Hyannis Harbor

Since I won't be setting foot down here again till fall (if even then), I figured I might as well go take some pics at the waterfront since I was in the neighbourhood.

These are buoys.  They look like colourful cattails.

Baxter's Fish n Chips on the water.

Ferry coming in from Nantucket.

These are 'Artist Shanties'.  I have no idea what these are like when they are open as I've never seen them open.

Love the name!

Each shanty had the name of one of the villages in Barnstable.

The Hyannis Harbor area was not this nice the first time I lived here.  It was very run down.  They've done a nice job over the years.

I did!

And I hope you did too!

Main Street, Hyannis

It's ironic that these pictures are posting on Memorial Day weekend, because Main Street in Hyannis is now overrun with tourists, and will be until October.  I was glad I got down there on a quiet weekday.

I really don't like Hyannis at all, but Main Street is pretty awesome.  'Back in the day', there was not much for teenagers to do on weekend nights, except drive down Main (which is one way), turn the corner, drive up South Street and get back on Main.  Over and over.  Usually lots of traffic with kids from other towns doing the same thing.  Windows down, 1980's music blaring, waving to people, talking to them, shout outs...I don't think anyone does that anymore.  It was very 'American Graffiti-esque' but I think that's died out.

So many kitschy souvenir stores.

A real vinyl record store!!!!!

Tshirt shop.

More souvenirs.

I didn't bother going in.  It's not that good a bead store and the prices are outrageous.

In all the years I lived here the first time, and worked just down the street at Channel 58, I've never eaten a The Egg & I.  It's been here for a really long time; since at least the 70s.

Outside another souvenir shop.

This place is huge and has all your swimsuit, beach and tshirt needs.

 After leaving Main Street I wanted to go down to the harbour but I didn't want to pay to park, so I parked behind the Town Hall where it's free.  

I am pretty impressed that I didn't spend a dime on Main Street!  So much to buy!

Craigville, Kalmus, Veterans and Hyannisport

When I left the 1856 Country Store, I was really close to Craigville Beach so I went down to check it out.  The beaches are bit different on the Nantucket Sound side.  The sand is coarser, with more crushed shells than rocks.  The beaches are also flatter from the parking lot to the water.

I haven't been down there since the mid 80s.  It was high tide so beach combing wasn't that good.

I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up in an exclusive part of Hyannisport.  I pulled over to take a few pics and got out of there.

Back on the right road, I pulled off at Kalmus Beach.  I saw July 4th fireworks there in 1987 with one of my friends.  The first couple of fireworks misfired and set the beach grass on fire.  The fire department had to put out the fire before the show could continue.  Then we were directly under the fireworks and firey, hot, smoking embers were literally raining down on everyone.  It was a comical sight watching all of us frantically gathering our blankets and crap and running down the beach to safety. That's the last time I went there.  And I think the first time too....kids in Sandwich didn't venture to Barnstable beaches as we had our own.

Waaaay over there is the Kennedy Compound.  I'm assuming it's still in the family even though so many of the old family has passed away.  

Just up from Kalmus Beach is Veterans Beach and the John F. Kennedy Memorial.  Somewhere there is a picture of me, around age 4, with my cousin and aunt from Yonkers, sitting on one of those benches.  

This is the Korean War Memorial.

I thought this was pretty cool, and I touched the stone.  

Looking out towards Veterans Beach.