As a college student I look forward to my summer as a chance to relax, catch up with friends, and make money. As a resident of Cape Cod I look forward to beaches, seafood, and unfortunately, dodging tourists. Whether you live on Cape Cod year round or just spend the summer, there’s a lot of good and bad aspects of a Cape Cod summer.
Getting out in May and approaching the Bourne Bridge without traffic…
Approaching the Bourne Bridge with traffic…
Seeing the Cape Cod hedges welcoming you to a summer paradise…
Going through the rotary and wait, another rotary….
Driving past the beach for the first time…
Getting to go to the beach for the first time…
That little moment of happiness when you don’t need a beach sticker because the attendants aren’t out yet…
Once the beach attendants arrive…
When you know the beach attendant…
When it still doesn’t matter because you didn’t shell out the money for a beach sticker…
When you get the beach to yourself…
When someone sits down right next to you despite all the open spaces…
When they’re really loud…
Watching lifeguards yell at tourists for walking on the jetty, bringing flotation devices, drinking on the beach, etc…
Spotting tourists on the beach (hints: looking for umbrellas, beach tents, not knowing about the aforementioned restricted items, etc…)
When the lifeguards get off duty and it’s a free for all…
Going night swimming…
Being asked for directions constantly…
Or stupid questions, like if you need to take a boat to get to Martha’s Vineyard…
Taking a ferry to the Vineyard…
Taking a ferry to the Vineyard on the same day as the nearby camp…
Deciding to go down any town’s Main Street to eat…
Arriving at the worst possible time during the dinner rush…
Finding back roads to avoid summer traffic…
Getting stuck in inevitable traffic…
Poking around touristy shops just for fun…
Enjoying the infinite possibilities of cute local ice cream shops…
Watching people line up at Dairy Queen anyway…
When people don’t understand the difference between Upper and Lower Cape…
Or the difference between the villages and towns of the Cape…
Bracing yourself for the 4th of July crowds…
Admiring the 4th of July outfits…
Getting tired of all the people and traffic…
But doing it all over again next summer because you love the Cape…
Do you love the Cape, Collegiettes?