There's No Place Like Provincetown!

Provincetown, Massachusetts is a beautiful place to spend time.  I know, you've heard all about the gay community, and think that it's just for gay people.  I've heard that for years, and every time I head out that way people ask me if I'm secretly gay and all that stuff.  People are weird.

Provincetown was originally visited by Pilgrims.  They actually landed there briefly before continuing on to Plimouth.  For centuries, it's been a fishing village.  Trust me, they have great lobster.

What Provincetown really is, is a community for free spirits.  There's not just gay people.  There are all kinds of people there, and if you were to ask them about being gay, a lot of them would just laugh at you.  Provincetown is full of artists, chefs, entrepreneurs, business people, marine biologists, spiritual people, and everything else that you can imagine.  It's a very diverse place, it's a friendly place, and for those of us who live in uptight places like Connecticut, it's a great place to get away from it all and relax.

Are there gay people in P-Town?  Yes, so if you're a bigot don't go there.  It's your loss really.  I've been to the tip of Cape Cod many times, and it's one of my favorite places on Earth.  I love the shopping, the eating, the people, and the atmosphere.  There's no place else quite like it.

I have to admit that on this one, I'm plugging the little hotel we stayed in, The Cape Colony Inn.  This is an old style hotel with hospitality and real keys for the doors.  The folks who run this place are some of the friendliest I've ever encountered.  We really had a good time there.  They have volleyball, shuffleboard, ping pong, barbecues to use, a pool, and a great breakfast where you can make your own waffles.  I only stay here.  Remember that.

One thing that you are obligated to try and do when in Provincetown is to take a cruise to whale watch.  Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is right off the coast of Cape Cod, and that makes Provincetown one of the best places in the world to see whales.  That's a tough one to turn down, right?

The Dolphin Fleet Whalewatch has been running for something like thirty years.  Anyway, they've been at it so long that they guarantee that you will see a whale, or they will give you a free ticket for another try.  They're a knowledgeable and friendly bunch too.  The Dolphin IX is a comfortable boat for the excursion and it makes for a pleasant trip.  Like most excursions in P-Town, you can catch them right at MacMillan Pier.

When you start out on your whale watching journey, you pass the very tip of Cape Cod, with it's lighthouse and it's greeting committee.  It sometimes looks like the seals are smiling as you pass by.  Now, don't be disappointed if they're not there.  I was told that if you want a chance to see seals too, you should take the morning cruise, because by afternoon the seals have other things to do.

And, whales, whales, whales.  You do see whales off the tip of Cape Cod.  You may not see the giant tail fins of the Humpbacks however.  There are several kinds of whales that hang out off the shores of the cape, and the most common ones are not the Humpbacks.  We did not see one this time, but we saw three other kinds of whales, so we saw whales.  What we saw the most of were Fin Whales.  They were everywhere.

You will enjoy chasing the whales around to get photos.  It's a lot of fun.  Some cautions though.  Remember the sun block.  I didn't and regretted it.  It's also wise to wear a hat.  The sun on the open ocean is beautiful and quite dangerous, so be wary of it and go prepared.  Also, the water changes on the open sea, so you might want to invest in some motion sickness pills just in case.  Just because you've never been sea sick on a boat does not mean that you won't get sick on one in open water.

Once you've gone whale watching you have to check out the shopping, the eating, and the architecture.  Provincetown has great shopping.  The place is full of art galleries, gift shops, clothing, furniture, and anything else you can imagine.

I do mean anything.

There are some classic buildings in P-Town from old churches to the town hall to the library.  There are lots of older houses and truly unique buildings to see.  The narrow streets and secret passage like alleys all over town just add to it's mystique and ambiance.

The dining is another great part of a visit to Provincetown.  There are tons of great places to eat.  I always have a tough time deciding where to go.  I've literally never had bad food  there.  At night for the partiers, the bars get a little crazy and everyone has a great time.  Whether it be music, or drag queens, there is a great nightlife in P-Town.

One of the great things about Provincetown is their sense of humor.  You will see that they only take themselves so seriously.  This is all part of the great atmosphere that you feel while visiting the area.  They love to do things their way.  They don't like it to be regulated and overruled.  They enjoy life, and that's what makes it such a great tourist destination.

