Ogunquit, Maine - July 1 to 6
Jul. 18th, 2008 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
figarofigaro1I'm way behind on blogging, and there's a lot of good stuff to blog about. So, I'll just plunge in and see how far I get.
We drove over on 'Tuesday (07/01) trying to get out the door as early as possible. We were taking a lot of stuff: bikes, beach chairs, umbrella, and lots of clothes. Our excuse was that since we're going in a car, we can take what we want. And of course, bikes means also taking bike gear, staying in a gayish resort means taking lots of clothes for different events. We did OK, though. We got out of here by 11 AM. If we'd just driven straight through, we'd have been there by a little after 2 and could have had a nice lunch. But instead we had a regrettable lunch. (Which reminds me of this hilarious site.) Our regrettable lunch was a tuna sub and a "Thanksgiving sub" (turkey, stuffing, cranberry, etc., both of which were a bit too ooie-gooie with mayo.
We made it to Ogunquit by 3 and checked into the Ogunquit Beach Inn. We'd stayed there last year in a room not much larger than the bed (I think it was the Yellow Room). This year, we had the big room (Coral Suite): bedroom, sitting room, and upstairs bathroom. Much better.
After check in, we walked the town and reacquainted ourselves with everything. We walked all the way through town and down the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove.
Dinner was at the Front Porch. It wasn't regrettable, but it wasn't all that great. Mine was better than B's. His shrimp appetizer was overcooked. I had a salad. We both had scallops. Dessert was three sundaes with a Neapolitan theme (one chocolate, one strawberry, and one vanilla). After dinner we went upstairs and enjoyed (I use the term loosely) the piano bar. Huge mixed crowd singing along to show tunes wears thin rather quickly. But the crowd can be entertaining. Best in small doses.
Wednesday we went to the beach in the morning. This is typically NOT an activity that B and I partake in. When I was a kid, my family went to the beach, and we'd set up camp and spent the entire day there. But B and I are not "hang out" sorts. I would sit and read and walk and generally be OK, but B gets stir crazy very quickly. And, after 23 years of not hanging out much, I get a little stir crazy too. I'm out of practice.
So in preparation for the beach, we bought backpack chairs, a beach blanket, and an umbrella. So we did some setting up of camp and some genuine hanging out. Yes, B walked around a lot and didn' t sit much... but it was as close to hanging out as we're going to get.
We ate a late lunch at Barnacle Billy's, trying to go to places we'd not been yet. It was on the pricier end of things and there was too much mayo in the lobster roll. We were beginning to think that it was going to be a mayo vacation! I think this was the day we got ice cream down there, too. Whatever day it was, I had a yummy peppermint ice cream on a sugar cone. I like peppermint ice cream when there is that gooey peppermint saucy stuff in there. This was all red, which was not as good as red and green or blue... but the color doesn't really matter unless you don't want to hear my "bloody ice cream" jokes done in my best British accent.
Dinner was at 98 Provence. We'd eaten there last year and had an excellent dinner. This trip was just as good, if not better. However we were also reminded of two things: the entire dinner is slow and the lights flicker. We don't mind a slow dinner if there are lots of courses, but for the traditional three course thing, it needs to be a bit speedier. And our joke is that every time they kick on the microwave, the lights flicker. I seriously doubt if they really use a microwave. I had duck two ways: a roasted duck breast and a leg confit. Yummy. After dinner I was really tired and I did a face-plant int the bed. Not so bad except that I think I also took a nap after lunch. I did a lot of sleeping on this trip.
Thursday we took a bike ride up the road past where we were to have dinner. It ended up being much hillier than our usual courses and I was pleased with how well I did. I found a little park with a nature path that I want to investigate sometime. We rode back into town (which is a traffic-dodging exercise) and all the way to Perkins Cove where we went to Oarweed for lunch, remembering their great lobster rolls and wanting a corrective experience from the day before. They did not disappoint. This has to be the best lobster roll in Ogunquit. Big chunks of lobster, almost no mayo, and nothing else. It comes with chips and pickles and is less than the one at Barnacle Billy's across the street. Beers and slaw are highly recommended.
