For most people, Cape Cod is about summer vacations by the sea. Sundrenched days at the beach, splashing in the ocean, and just being lazy.
Overindulging on oysters, fried clams, and ice cream. Sipping cold beer and cocktails while the sun sets. I’m much more interested in the “other side” of life on the Cape. There are the seasonal workers: thousands of people who flock to the Cape every summer, not to play but to work. They come from Jamaica and eastern Europe – students from Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Moldova. They work the deep-fryers and make sandwiches in the kitchens. They scrub the floors and toilets in the motels and rental cottages. Many work two or three jobs at a time, earning more money in a week than they could in a month back home. There are the locals and the transplants – peculiar characters who are drawn to live, year-round, in an “end-of-the-road” place like the outermost Cape. And, then there’s the long “off season.” In July and August, the population in the small towns on the outer Cape explodes tenfold. But, summer is short. By September and October, there’s a mass exodus. The tourists have gone home. Cottages are boarded up. Motels, restaurants and clam shacks shut down for the season. And, the coastline is pummeled by powerful winter storms. It’s quiet, lonely and raw. (Brian Kaplan)