Don't forget to enjoy the beach.  If you want to see the dunes at the Cape Cod National Seashore, do yourself a favor and take a tour with Art's.  Art's Dune Tours is a great way to see them.  You need special permits and stuff to go, so it's way easier to go with them.  You can even do an evening clam bake dinner if you like.  But, if you just want to go to the beach, there are several.  I like Race Point, because it's on the outside on the Atlantic.  It's a great place to go for a sunset.

But, why is this place an adventure for anyone?  Well, it all has to do with Pilgrim Monument.  The tower is the tallest building anywhere in the general vicinity.  It towers 252 feet in the air and has been around since 1910 or so.  This thing can be seen from just about anywhere around.  It is the centerpiece and the single most famous spot in all of Provincetown.

Once a year, the locals take to the 116 steps and 60 ramps inside the Pilgrim Monument Tower and have themselves a race.  The Run to the Top is a fundraiser for the Fireman's Cancer Relief Fund, and it is something to see.  It takes place the first weekend in May, and you should come.  They have a great barbecue, silent auction, raffles, and of course the race.  They have a civilian race and a race that's just for the firefighters.  For $25 you can run, or you can just spend an afternoon, make a donation, see a great event, and meet some great people.

Here's how it works.  You really should come and see this.  They run through this archway.  There's a device inside it that starts their time when their number bib passes through it.  There is a similar device at the top that stops the time.  The racers line up and ever 20 seconds or so, one takes off into the tower.  It's amazing, but one of them actually ran up there in 1 minute 56 seconds this year.  These guys are tough.

But, God bless the firemen.  They run their race in full gear.  That's right, coats, pants, boots, and helmets.  They are a rare breed, the firemen, and it feels good to come out and support them.  There were firemen there from all up and down the cape and as far away as Providence, RI.  It was a great time and everyone had a lot of fun.

So, Provincetown?  Yes, please.  There's something so special about this place where you can be yourself, whether you're gay, artistic, a drag queen, a fisherman, a fireman, or just someone truly unique; you'll fit right in.  At the Whydah Pirate Museum you can even see the only real pirate treasure in the country.  And, after you spend some time chasing whales and sitting on the beach, once a year you can race up the tower. It is available for climbing the rest of the year as well. It's all there and it's a place where you don't have to worry about how you look, who you seem to be, or what you like to do.  Be yourself.  Visit Provincetown.
Enjoy!

http://provincetown.com/
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http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html 

Beautiful Sakha...The Yakutia of Siberia

 It's hard to believe that there is a river port with such beauty of Orthodox Cathedrals and traditional Russian dachas in one of the coldest places on Earth, but Yakutsk, in the Sakha Republic in Siberia is amazingly that.  Summer here is actually harder to weather than winter.  The river is only passable by car in the winter.  It's an amazing and puzzling world that makes the rest of us wonder, why on Earth would one ever go there?



The fact is, it looks like most Russian cities.  It's full of blue and white buildings, yellow and white buildings, mass transit, crowded streets, big signs advertising everything everywhere, and lot's of people.  It doesn't appear that different until winter.



In winter, even Lenin is frozen.  Yakutsk is one of the coldest cities on Earth.  Temperatures reach -40 Celsius sometimes and occasionally even colder.  The winters are long and the weather is brutal.  It's windy, it's snowy, and it's dark.  That's the way life is in Yakutsk in winter.  So, here's the question; do they have tourism?  The answer is yes.

 

You can fly right in from other regions of Russia.  You will have to book a tour of some kind to visit anyway, just like the rest of the country.  It's easy.  There are companies that specialize in trips to the Sakha Region.  You can fly in from the west through Moscow or from the east through Magadan.  If you want, you can drive in from the east, but if you want to drive in from the west or south it will be trickier.  There are no trains that far north in Yakutia.



But really, why would you visit such a place?  Most of us want to go south, take a cruise, sit on a beach, have a Margarita, and relax.



