Touring New England

Hi all,

encouraged by Bob Parsons from this parish, I frequent the UK Wine-Pages Forum, I am posting here in the hope that some nuggets of information might be gleaned from asking for any advice on routes and timings for the Vacation my wife, Sally, and I shall be taking, we leave in a few short days.
We shall land at Boston were we shall stay for two nights before heading off, currently the plan is to drive straight to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor before wending our way back down to New York over the intervening 8 or 10 days, 3 nights in the East Village, then home. We are seasoned travellers to New York and Connecticut, so it's not all new to us.

Should we follow the Coast back down or move inland though Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire? Primarily we hope to catch some Fall action. Diners not gourmet will meet our feeding requirements, if you have any local delicacy tips we'd be pleased to read them.

I had been registered here several years ago and had been an occasional poster, mainly FLDG, having re registered for the purposes of this post I shall do my best to contribute here occasionally again.

Many thanks, in advance.


Don Reid.

Hi Don and welcome back. My brother and sister live in different parts of Maine and I visit there at least once per year. There are two major routes from Boston to Bar Harbor. I-95 is the superhighway and the fastest route - probably 4-5 hours from Boston and a pretty drive. US Route 1 runs along the coast and is much slower because it goes through every town on the coast and has lower speed limits and lots of traffic signals, but is much more interesting. Portsmouth, NH and Portland, ME are very nice cities. While visiting Acadia National Park, I'd recommend the shore dinner at the Downeast Lobster Pound, which is located on Route 3 in Trenton, just off Mt. Desert Island. Bring your own wine or beer (some good local beers made in Portland), as they only have a soda pop machine. Food is served on trays from a window and the dining facilities are picnic tables. A shore dinner is a large lobster, a pile of steamed mussels, corn on the cob and cole slaw. Clam chowder is extra. Maine is beautiful this time of year and now is the best time to go there, as the tourist season has ended. In Vermont, it is just the opposite. I also have an old friend in Vermont. The Autumn colors are Vermont's major tourist attraction, so prices in hotels and restaurants will be at their peak, even though the Autumn colors in Maine and New Hampshire are just as spectacular.

Hi Don, we lived on the Coast of Maine for nineteen years before moving to New Hamshire. Here are some recommendations. Take I-95 into Maine. At Kittery Point look for the Chauncy Creek Lobster Pound. On the Portland waterfront you can't beat J's Oyster Bar. At Boothbay Harbor look for The Boathouse Bistro in East Boothbay. In Belfast it is Papa J's (no relation to J's in Portland) right on Route 1 and Penobscot Bay. On Mt Desert Island look for Beal's Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor; which is right on the water versus the tourist trap in Trenton.

Don't know what Howie was drinking, but the tourist season in Maine, though quiet in September, resurges during the first two weeks in October. The second weekend is one of biggest in Northern New England and Eastern Canada. In addition to being peak foliage, it is also Columbus Day in America and Thanksgiving in Canada. You will need reservations wherever you go.

When you are ready to leave the Coast of Maine take route 1A to Bangor, and then take route 2 across the rest of Maine, across New Hamshire, and on to Burlington, VT. Take the ferrry across Lake Champlain. If you want to go on down to NYC, just go south on I-89. Otherwise continue on into the Adirondacks.

Have a great trip, Carl

[Jenise]

Donald, I'm a left coaster so unable to help with your quest, but I do want to say welcome back! Hope to see more of you,

Jenise

...On Mt Desert Island look for Beal's Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor; which is right on the water versus the tourist trap in Trenton...

I haven't been to Beals' since 1974, when my brother was living in Southwest Harbor. Great place. However, I did have an excellent 2 lb. hard shell shore dinner in Trenton this past August. Back in 1976, my wife and I went to Mt. Desert for our first anniversary (October 3rd) and the place was deserted. All the hotels had off rates. We got a room for $10 and a shore dinner at the Golden Anchor in Bar Harbor for $8. However, on our way back home, we went through Vermont and couldn't find a room for less than $100. Maybe things have changed for Fall tourism in Maine in the past 30+ years.

Sorry Howie, I didn't realize how it had been since you've been up there. When I was running our B&B during the '80s and 90s, during that weekend we had to send people far inland to Augusta and beyond to find a room when they did not have reservations.