We went to the beach in the afternoon and it was windy. Too windy to put up the umbrella. There was a bit of blowing sand which is never pleasant. I don't tolerate the sun very well and the lack of umbrella made me burn pretty quickly even with sunscreen on. Oh, and in case you were wondering: The water was brrrrrr cold. I think it was hovering right around 58 degrees. I made it in to my knees once after I lost all the feeling in my toes. There were people swimming, but not this Southern boy.
Dinner... oh, my. Maybe dinner deserves its own blog entry. We had dinner at Arrows and it was magnificent. Yes, I think I'll post it separately. It was right up there in the top meals of all time. And you know, we eat very well. I paced myself drinking-wise and we endured some more show tunes at the piano bar before I crashed.
Friday we decided to take a break from the beach. It was probably a mistake since this was the best weather day of the entire trip, although it might have been a little chilly on the beach in the umbrella shade. Anyway, we'd always wanted to see the real L.L. Bean store in Freeport. I didn't know that Freeport was a little town transformed into a big outlet shopping extravaganza. So b was in shopping heaven. We scored some deals, including some new rain pants for me from Bean. (I haven't posted about my rain pants thing. I have some good ones. I cannot find them. I wore them to the Farmers Market last summer and I know they were hung up to dry at home. Can't find them. Anywhere. Fie!) We had lunch at Azure Café right there in town. The seafood chowder was good and we had excellent haddock sandwiches. After lunch, more shopping and then I spied Wicked Woopies. We're on vacation, so what the hell. I had a red velvet whoopie pie and B had maybe a chocolate filled chocolate one. I cannot remember. I do remember telling him NOT to look at the calories. He did. I do remember the intense sugar rush that made me dizzy. They were a little dry and a lot too large. We'd gotten some good ones at a gas station on last year's trip.
We'd heard that Ogunquit had good fireworks to see from the Marginal Way. But, alas, none this year.
Back to Ogunquit and a brief rest and then we went for dinner to Five-O Shore Road. Now this place is just around the corner from the Inn and they make a wickedly large martini. So, B and I frequent the bar most nights before dinner. (Not before Arrows, mind you.) The food is pretty good, if a little overdone. There's a lot of sauce on things. I had a lobster and it was moderately sauced by comparison to the fish B had. Our waiter was in the weeds and we tried being kind and saying we weren't in a rush and that he could take it easy with us. The dood looked like we'd slapped him. I guess we weren't supposed to acknowledge that he was losing-it-busy. Giant martinis and wine did a number on me and I made it back to the Inn in time to do another face-plant. B went out and hit all three night spots: Main Street, The Club, and Front Porch. I slept. Soundly.
As an aside: Ogunquit is a small town. We have met some of the locals as well as some of the summer denizens. Some folks we know by name and know enough to chat with, and some we just know by sight and some we just know by our nicknames for them. So Saturday morning, B gave me the low-down on everybody he saw while he was out.
Saturday was a return to the beach day. It was very nice when we got to the beach although there was an odd fog lifting off the surf. Within an hour, the entire place was thickly fogged in. We watched it blow up from Perkins Cove. Then it kept going, so the day turned nice again. We returned to Oarweed for a big lunch around 2 PM. We both had lobsters. They have a great deal where you get chowder, lobster, and dessert for a decent price. B didn't want dessert so he got a salad instead. I got blueberry pie (major yummy) and shared some with him. I think it was a little too early for them to be this year's blueberries, but it sure was tasty.
We had very late reservations for dinner at MC Perkins Cove (by the same folks as Arrows, but less upscale and more seafood-focused). We'd eaten there last year and had a great dinner. This one was excellent as well. We started with oysters and then I had a wedge salad and duck two ways (again with the seared breast and confit leg).
Dear god, I think I only ate duck and lobster the entire trip.
I wasn't at all sleepy (yay!) and we went out to Main Street and people watched. B wanted to dance, but said later he could tell that I didn't want to. I would have, but didn't think he wanted to. Classic miscommunication. It was very crowded and watching people was fun.
Sunday we packed up and drove to Stonewall Kitchens for some shopping and lunch. They make a gigantic lobster sandwich that B and I split. We did the shopping and then back to the car, then in again for lunch, then back in for a jar of the ketchup that was with the fries. There was a line for the restroom and I thought there was another one so we left and then came back again. The door greeters thought we were insane.
