Provincetown 2009

Among the very first posts on bklynbiblio were messages about my trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts last year (including a recap of the trip, a review of the play 2 Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night, and an exhibition review on the work of Nick Patten). I was back in Provincetown this past week, this time with my friends JM, AR, and RT. We rented a 2nd-floor condo that can be described as “antiquated” and “rustic,” but in reality should be described as “old” and “in need of redecorating.” We couldn’t complain though, because the view of the bay from our terrace was awesome (see my picture above). We even had our own semi-private beach. Provincetown hasn’t changed at all though. It’s still filled with families of tourists, many of whom try hard not to stare at the predominant gay and lesbian couples and friends strolling, dining, and shopping, and at the outrageous drag queens like Hedda Lettuce sauntering down Commercial Street advertising their shows at the bars and theaters. Provincetown is a celebrity hangout too. Our encounters ranged from simply pointing out a few, to having dinner and dancing with one in particular. This year's celebrities included gay filmmaker John Waters, gay socio-cultural pundit Andrew Sullivan, and photographer Amy Arbus. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs got married to Lorenzo Martone while we were there, but somehow we missed them completely, which actually is surprising because it’s not that big of a town.

Shopping was naturally a highlight of our trip. I got my Happy Dog t-shirt in powder blue and orange at Coffey Men (check out more of Scott Coffey’s designs on his blog http://coffeymen.blogspot.com/). Gallery hopping also was on the agenda. We paid a visit to places like The Schoolhouse Gallery where Amy Arbus was part of a group exhibition. The work on display was from her latest series, The Fourth Wall, which relates to theater actors in costume appearing in settings off-stage. David Sokosh, who works with modern-day tintypes, had a show with some interesting images at the Esmond-Wright Gallery. And AR almost bought a picture by Robert Cardinal, whose work conjures the spirit of the Provincetown coast using abstracted forms with bold colors.

JM and RT spoiled us with their superb cooking, but we also ate out a few times. To celebrate AR’s birthday we went to The Mews (the salmon was delectable), but otherwise we found ourselves frequently at Cafe Heaven for dinners and brunch. Of course, there seemed to be a neverending imbibing of spirits in our condo (e.g. Ketel One and cranberry cocktails), and we danced our asses off every day, sometimes at tea dance at The Boatslip, other times boogieing until 1am at the Atlantic House, followed by the obligatory congregating of everyone at Spiritus for pizza. The best dance songs of the summer included remixes of Madonna’s new single “Celebration” and Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face,” but the two most popular were “Hush Hush” by The Pussycat Dolls and “When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. You can check out a video of this last song below courtesy of YouTube, but first, check out this picture...don’t we look ultimately fabulous just hanging out on our terrace?