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Official Blog of Kristy Gherlone
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    • Hidden Gems in Maine

      Posted at 1:04 pm by writergherlone, on October 24, 2017

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      Not too far from the border of New Hampshire, on the Maine coast, there is a town called   Ogunquit.  It is truly one of my favorite southern Maine spots to visit.

      It is a small coastal town that draws in thousands of visitors in the summertime. People come from all over the world to spend time on the gorgeous, lengthy sand beaches, for the shopping, excellent dining choices, boating, fishing, surfing…you name it. There is plenty to do.

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      When I was a kid growing up in northern Maine, I didn’t know anything about Ogunquit. No one ever talked about it. When people made the three hour trek to the ocean, they went to Old Orchard Beach or to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. I often went to Bar Harbor, and of course, I’ve been to Old Orchard. Who didn’t when they were a teen? Families love Old Orchard for the amusement parks and side attractions. You can walk the “strip” in Old Orchard, or the pier, get a dough boy (or funnel cake, or fried dough..whatever you call them from wherever you are on the map; in Maine it’s a dough boy) a cotton candy, a cheap bathing suit, some plastic beach toys, and go on an array of carnival rides that will make you throw-up your dough boy.  In Bar Harbor, you can visit Acadia. You can hike, ride horses, sit at the beach, or do the side attraction like the Acadia Zoo in Trenton. Don’t get me wrong, they are both fun places to visit, but when I first saw Ogunquit, I was hooked!  It is a bit more of an upscale, adult- oriented beach town. Hot sun, lazy beaches, casual attitudes, upscale shops, and nearly every restaurant has lobster or some type of delicious seafood on the menu. To me, it has that Florida, I’m-on-vacation-don’t-bother-me feel to it.

      This is what I like to do when I get there:

      1. Walk Marginal Way
      2. Take one of the trollies back to the square.
      3. Eat at the Footbridge.
      4. Shop in one of the many, many gorgeous shops-clothes, jewelry, art, antiques..etc.
      5. Eat again!
      6. Go to the beach for some sun and relaxation
      7. Eat again
      8. Book a cocktail cruise on Finest Kind cruises
      9. Look at the lighthouse at Nubble and the moon over the ocean
      10. Sleep peacefully with a smile on my face

       

      The walk (Marginal Way)  is a little over a mile one-way with gorgeous waterfront homes on one side and incredible ocean view on the other. The people who own the homes there, landscape their lawns beautifully. There is always an abundance of flowers and butterflies along the way, even this late in the season.

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      However, as I have said, the town does draw in visitors. Too many sometimes. Summertime is bustling and busy. It’s hard to find adequate parking and it’s hard to move around with all of those elbows and strollers.  The wonderful people there have all kinds of advice about where to eat, what to see, where to stay, and what to do. I have found some gems in the years I have spent there. I want to tell you about two or three, to save you some trouble.

      The Colonial Inn. It is not right on the ocean, which makes it seem less desirable. Everyone wants something right on the water but if you don’t book a room at the Colonial, for that reason, you are missing out. This is what it looks like:

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      So yeah, it’s gorgeous. It’s not on the water, but does have an ocean view. The staff is incredibly attentive and often do extras to make your stay even more special, like this:

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      Having an anniversary? They will surprise and delight your spouse with something like this. They also do weddings and special functions. I’ve never seen any other hotel go through so much trouble to make you happy.

      They are also a bit cheaper for not being on the water, but it is beautiful hotel. Relaxed, but fun. Elegant, but economical. I love it and the staff. They are in the middle of the shopping and very close to the entrance of Marginal Way.

      Where to eat? For a fancy restaurant on the water, try MC Perkins Cove. Good food, good ambiance, and excellent service…but if you don’t care what the place looks like as long as it has good food, you can’t beat The Footbridge Lobster. I don’t really like to eat anywhere else, unless I have to dress up and be fancy…then it’s MC.

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      For one, they have the absolute best lobster stew and crab rolls I’ve ever tasted. I literally dream about their food all year long. The staff is pleasant and attentive and that’s amazing considering how busy they usually are. There is usually a line out the door! I would gladly wait in line an hour or more for a crab roll from them! So yummy!

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      And if you are thinking, ‘Ogunquit doesn’t sound like a good place for families’, you would be wrong. York’s Animal Kingdom is right down the road. My grandson loves it.

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      You can pet goats, see tigers, lions, and maybe even some bears!  Plus Ogunquit has a couple of toy stores, and an arcade for the kiddos, pizza shops and those cheap beach toys that Old Orchard has. There are also plenty of places that have kids menus, as well. And what kid wouldn’t like to ride on a trolly?