The original plan was to go down toward Boston and find the Trader Joe's and stop at Target and a New Hampshire liquor store as well. The traffic on I-95 was impossible and it looked like it was going to be a rough trip toward Boston, so we bagged the TJ's part. The car was also very full and we opted out of Target since we really couldn't think of anything we needed. But we did buy booze. It is way cheaper to buy in NH. We end up going a couple of times a year and stocking up.
Home by 5 PM or so. It was a good trip for sure.
We drove over on 'Tuesday (07/01) trying to get out the door as early as possible. We were taking a lot of stuff: bikes, beach chairs, umbrella, and lots of clothes. Our excuse was that since we're going in a car, we can take what we want. And of course, bikes means also taking bike gear, staying in a gayish resort means taking lots of clothes for different events. We did OK, though. We got out of here by 11 AM. If we'd just driven straight through, we'd have been there by a little after 2 and could have had a nice lunch. But instead we had a regrettable lunch. (Which reminds me of this hilarious site.) Our regrettable lunch was a tuna sub and a "Thanksgiving sub" (turkey, stuffing, cranberry, etc., both of which were a bit too ooie-gooie with mayo.
We made it to Ogunquit by 3 and checked into the Ogunquit Beach Inn. We'd stayed there last year in a room not much larger than the bed (I think it was the Yellow Room). This year, we had the big room (Coral Suite): bedroom, sitting room, and upstairs bathroom. Much better.
After check in, we walked the town and reacquainted ourselves with everything. We walked all the way through town and down the Marginal Way to Perkins Cove.
Dinner was at the Front Porch. It wasn't regrettable, but it wasn't all that great. Mine was better than B's. His shrimp appetizer was overcooked. I had a salad. We both had scallops. Dessert was three sundaes with a Neapolitan theme (one chocolate, one strawberry, and one vanilla). After dinner we went upstairs and enjoyed (I use the term loosely) the piano bar. Huge mixed crowd singing along to show tunes wears thin rather quickly. But the crowd can be entertaining. Best in small doses.
Wednesday we went to the beach in the morning. This is typically NOT an activity that B and I partake in. When I was a kid, my family went to the beach, and we'd set up camp and spent the entire day there. But B and I are not "hang out" sorts. I would sit and read and walk and generally be OK, but B gets stir crazy very quickly. And, after 23 years of not hanging out much, I get a little stir crazy too. I'm out of practice.
So in preparation for the beach, we bought backpack chairs, a beach blanket, and an umbrella. So we did some setting up of camp and some genuine hanging out. Yes, B walked around a lot and didn' t sit much... but it was as close to hanging out as we're going to get.
We ate a late lunch at Barnacle Billy's, trying to go to places we'd not been yet. It was on the pricier end of things and there was too much mayo in the lobster roll. We were beginning to think that it was going to be a mayo vacation! I think this was the day we got ice cream down there, too. Whatever day it was, I had a yummy peppermint ice cream on a sugar cone. I like peppermint ice cream when there is that gooey peppermint saucy stuff in there. This was all red, which was not as good as red and green or blue... but the color doesn't really matter unless you don't want to hear my "bloody ice cream" jokes done in my best British accent.
Dinner was at 98 Provence. We'd eaten there last year and had an excellent dinner. This trip was just as good, if not better. However we were also reminded of two things: the entire dinner is slow and the lights flicker. We don't mind a slow dinner if there are lots of courses, but for the traditional three course thing, it needs to be a bit speedier. And our joke is that every time they kick on the microwave, the lights flicker. I seriously doubt if they really use a microwave. I had duck two ways: a roasted duck breast and a leg confit. Yummy. After dinner I was really tired and I did a face-plant int the bed. Not so bad except that I think I also took a nap after lunch. I did a lot of sleeping on this trip.
Thursday we took a bike ride up the road past where we were to have dinner. It ended up being much hillier than our usual courses and I was pleased with how well I did. I found a little park with a nature path that I want to investigate sometime. We rode back into town (which is a traffic-dodging exercise) and all the way to Perkins Cove where we went to Oarweed for lunch, remembering their great lobster rolls and wanting a corrective experience from the day before. They did not disappoint. This has to be the best lobster roll in Ogunquit. Big chunks of lobster, almost no mayo, and nothing else. It comes with chips and pickles and is less than the one at Barnacle Billy's across the street. Beers and slaw are highly recommended.
