Downtown Plymouth

Cole's Hill

Massasoit statue at the top of the hill

Aaaand here we are at {making airquote gesture with fingers} "Plymouth Rock".  Sorry for the airquotes but seriously, this is the most anticlimactic historical monument ever.  I always like to glance around at the tourists just to see what their reactions are when they first lay eyes on the famous and fabled Plymouth Rock.  So far I have yet to hear anyone actually say, 'That's IT?  You have GOT to be KIDDING me!'  

Mayflower II and a whale watch ship behind it.

Souvenir shops.  (I like the shops up on Main Street better but I didn't go up there).

Canopy over the rock

Seriously....the place reminds me a lot of Victoria

This odd looking wood carving is located at the service plaza on Exit 5, off Rte. 3.  It's called Enisketomp and was placed there in 1983.  I have always thought it was pretty damn ugly & hoped that it would be removed, but here it sits, 31 years later.

Plymouth, Part 1

Main Street/Rte. 3.  Great variety of architecture.

Looking down one of the streets towards the harbour.

Temple Beth Jacob

I loved their 'ish' hours.

Whole foods market called Common Sense.

Sam Diego's is a Mexican Restaurant.  Last time I lived in MA there was only one in Hyannis, but they've expanded to Plymouth and I like that their restaurant blends in with the rest of the old buildings.

Homes/apartments

I believe this contains the remains of those Pilgrims that died during the first year.  They used to be contained in the roof of the memorial over the rock but were moved here.

Statue of Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoags, who helped the Pilgrims.  That's a very simplistic statement, but the history is way too long to go into, so I encourage you to click on his name and read about him.  Let's just say it had more to do with ensuring an alliance against the Narragansett tribe than it did his wanting to see the new English settlers succeed.

Plymouth Rock is under this canopy.  That's the roof where the bodies were originally interred.

Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe

Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that carried the Pilgrims to the new world.  Did you know they landed at Provincetown first, before sailing on to Plymouth?

I haven't been on board since I was a kid, but I remember it as being really tiny with low ceilings.  I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must have been making that journey across the Atlantic in the cold fall weather.

Paddlewheel Harbour Tour

Love the old houses!

Victoria East????

Been meaning to take a trip up to Plymouth.  Last time I was there, was the mid-80s and I remembered it as a dying, depressed town with empty store fronts and old-tyme department stores on their last legs on the Main Street.  The waterfront was just OK, not terribly interesting with a really hokey wax museum about the Pilgrims.  Well, it's interesting if you are from out of town, but growing up 'down the road' from America's birthplace wasn't really a novelty for me.  Yeah yeah, Plymouth Rock, big deal.  Very anticlimactic when you finally see it.  First Thanksgiving and all that, blah blah blah.  Puh-lease don't make me endure Plimoth Plantation again....

One morning, despite the fact that it was a little too warm and humid for my liking, I headed out with the intent of driving down near the Sagamore Bridge, to walk the Canal to the Scusset breakwater.  As I got closer to my destination, I made a split second decision, and got into the left turn lane for Rte. 3 North in order to check out Plymouth instead.  Unfortunately it was too late to turn around and get any money, so I knew souvenir shopping wasn't an option but that was OK, I just wanted to see something different for my walk and shoot some pics.

I pulled onto the main street where the downtown shopping is and found a 2 hour space.  That'd be perfect.  I started my walk and was pleasantly surprised to see that Plymouth has turned into a groovy little town.  Killer shops full of tie dye and beads and batik and sage and crystals.  

Antique stores.  A British food store (which was there in the 80s), Irish pubs, British Beer Company.  

A Hookah Lounge.  

Lamp posts with baskets of flowers hanging from them. 

Then I headed down to the waterfront to take in the harbour scenes.  

Souvenirs and kitsch.  It was a good thing that I hadn't brought any money because I would have left with half the town. 

Ice cream places, bars & eateries.   

Lots of beautiful flowers.

Harbour tours, fishing trips and whale watches.  

Yeah the 'Rock' is still pretty beat....it's only a small piece of one that was much larger and located elsewhere.  

As I was walking around, it occurred to me that it was a lot like Victoria, but on a smaller scale.  Yeah, there are no giant Parliaments or Empress Hotels.  But the big, old stone and brick buildings and churches are something to see for sure.  

I've found my new fave place to go and poke around.  It's not Victoria, but it'll do nicely.  Stay tuned for more Plymouth pics!!