      Anyway, I wanted to share what I know about Ogunquit so that when you visit, it can be just as wonderful as I know it to be. I’m not much of a travel blogger, but I do travel a lot; to Ogunquit, more than any other place. I love it and I hope you’ll find my suggestions helpful.

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      Enjoy!

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged beach, dining, eat, familyfriendly, lobsters, maine, ocean, ogunquit, restaurant, seafood, shopping, thecolonialinn, thefootbridge, trollies, vacation
    • The Lobsterman

      Posted at 12:35 pm by writergherlone, on June 28, 2017

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      The Lobsterman

      by Kristy Gherlone

       

      My husband and I took some time out of our busy schedules the other day to hop over the border to visit my home state of Maine. New Hampshire is only a stone’s throw away from southern Maine and we try to go as much as we can.

      It was a hot day, so we decided to take the Finest Kind cruise out of Ogunquit. We paid our fare and sat waiting on the boat for everyone else to board and for the captain to get underway.

      Our captain was clipped and professional in his polo shirt, emblazoned with the company logo. He was pleasant enough, but seemed more intent on selling us drinks than anything else. I’m sure it wasn’t his fault, as he was probably instructed to do this, but right away I could tell he wasn’t local and believe me, if you’re from Maine, you know who is and who isn’t!

      The sun beat down hard on our heads. It was hot! A lot of people don’t realize that Maine often gets temperatures into the 90’s during the summertime. I couldn’t wait to get out into the open ocean and feel the cool breeze.  I distracted myself by  looking over at the mansions dotting the shoreline. Great big, sprawling places but decorated tastefully with the quaintness of  Maine coast homes.

      A writer often loses themselves in thought, imagining all sorts of things, and as I sat there, I wondered about the people who lived in those places. I wanted to know how they came to have such wealth. Did they work for it? Did they inherit it? Was it their primary home or just a vacation spot?

      I saw a lady  emerge from one of the homes. She was wearing a large brimmed sun hat and a flowing, flowered dress. She proceeded down the expansive lawn and began to pick her way over the gigantic boulders that the Maine shore is famous for.

      She looked so lonely, and lost, at least that’s what I saw, in my writer’s mind. She sat down on a rock, shielded her eyes from the sun and gazed out over the ocean.  I wondered why she was alone and why she looked so sad for all that wealth and beauty.

      After a while, my attention turned to another boat that was heading right towards us. It was another cruise ship in the Finest Kind fleet.  It pulled up alongside of us, as our boat swayed against the dock.  Their cruise was ending and the people aboard needed to disembark. We’d have to wait there until they did. I sipped from my ginger ale, slapped on a bit more sunscreen, and watched a school of striped bass swim by our boat. I wish I’d brought along a fishing pole!

      That particular cruise happened to be a lobster hauling excursion. It was set up so that people from away could get a taste of what it might be like to be a lobsterman. They sail out a ways, haul one or two traps, and then turn back around and head for shore.

      The people disembarked, leaving the lobsterman behind to straighten up. If I had to guess, I’d say he was nearly 70. He was ruddy from the sun and wearing hip waders. He worked with his back to us as he tended to the fresh lobster they’d caught that day.

      We were right next to each other. Close enough to see what he was up to, if anyone wanted to and most people did. Lobsters are creepy looking critters, but oh so delicious!

      The people on our boat wanted to ask him questions and didn’t hesitate to do so. For some reason, I expected him to be crusty about it, since we were not on his boat, hadn’t paid for his time and he was probably tired from I don’t know how many excursions already that day, but when he turned around with all of those people staring at him, his face lit up. He prattled on and on about lobsters, cracking jokes here and there. He took one out of the tank and passed it around so people could hold it. I could see from his face how much he enjoyed his job. He took a lot of pleasure in it and I knew immediately that he was a local and loved Maine every bit as much as I do.

      He answered everybody’s questions with a grin so bright, it made the sun look dull. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him go on with great enthusiasm. I remember that type of enthusiasm for a job. I used to have it when I worked for Baxter State Park. I loved that job and still go on and on about it whenever anyone will let me. When someone loves their job, it shows!

      Our captain came over the speaker and told us it was time to leave. We were heading out to the Nubble Light House off the coast of York Maine.

      The lobsterman almost looked disappointed. He collected the lobster that was getting passed around and tipped his hat to us.

      We pulled out of the dock. Our captain hollered for someone to open the foot bridge so we could pass underneath. He got on the speaker and asked us again if anyone wanted a drink as we sailed on towards York.

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      Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments | Tagged cruises, fishing, lighthouse, lobster, lobstering, maine, ogunquit
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