Fire Island versus Provincetown
By Andrew Collins

The Northeast's two premier gay vacation destinations both evolved in isolated, tip-of-the-universe communities within an afternoon's drive of major cities, but that's where their similarities end. Cape Cod's Provincetown and Long Island's Fire Island are strikingly different breeds of the same general species. It's not uncommon to find gay folks who love both towns, sometimes for different reasons, but most queer summer-resort habitues have developed a clear preference for one or the other.

Somewhat complicating comparisons is the fact that Fire Island's GLBT communities, Cherry Grove and the Pines, themselves enjoy a good-natured rivalry. The two villages are separated both geographically - by a cruisy swath of sand and forest - and philosophically - by a vast gulf of attitude. Cherry Grove is the senior of the two villages, catering to an eclectic crowd: retirees, dykes with tikes, campy queens, artists, and a highly diverse bunch in terms of race, age, and style - everyone seems to fit in well in this low-keyed enclave. Houses here are generally funkier and more affordable than those in the Pines, which was developed more recently and has a mostly male, more upscale following. Domiciles in the Pines tend to be angular, sleek, and palatial; the crowd at Pines restaurants and bars is closer in style and attitude to the buffed, bronzed, and somewhat affluent bunch you might see wandering around Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. You'll find elements of both these populations in Provincetown, but without such obvious divisions.

If truly getting away from civilization is your intent, either community on Fire Island is a better choice than the whole of Provincetown. The Pines and Cherry Grove are accessible only by boat and are without streets or automobiles; they're also nearly devoid of heteros (which can be fun for a few days but can feel a little Twilight Zonish after a week or two). Provincetown is equally remote (it's at the tip of Cape Cod) but easier to get to, as you can drive here or take a high-speed ferry directly from Boston. Also, even during its summer peak, it's still only about 50 percent gay, drawing a mix to its handful of museums, scads of shops, dozens of restaurants, and stunningly beautiful swath of Cape Cod National Seashore.

If you're traveling with your lover or with friends, you'll find that both destinations have plenty going for them, but that on Fire Island your day may revolve more closely around those in your party - there simply aren't many places to wander off and do your own thing. It's a good place to read, lie in the sun, and relax. In Provincetown, it's not unheard of for a group of friends to arrive together and see each other only three or four more times during the rest of their stay. This is a decent-size town with numerous distractions and plenty of chances to meet new friends. For these reasons, if you're traveling alone, Provincetown may be your better choice.

Because it has only a few hundred hotel rooms (most of which command more than $200 nightly), Fire Island draws fewer short-term visitors than it does weekly, monthly, or seasonal guests. If you're an outsider, you may find it somewhat difficult to crack such an established, cliquey social scene; on the other hand, newcomers, especially by summer's end, are often welcomed enthusiastically by the regulars who've by now grown a little weary of the island's insularity. Provincetown has more than 50 gay-oriented guest houses and inns, and therefore has a steady turnover of visitors - you rarely see the same folks in the same bars every night.
Continue to page 2>>>

Page 1 of 2