Everyone knows Plymouth, Massachusetts, as America's Hometown. People know about the Pilgrims, the Mayflower and the Plymouth Rock. But there are things that Plymouth residents in particular know all too well when it comes to their hometown.
1. The Rock.
Forget about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower because let's be honest, the real star of Plymouth is a rock...THE rock. Plymouth is known for housing the rock that the Pilgrims landed on back in 1620. People from near and far come to visit Plymouth Rock and with all the hype you'd think it was a magic boulder. It helps that it is kept in an architectural structure resembling a miniature Parthenon. As a Plymouth resident, it is a baffling source of entertainment watching both the interest and let-down that comes with the rock.
We know. It's everything you hoped it'd be and more.
2. You find yourself blaming tourists for everything in the summer.
Even with Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation, us residents still just do not understand how Plymouth manages to attract so many tourists. When it hits summertime, we either complain about and/or avoid downtown and the waterfront due to the overwhelming number of tourists that take up parking, flood sidewalks and stores, and those that simply do not know how to properly cross a street and cause unnecessary traffic. We assume they're everywhere so they're blamed for everything. Traffic? Stupid tourists. Beach is full? Stupid tourists. Got cut off? Stupid tourists. Crowded supermarket? Stupid tourists. Honestly, if we don't know you then you're assumed to be a tourist.
3. We're not the cape but we get their traffic.
When it hits summertime, people love to head to the Cape. The Cape is wonderful, Cape traffic is not wonderful. You find yourself 10 seconds onto an on-ramp to get on the highway and realizing you just made the worst mistake of your life as you see all the traffic before you. It's too late to turn back now and take the back roads or scenic routes. I always forget about Cape traffic until I get stuck in it. I live one exit off the highway from where I work and somehow five minutes from one exit to the next turns into twenty minutes.
4. If it's Tuesday, you know where to find all of Plymouth.
You're bound to at least see someone you know, if not everyone you know, if you hit up Ernie's on a Tuesday night. Why? Because on Tuesdays this restaurant has bestowed on its residents the gift of BUY ONE GET ONE FREE PIZZA. Need I say more?
5. Our biggest rival is ourselves.
High school athletics is a sense of pride for any town. No matter where you live, you can relate to having that one town that you consider to be your archrival. Such a rivalry is fueled by a strong sense of passion and aggression. In Plymouth's case, their biggest rival is...Plymouth. Nothing gets more heated than Plymouth North v Plymouth South athletics. The two schools are a whopping 10 minutes apart from each other and everyone pretty much knows everyone, yet when it comes to sports everyone gets cutthroat. But nothing can compare to the Thanksgiving pep rally and football game dedicated towards this rivalry.
6. Our town loves construction (apparently).
Plymouth seems to really love construction projects. A while back, the town engaged in a major sewer project, tearing up roads and creating detours every which way. I'm pretty sure we even put up random detours because, why not? Despite the long months of construction traffic in the most inconvenient places, we couldn't get it right so here we are again taking on yet another major sewer project to fix the mistakes. Just keep those detours coming. Plymouth is also set to work on reconstructing the downtown waterfront, a $3.8 million project set to take place next year. And because this town always takes the smart approach to construction, the project is set to being mid-July. Yes. The busiest time of the year, summer, is the absolute best time to rip up and reconstruct one of the most populated places in Plymouth. I will be avoiding the waterfront next summer.
Detours: Giving you the tour of Plymouth you never signed up for.
7. It's downright beautiful.
I'm fortunate to have grown up in such an amazing town. Despite it being quite large in population, everyone seems to know everyone and we all look out for each other. Sure, some residents may complain that there's nothing to do in Plymouth but wander over to other towns who don't have what we do and you'll see what you're missing. Some people live nowhere near a beach, they don't get the privilege of going to elementary school right by the water (shout out to N.M.E.S). They don't know what it's like to celebrate Fourth of July, America's birthday, in America's hometown. If you're a Plymouth resident, you know you're lucky to live in a pretty beautiful town.