This one is pure adventure.  The Sakha Region and Yakutia has a very interesting history.  It is the largest land area region in the world.  It has been inhabited for thousands of years.  It was used as a place to exile people during the Soviet Era and some before that.  It's famous for it's gulags, gangsters, diamonds and gold.  The Kolyma area was once a gold mining area run by local gulags.  There is a large Jewish population to this day here, from when they too were run out of the more populated western parts of the Soviet Union.  It makes for a very fascinating melange of cultures and peoples.

 

The Pole of Cold is one of the places that you can visit.  This is known as the coldest place on Earth.  Is it?  I don't know, but they have festivals celebrating it and a museum with all kinds of exhibits that will explain why.  It's certainly one of the coldest places I've ever encountered, but I'm not sure that it's colder than Antarctica.  The people here will be some of the friendliest you've ever met, and the experience is well worth the visit.



Also on this trip, you can see the world's biggest diamond mine.  Mirny Diamond Mine is Russia's biggest diamond mining operation.  The giant hole that is the diamond mine would shock the western world, but in Siberia, it really isn't harming a thing.  You can book tours of specific areas of the diamond mine and see how it all works.



Around Yakutsk there are several museums of all kinds.  There is even an outdoor museum outside of town where you can see what life was like in the past for the peoples of the area.



The Mammoth Museum is one of the Yakutsk must sees.  As you can expect, a lot of permafrost means a lot of things got frozen in there in the past.  This area has a huge collection of Woolly Mammoths that popped up from the frozen areas throughout history.



But there are many things to see and do in Yakutsk.  The list is enormous for such a remote area, but you would be shocked.  These people are just used to the cold.  Their lives are as normal as anyone in New York, just way colder most of the year.  The Sakha are a proud people.  They are proud of their lives, their history, and their traditions.  Just meeting them is something that makes the trip worthwhile.



Here's an idea...take a cruise.  That's right.  You can catch a river cruise that will take you to see the Lena Pillars.  Lena Pillars are a natural phenomenon that is found in other places around the world but not normally to this size and extreme.  It's very old volcanic rock and here, it's formed large cliffs overlooking the Lena River.  They are an amazing sight and the cruise is a wonderful way to spend some time.



But, what is it that drew me to this place where you will hear music played on Jews Harps and find huge strip mines in the ground?  What is it that made this place an adventure for anyone?  It's true that it's one of the coldest places on Earth.  That in itself is an adventure.  It's true that everything there is big like in Texas, from the river to the lava rocks to the mammoths to the mines to the land itself.  But, Yakutia has something in bulk that most places don't have that much of.  Permafrost.

 

Yakutsk has the Kingdom of Permafrost.  It's hokey, but it's original.  This place is connected with the institute for research of permafrost, but it's the fun side.  They have it set up so that the tourist can enjoy their time inside the tunnels underground where you can see how permafrost really works.



The tunnels are full of ice sculptures that make the trip more beautiful and a lot of fun.



The locals sometimes have weddings there amongst the ice sculptures.  Permafrost is part of the culture and makes for a very traditional local wedding.



And amongst the woolly mammoth exhibits and permafrost exhibits and ice sculptures you will run into Father Christmas.  This is one of the most out of the way places I've ever seen that you can visit Santa Clause.  It's an amazing tourist attraction, no matter how hokey it might look.  There is a lot of good work going on here in the research to see how permafrost lives and dies, and how we can live with it without destroying it.  The Kingdom is there to help fund the research, which is a great thing.









I know it sounds crazy, but come to Yakutsk.  This is a one of a kind place with people to match.  It's cold, and the best time to visit is actually not the summer.  It's for hearty souls, but it's worth it.  In summer it's good, but in the winter it's amazing.  So, anytime anyway, come and visit the wild and wonderful arctic area of Yakutsk, Siberia.  When your friends ask why on Earth you went there, you can tell them that they need to see it for themselves to understand why it's so fascinating.
Enjoy!
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Indian Casinos...What are They Really Like?

I live in Connecticut, so I have grown accustomed to Indian Casinos and Indian Resorts and all the things that come with them.  Recently, I spent my first overnight at the Quechan Resort and Casino referred to as The Q in Winterhaven, CA.  I found it very different from the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun that I'm used to and it made me wonder, what is this phenomenon really?  How many of these places are there?  How many states have them?  How many of them offer anything but gambling and food?  Well, here are the answers that I found.

