Neither Janie nor I have had the good fortune to visit Cape Cod, so we figured what better chance would come about than an evening outside of Fall River. Therefore, we struck out due east first thing Wednesday morning with Hyannis punched into the GPS (once again can’t say enough about this tool). It was about an hours drive, time enough to land at the town’s Center and grab a coffee prior to our first attraction of the day.
We parked on Main St., directly in front of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum. Quaint, affluent New England seemed to reach in almost every direction. Nice town! The facility opened at 9:00 AM sharp, with a bronze of JFK standing watch, and we entered shortly after finishing coffees to the exhibits (almost entirely free of visitors). Gotta love morning visits.
We took our time at this museum, which mixes written and pictorial displays with some video. Walks through JFK’s career, relating at every chance to his personal relationship with family and the compound in Hyannis Port. The information panels start with his early life on Cape Cod. An excellent timeline of JFK’s time as president (relating to other world events) was a treat. Drops things into a broader perspective. A special exhibit is in place that celebrates JFK’s mother, Rose. It speaks of her commitment to faith, family, politics and broader service (especially when it involved persons with disabilities). Great focus is placed on the Kennedy love of the water, with features on the boats and shoreline they all seemed to draw strength from. Lastly, the exhibit delves into the unbreakable bond between JFK and his brother Bobby. It walks visitors through their early campaigns, family development, political challenges, and unfortunate and all too early demise. We both thought it worth the price of admission…
Post visit we were left wanting more, so we set out to find the JFK Memorial across town. It’s simplistic and passive, a monument and fountain placed in a gorgeous ocean front setting. The view is amazing, sailboats in every direction and beach goers enjoying the the warmth of the summer. We toured, kind of interested in stumbling upon the Kennedy Family compound. However, without any real directions we just enjoyed the coastal views, amazing homes, and the salt air.
By midday we were in the mood to grub up. We had driven along the coast from Hyannis to Falmouth, the New England launching point for Martha’s Vineyard. After a failed “GPS Search” for a Picnic / Hiking opportunity (with a place to sit outside the car) we finally settled just west of the community at Chapoquoit Beach, Cape Cod. It’s a thin sliver of sandy beach that overlooks Buzzard Bay. We stopped, cracked open the cooler and had a beachfront lunch… Finishing just minutes prior to the arrival of the day’s first major rain squall. In essence, this was the first real rain (beyond a sun shower in Burlington) we encountered since leaving Nova Scotia.
Bellies full, we worked together to navigate the trek to our evenings accommodation at the Hampton Inn in Natick… A suburb of greater Boston that affords decent access to transportation into and out of Fenway. We circumvented the city using the I-495 and I-90 to arrive just at Check in time. We’d stayed here before, and they have great directions in and out of town set up for visitors.
So… At supper time it was off to Fenway – Red Sox vs Yankees! Pretty classic AL East match-up with the opportunity to see the Red Sox in a pennant race and one of A-Rod’s last games before retirement. We connected with the Green Line from Riverside and arrived smoothly, about 25 minutes later, to a rainy and “steamy” Fenway Park. The game didn’t disappoint, lasting over 4 hours with 22 hit’s and what seemed like a dozen pitchers. The crowd at Fenway, as usual, was spirited. However, all in attendance watched the game slip away from the Sox in what turned out to be a rout in the late innings. I love baseball under the lights… And Janie and I hung in there until the ninth, arriving back at digs at 12:30! It was warm… You could almost wring us out after five hours of heat. Nothing a glass of wine wouldn’t cure though😜!
Have a nice w/e on Great Spruce Head Island.
Enjoyed the lighthouse picture. Chris, your research does make the trip very interesting ! Thanks again😊
Just back on the grid Eileen after two super relaxing days on the island. I’ll try and get some pictures and write up in this evening to update the blog! Hope things aren’t too hot in Antigonish!