Beach at Dennis, MA. Courtesy of Boston.com
Dennis, Massachusetts, a sylvan mid-Cape town, has less name recognition than its glitzy cousins, Provincetown and Hyannis. Its charms are singular; exquisite light and color, understated, yet elegant New England architecture (think old shingles reminiscent of grey cashmere) and a small town vibe.
Dennis boasts the Cape Playhouse, the oldest professional summer theater in the US. Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Roger, Lana Turner, Helen Hayes and Jane Fonda made their professional stage debuts there. NY theatre professionals continue to appear, proving this local gem to be a performance space of quality, particularly on a sultry summer evening following today’s catch and a chilled Riesling. An 8/08/09 NY Times article, Where Broadway Takes its Vacation, recounts the frantic theatrical preparations of the Playhouse. They liken the process to a bank foreclosure: There is always potential for fiasco —let’s hope!
The Cape Cod Museum of Art and Cape Cinema are located on the same lovely grounds. The cinema presents a weekly indie or foreign movie, as well as mainstream fare. Currently, the charming and instructive documentary Every Little Step is playing. The theatre is replete with linen seat covers and Rockwell Kent murals.
While summertime on the Cape is a classic pleasure, I particularly love Dennis in the fall. The landscape is gilded with the colors of cranberries, mustard seed, asters and Russian sage. The weather defines crisp.
I’ve experienced some perfect running moments there. Map My Run lists several pages of Dennis runs, here’s mine:
Begins at the Dennis Village Green on 6A. Heading east, towards Brewster, signs point to the oddly named Cold Storage and Corporation Beaches (all on the Cape Cod Bay), as well as the Howes Street Beach, Scargo Lake and the Dennis Yacht club. After encountering a sign, I run through each distinctive neighborhood until I reach the destination. I return briefly to 6A, where I will encounter the next sign. Because I am so directionally challenged, these runs tend to stretch out for hours. They culminate in a (private) outdoor shower.
Could there be anything more welcome?
The perfect Dennis jaunt; the dream rental house (each home we’ve visited offers an outdoor shower), forays to Bucky’s Underground for lattes and biscotti, hours of beach reading with occasional warm water swims (when the tide cooperates!) and long, leisurely dinners at home. We buy produce at the organic vegetable store on 6A in Dennis. There is an excellent Stop and Shop and a yuppified food emporium, Ring Brothers, located at the shopping centers on Route 134 (near Route 6.) If it happens to be a rainy day, check out the unbeatable Marshalls.
Bring lots of books, magazines, sunscreen and those running shoes…
{ 0 comments }
