Thursday, January 19, 2012

Wellfleet Vs. Boston: A Dozen Differences

A main difference, of course, is the serenity and beauty on the Outer Cape, which remains the reason so many tourists choose Wellfleet for their vacation. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed other differences though, that I would like to share:

1.) Pedestrians in Boston/Cambridge ride the subway and walk around with their eyes fixed on a smart phone or Kindle. Pedestrians in Wellfleet look up to admire the view.
2.) Wellfleet has one museum, and it’s only open in summer. Boston even offers free museum days, last Monday, for instance, Martin Luther King Day. (In Boston/Cambridge, Wellfleetians can go museum-wild, using passes from the public library.)
3.) In Boston, you can see elderly folks riding the bus, with walkers. In Wellfleet, not so much.
4.) The pace is frenetic in the city. In Wellfleet, people take their time, except in high season.
5.) Boston offers more options for organic food. To buy organic, you don’t have to jump in a car and travel 20 minutes away.
6.) Dinner in a good city restaurant is more affordable, dramatically so.
7.) Like ethnic cuisine? Boston offers Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Portuguese, French, etc.
8.) Eat gluten-free? It’s possible to find whole gluten-free restaurants in the city.
9.) Urban crime is always a possibility so people lock doors. Still, neighbors tend to know each other, which is less likely in Wellfleet with 72% of the housing stock being owned by non-residents.
10.) If I photographed a random group of people on the street in Wellfleet, the median age would be maybe 50. The general population in Boston feels younger, due to the large numbers of students rushing everywhere.
11.) In Boston, pharmacy checkout is now by machine. In Wellfleet we can still stand at a counter and interact with trained personnel.
12.) In Wellfleet, oysters can be found by the bucket, fresh off the flats. They cost $1 an oyster at Mac’s Seafood in Eastham. At Legal Seafood, a platter of six Wellfleets costs $13.95.

Some of you live in the city year-round. Can you add to this list?

Comments (14)

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This is a great juxtaposition! There are wonderful things about both places.
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Everything does seem so different in the city vs country. I love your observations!
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wow this was a great comparison- for some reason the number 9 stuck out to me the most- I mean I had thought that people in well fleet would know each other more since it is a smaller setting- but then it makes sense that this is not the case with non residents owning places and maybe not being there very much throughout the year.

In the neighborhood I live in right now- it is the first one I've lived in that the neighbors all do NOT want to know each other. It is the ODDEST thing....I'm curious as to why this is.
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1 reply · active 688 weeks ago
Sorry to hear that about your new neighborhood, Connie. In Wellfleet, people do meet at the library, and now at Prez. Hall. Maybe something like that is going on in your town?
Interesting and astute post. There's so much energy in cities, and I find myself thinking faster and walking faster when I'm in one, as opposed to the "country" where I live. Ideally, I'd like to have a home in both.
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Well, is it any wonder the folks in Wellfleet are looking at the view? It's beautiful. But I liked your point about the food...I had such excellent Thai food in Boston. Oh and the bakeries...
Nice, thoughtful post. I love Wellfleet, but remain a city girl.
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david wright · 688 weeks ago

If you mean the Well. Hist. Soc. Museum, Sandy, we are ALWAYS free, when open.
Another difference to city museums, I imagine, is that we have no heat, scant paid staff and no running water, which must be considered.
2 replies · active 688 weeks ago
Perhaps there is a way to resolve these issues, no? Especially with expansion and creation of those marvelous Wellfleet life rooms, could the museum stay open on weekends in spring and fall, for instance?
david wright's avatar

david wright · 688 weeks ago

As a matter of fact, Sandy, we have voted to stay open Saturdays this Fall through Oysterfest. (and we are always open for serious research)
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alisa bowman · 688 weeks ago

I was in NY over the weekend and there was a constant message that played in the subways about not displaying your phone or wallet and keeping all your belongings hugged in tight close to your body. We don't have things like that playing over the loudspeakers around here. Of course, don't even have a subway here....
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Living Large · 688 weeks ago

I'm often making these types of comparisons between my native KC and our adopted small town in Arkansas. Interesting post.
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I'm such a country girl - wouldn't live in a big city, ever. But clearly, there are some benefits to city life!
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Nice to have a city like Boston nearby. I guess our nearest "big" city would be Grand Rapids, about 3 hours south of here. And then Detroit, about 5 hours south of here. But Traverse City is just the right size for me.
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