Salty delight: my palate experiences a fresh liquid consistency that satisfies my weekend seafaring mindset. A burst of flavor comes from horseradish and cocktail sauce, which only accentuates the taste of the oyster.
I am in a town that was originally named “Port Aux Huitres,” or Oyster Port.
Oysters were collected by my friend at 3pm and on our plate by 7pm. It was nice to know, for once, how fresh my seafood was.
Port Aux Huitres is now called Wellfleet, which either comes from “Whale Fleet”, a nod to the prominence of whaling during the time of renaming, or, as others dispute, it refers to a popular English brand of oysters.
Indeed, Wellfleet has a history of many names. Upon being settled in the 1650’s and encompassing more land, including, Eastham, it was called “Billingsgate”, after a fish market in East London.
In my blog post, Montréal; a dual post on Burlington,Vermont and Montreal, I mention French explorer Samuel de Champlain for whom Lake Champlain is named. Champlain also discovered Wellfleet in 1606. It wasn’t settled until the 1650’s.
This coastal town is nestled in the hook, or “elbow” of Massachusetts. Wellfleet is home to fishermen, artists, and frequented by some well-known leftist intellectuals, such as Noam Chomsky; “father of modern linguistics” and political commentator, and Howard Zinn; historian and author of A People’s History of the United States of America.
Some young locals I’ve met over the years who live in Wellfleet year round make their living in the summer months and travel to exotic coastal locales in the winter, where they can keep the beach days alive and continue surfing in hot weather. When summer arrives here, droves of day-trippers and vacationers flock.
Wellfleet is roughly 70% preserved land, half of which is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which was created by President John F. Kennedy to protect ponds, woods, and beachfront. The town is not only home to ocean, but several ponds. Beachgoers have their choice of calm or active water.
The shore stretches on for miles and has dramatic cliffs and bluffs. Low tide can be fun with tide pools available to discover aquatic life. Wave size varies by beach, even though they are along the same coast, with some better for surfing and others for calm swimming.
Cahoon Hollow Beach is dramatic in scenery, with a steep drop from the parking lot to the beach. This is the party beach of Wellfleet, with a young crowd playing water sports and volleyball. Completing your beach experience is The Beachcomber, a restaurant and bar, were you can grab a cocktail and relax at the raw bar after your swim. If you are staying in town, you can take in live music at night.
Down the road is White Crest Beach, which is less crowded and one of the best for surfing. It is also the only town-owned beach where hang gliding is allowed.
Still, further down the road lies a beach with a steep walk to the sand. LeCount Hollow, also known as Maguire’s Landing. This beach is less crowded than Cahoon Hollow, but is gorgeous, and has an ice cream truck for those who want to enjoy a sweet treat.
If you’re looking for beautiful National Seashore beaches, Nauset and Marconi are nearby. Marconi Beach, in South Wellfleet, was named after Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian inventor, who, in 1903, carried out the first trans-Atlantic wireless transmission between the United States and England. The first call sign was “CC” for Cape Cod.
Snap Shot:
Known for: Oysters
Best Activity: Beach
Buy local catches/Enjoy ice cream at: Mac’s Seafood
Best Nightlife: The Beachcomber
If you’re in the mood for reading more on Noam Chomsky at a local haunt in Wellfleet (i.e the town dump), check out the article below, written by Lydia Millet and published in the Columbia Journal.
Click to access Lydia%20Millet.pdf
Travels With Alison 