cod and a man called Pole 6 August We were heading out to Cape Cod today which wasn't a long drive, so again we had a leisurely breakfast before packing and tidying up the apartment. Kenji had said he was happy for us to stay until 4.00 or longer but we didn't need to be there for that long. We were quite sad to be leaving Kenji's place (apart from Evan who had suffered for long enough with no Wifi) and although it had been a last minute find and cost more than we had wanted to pay, it had been really comfortable and a lovely place to be. We got in the car and headed out of Boston, fortunately avoiding the worst of the traffic on our route. The first planned stop was Plymouth which wasn't too far away. We parked on the main street and walked down to the seafront where the famous Rock is housed. It was really hot and we thought it looked like quite a nice seaside town. The Rock itself was somewhat underwhelming but it was set in a fancy temple like structure. After viewing the Rock, we wandered back up to the main street and thought that Plymouth was a charming little place and would have been good for a stop. We didn't bother with the Plantation as we didn't think we had enough time. Back on the road, we had finally learned our lesson about planning in meal stops and had set the trusty satnav for Wendy's. Paul went to the counter to order the food while the kids and I found table, and when he came to sit with us to wait for our food, he told us that the server had asked for his name. Paul: It's Paul Jayquan: I'm sorry, what was that? Paul: Paul Jayquan: pause I'm sorry, what was your name? Paul: confused It's Paul Jayquan: It's okay, I was just checking. To much hilarity, Paul had been listed as "Pole" and we were beside ourselves laughing at the screen that shows the order status, with "Matt", "Dave" and . . . "Pole". Jayquan must have had a story to tell after work: "This English guy came in and you'll never guess what his name was - Pole! I know, I had to check three times!" Needless to say, he has been known as "Pole" ever since. He doesn't have a particularly strong accent but Americans have struggled with his name before, notably at the ET ride at Universal Studios on our honeymoon where the lady just gave up in the end! Once we'd eaten our food and stopped laughing at "Pole", we set off for Cape Cod. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how big and busy the road to Cape Cod was. I think I was expecting something a bit more lowkey and casual, but it was definitely a big old road. We didn't have too far to go as we were staying in Hyannis which is nearer the mainland. We checked into the Hyannis Travel Inn, where the guy on the desk was friendly, as in really and slightly unnervingly friendly. We could quite easily manage our cases but he insisted on summoning one of the numerous young men about the place to carry our bags to our room. There were a lot of staff about and they were all very friendly but we did find it a little bit weird to be honest. We got changed and headed for Kalmus Beach, having been reassured that due to the position of the Cape, the beaches here were much more sheltered and the water much warmer. You did have to wade through a forest of seaweed to get into the water but it was much warmer than it had been up the coast and we had a nice swim before watching the boats. After a nice time on the beach, we drove back to the hotel and had a dip in the pool there before getting ready to go out. We had a short walk along Hyannis Main Street and then went to the British Beer Company for tea. The name had put us off but it actually turned out to be a really nice place and nothing like a British pub, fortunately! The food was really good and we could get vegetables as sides which made a nice change and we had a good meal. We popped to the nearby Kandy Korner and got ice cream and a lobster shaped fridge magnet. We were enjoying Cape Cod and wished we'd booked another night here rather than moving on, but hindsight is a wonderful thing! We also commented on the number of people we'd seen on this trip in walking casts with broken legs. Are the good folk of New England particularly accident prone we wondered? Who knows? Back at the hotel, we chilled on the balcony with a beer before turning in for the night. __________________ West Coast July - August 2014, Howdy Texas! August 2015, Rocking in the Rockies July - August 2016, Bier, Bratwurst und Bahnsteige: Berlin 2017, Touring Tennessee 2017, Expedition East Coast 2018, Hola! Madrid 2019, Great Lakes Grooving 2019, It's Czech, Mate, Prague 2022, Veni, Vidi, Edi, Bibi Italy 2022

28 Oct 18, 06:07 PM	#3
	28 Oct 18, 06:07 PM mouli1 Imagineer
mouli1 Imagineer Join Date: Feb 06 mouli1's Reviews Hotel Reviews: 2	was the Hyannis Inn ok though, we have a reservation here next summer __________________ [R]