There are currently 479 Indian casinos, some of them also hotel resorts, some not.  They operate in 28 states.  There are 565 federally recognized Native American tribes in America and 242 of them operate some kind of a gaming center.  This sounds like being a Native American means running a casino, and it seems as though they've cornered the gambling market.

Well, they did pull down a combined $28.1 billion in 2012.  That seems like a lot of profits.  It's an unimaginable amount of money to me.  But, unlike some other corporations and so forth around the country, the Indian Casinos can say something besides just how much money they made.

The Indian Casinos around the country employ approximately 679,000 people and pay over $9 billion in taxes and shared payments to federal and state governments.  The shared payments are complicated, but largely the tribes are voluntarily giving a portion of their profits back to the community.

Most Indian Casinos have a small museum about their tribe.  These cultural centers are a great way to educate ourselves in the lives and history of these tribes.  I have visited casinos run by tribes that I'd never heard of before my visit, like the Quechan of southwestern Arizona.  I learned a great deal about the tribal heritage and their origins on my visit, just from visiting the tiny museum outside the arcade.

I liked the Quechan resort in Winterhaven, CA.  The landscape outside the hotel was otherworldly and quite beautiful.  The dunes were amazing.  The pool with the lazy river was great.  The hotel was comfortable.  The restaurants were good.  The people were friendly.  And, according to my mother, the slots pay pretty good.  Would I visit again?  Yes.  Do I gamble?  Not really.  An Indian resort hotel, is someplace that you can enjoy without playing one single slot.



But the Quechan was tiny by Indian Casino standards.  I live right down the road from Foxwoods.  This is the ground breaker that made all the rules as it went along.  It wasn't the first.  That honor goes to the Seminole Tribe in Hollywood, Florida who first opened a bingo hall in 1987 after an eight year legal battle for their rights to do so.  But, Foxwoods is the standard for resorts.  You can take your kids here.  You can see IMAX movies, play laser tag, go to museums, see shows, go shopping, swim, play, and the adults can go and gamble.  They have several hotels with all kinds of services.  They even have the Schimitzun every year that brings together tribes from all over the country for a pow wow.  It's hard to complain about the gambling when they've given back billions, helped their local community combat a depressed economy, and provided a high speed ferry for Long Island Sound.  It's the Connecticut version of Vegas.

 

There was a time when Foxwoods was the largest casino in the world, but it's been surpassed.  Currently, the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the largest, and it's all state of the art.  This one doesn't even have a hotel--yet.  It opens in the fall this year.  The place is enormous though, and a great place for adult entertainment.



The Q is tiny when compared to such mammoth sized casinos, but does that make it less fun?  Does that make it not worth your time?  No.  The place is great.  And I think that's the thing about the Indian Casinos.  I think that it doesn't really matter which one you go to.  I think they're all beautiful, friendly, and fun.  I do think that you should know what your casino of choice will be like.  I think that you should always check one out online before you go.  Make sure that your choice suits you.

Be aware of some things though.  Over half of the casinos in the United States that are run by Native American Tribes don't have a hotel.  Just because it's a casino doesn't mean that it has lodging.  Check before you take a road trip.  Also, look at the prices of the hotel.  Foxwoods will charge you an arm and a leg to stay at one of their hotels, but a little guy like The Q will send out coupons and give great prices to get you to come.  If you have trouble with the concept that I'm talking about just look at Vegas strip vs. Atlantic City in the off season.  Find a deal.  You don't always have to go to the big names to have a good time.



If you have kids with you, however, look for activities.  There must be something besides gambling if you are to bring your children.  Nothing irritates me more than seeing parents with their kids in some casino where there's nothing for the kids to do.  Check it out.  Make sure.  It needs to be the kind of place you're going to enjoy.



The Indian Casino is here to stay.  It's become part of the American Culture, and we should be proud of it and enjoy it.  There are almost 500 of these relaxing, fun, and beautiful resorts around the country, and we should embrace them.  So, check it out.  Make a reservation.  Go, eat at the buffet, play some slots, have a drink by the pool, and sleep in luxury.  Take some time to check out the cultural center and learn about the tribe.  It's a real treat that anyone can love.
Enjoy!

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