Sandwich, MA (in Cape Cod) - July 15

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Since the beginning of the summer, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the CapeFlyer train that runs seasonally between Boston and Cape Cod. We decided to head to Sandwich, MA as opposed to the more well-known town of Hyannis since there seemed to be a bit more than just beaches and oceans.

Fun fact, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod. Naturally when going to a town named Sandwich, we discovered that a sandwich must be at least 35% meat and at most 50% bread according to the USDA. Not sure if that's by weight or volume? Also, what about a PB&J then? That's a sandwich according to the British Sandwich Association, which defines a sandwich as any form of bread with a filling.

Is this at least 35% meat and at most 50% bread?

After stepping off the train at Buzzards Bay, I savored the salty sea breeze. We wandered along Cape Cod Canal while waiting for a nonexistent bus. (It only operates on weekdays, but we were unaware of this.) People fished on the rocks and biked on the paved path. We were fascinated by the vertical lift bridge and had to wait until the evening to see it in action.

We wandered around an antique shop and finally decided to take an Uber to Sandwich. Our first stop was brunch at Cafe Chew. Everything was made well there!

  • Jordan Marsh blueberry muffin - when I saw the wide caramelized muffin top, I knew I wanted to order it. According to the Internet, Jordan Marsh was a popular New England department store with famous blueberry muffins. It turned out to be not too sweet and filled with decent blueberry flavor. It was sturdy but still moist. I appreciated that it was not crumbly and closer to a quick bread as opposed to a cake.
  • Mexican wedding cookie - buttery, milky flavor; soft and melt in your mouth but still sturdy and moist; some crunch and nuttiness from the walnuts. Again not too sweet and great cookie overall!
Munching on sandwiches in Sandwich!

After exploring the shops near Cafe Chew, we headed to Town Neck Beach. Fiona, Christy, and Clara spotted a seal off the end of the jetty! We also collected some colorful rocks as the sky drizzled upon us. I attempted to swim but the water was quite cold. If the beach was less rocky, I would have run in and out of the water. There was also a bunch of kids catching crabs in the rocks on the water's edge.


Where there are seals, there are sharks

Then we headed to Sandwich Glass Museum where we watched a glassblowing demo of making a handkerchief bowl and learned peopled used to place celery sticks in vases as a sign of wealth. Celery sticks were a luxury then since fresh produce was hard to find. Seems like celery and lobster have swapped places nowadays. On display at the museum were items from the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company as well as more modern pieces, such as glass animals!

Glass Ruth Goldberg

Glass birds!

For dinner, we munched on "local, antibiotic free chuck and sirloin burgers" at Burger Next Door which is housed inside a fancy house. The bathroom even had a jacuzzi! I got the butcher's burger which had blue cheese, fried egg, bacon, and prosciutto. The beef flavor wasn't very strong but the saltiness of the prosciutto helped to bring out the flavors. Fries were decent - thick cut and crispy!

Cutesy burger place?



Another Uber back to Buzzards Bay and goodbye to the smell of sunscreen, the sea, and rain!


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