So, a typical Saturday for many people involves lists and errands, right?  Laundry, groceries, cleaning, gym . . . gets a little monotonous.  In between groceries and the gym, I stopped at home and threw on the news.  Luckily I did!  I caught a story about right whales on the coast of Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  The reported said the whales were close enough to hear them breathing.  I text my trusted travel buddy, and off we went. 
     For those of you not from the Boston area, P-town is about 2 hours from Boston.   We hopped in the car around 11 and made it to Race Point at about 1:20 due lane closure on the Sagamore Bridge.  As we pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised at the number of cars.  I guess travelkat is not the only one who watches the news!  We approached the beach and saw loads of people standing on the beach and surrounding dunes.  After about a half hour, all we saw were black blobs in the water; I was more than a bit disappointed :( .  Hanging on a bit longer took some patience (my mother's nickname for me as a child), but it was well worth it!!! 
    All of a sudden an enormous tail splashed into the water.  I was like a child filled with excitement for the next sighting.  These playful guys did not disappoint; we saw the full body of a whale 4 times as they jumped out of the water.  It was absolutely a breath-taking sight to see.  There are only approximately 475 right whales left in the world.  In the 17th, 18, and 19th centuries, these whales were hunted extensively and were named "right" whales because they were the right whales to kill- they have lots of blubber, are slow swimmers, and float after they are killed.  Fortunately, right whales have been protected since 1949.
    Since we drove over 2 hours to see these beautiful mammals, we decided to set out to P-town center before driving back to Boston.  First great thing about P-town during the off-season?  Free parking!  What a treat!  We wandered around town, meandering in and out of antique, jewelry, and bits and bobs stores.  Our favorite store, the Marine Specialties Store, was a true bits and bobs shop; they had giant rubber duckies with sailor hats, gas masks, and jesters' hats to name a few items.  We even both a "holy toast" mold to make your toast look like the Virgin Mary.  I thoroughly enjoyed playing dress-up like I was a 10-year old.  Sailor suit and hat, African Safari hat, like I was hunting elephants in the 1920s.  Now, I would never hunt an elephant, don't worry, they are my favorite animal on Earth!  Recommendation - go the the Marine Speciality Store, be silly and have a laugh.
     Now, I was a bit hungry and cranky at this point, or so my buddy pointed out.  I am not fun when I am hungry.  We immediately began searching for food and stumbled upon Bayside Betsy's; unfortunately, they do not start dinner until 5:00.  So we went back to pounding the pavement.  If you have been to the Cape in the off-season, you know it is not easy to find an open restaurant.  We went into the Squealing Pig and were told that we couldn't sit in a booth because they kept those for parties of 3 or more.  Really?  At least 5 tables were empty.  The one they offered us was smack dab in front of the door (who likes a draft while dining?).  We left.  I don't even remember the name of the next restaurant we ventured into.  The waitress sat us and then disappeared.  After waiting for 10 minutes to put in a drink order, we left.  At this point we were 3 and 0.  We have this problem often with restaurants.  Decision time, get in the car and head home, or head back to Bayside Betsy's?  Bayside Betsy's won, and we were glad it did.  I would go back there for the staff alone!  Our main waiter called us kids; do you know how long it has been since someone referred to me as a kid?  Loved it.  Betsy, herself, even served us.  The onion rings with horseradish dip were out of this world, and the fish (of fish and chips) was perfectly fried.  I didn't get that though (for my WW buddies); I just tasted it.
    Completely stuffed and satisfied, we headed home.
    This summer, I have a boat trip to P-town on my activities list.  Provincetown is well worth the trip, even if it is for a day.