We went to the beach in the afternoon and it was windy. Too windy to put up the umbrella. There was a bit of blowing sand which is never pleasant. I don't tolerate the sun very well and the lack of umbrella made me burn pretty quickly even with sunscreen on. Oh, and in case you were wondering: The water was brrrrrr cold. I think it was hovering right around 58 degrees. I made it in to my knees once after I lost all the feeling in my toes. There were people swimming, but not this Southern boy.
Dinner... oh, my. Maybe dinner deserves its own blog entry. We had dinner at Arrows and it was magnificent. Yes, I think I'll post it separately. It was right up there in the top meals of all time. And you know, we eat very well. I paced myself drinking-wise and we endured some more show tunes at the piano bar before I crashed.
Friday we decided to take a break from the beach. It was probably a mistake since this was the best weather day of the entire trip, although it might have been a little chilly on the beach in the umbrella shade. Anyway, we'd always wanted to see the real L.L. Bean store in Freeport. I didn't know that Freeport was a little town transformed into a big outlet shopping extravaganza. So b was in shopping heaven. We scored some deals, including some new rain pants for me from Bean. (I haven't posted about my rain pants thing. I have some good ones. I cannot find them. I wore them to the Farmers Market last summer and I know they were hung up to dry at home. Can't find them. Anywhere. Fie!) We had lunch at Azure Café right there in town. The seafood chowder was good and we had excellent haddock sandwiches. After lunch, more shopping and then I spied Wicked Woopies. We're on vacation, so what the hell. I had a red velvet whoopie pie and B had maybe a chocolate filled chocolate one. I cannot remember. I do remember telling him NOT to look at the calories. He did. I do remember the intense sugar rush that made me dizzy. They were a little dry and a lot too large. We'd gotten some good ones at a gas station on last year's trip.
We'd heard that Ogunquit had good fireworks to see from the Marginal Way. But, alas, none this year.
Back to Ogunquit and a brief rest and then we went for dinner to Five-O Shore Road. Now this place is just around the corner from the Inn and they make a wickedly large martini. So, B and I frequent the bar most nights before dinner. (Not before Arrows, mind you.) The food is pretty good, if a little overdone. There's a lot of sauce on things. I had a lobster and it was moderately sauced by comparison to the fish B had. Our waiter was in the weeds and we tried being kind and saying we weren't in a rush and that he could take it easy with us. The dood looked like we'd slapped him. I guess we weren't supposed to acknowledge that he was losing-it-busy. Giant martinis and wine did a number on me and I made it back to the Inn in time to do another face-plant. B went out and hit all three night spots: Main Street, The Club, and Front Porch. I slept. Soundly.
As an aside: Ogunquit is a small town. We have met some of the locals as well as some of the summer denizens. Some folks we know by name and know enough to chat with, and some we just know by sight and some we just know by our nicknames for them. So Saturday morning, B gave me the low-down on everybody he saw while he was out.
Saturday was a return to the beach day. It was very nice when we got to the beach although there was an odd fog lifting off the surf. Within an hour, the entire place was thickly fogged in. We watched it blow up from Perkins Cove. Then it kept going, so the day turned nice again. We returned to Oarweed for a big lunch around 2 PM. We both had lobsters. They have a great deal where you get chowder, lobster, and dessert for a decent price. B didn't want dessert so he got a salad instead. I got blueberry pie (major yummy) and shared some with him. I think it was a little too early for them to be this year's blueberries, but it sure was tasty.
We had very late reservations for dinner at MC Perkins Cove (by the same folks as Arrows, but less upscale and more seafood-focused). We'd eaten there last year and had a great dinner. This one was excellent as well. We started with oysters and then I had a wedge salad and duck two ways (again with the seared breast and confit leg).
Dear god, I think I only ate duck and lobster the entire trip.
I wasn't at all sleepy (yay!) and we went out to Main Street and people watched. B wanted to dance, but said later he could tell that I didn't want to. I would have, but didn't think he wanted to. Classic miscommunication. It was very crowded and watching people was fun.
Sunday we packed up and drove to Stonewall Kitchens for some shopping and lunch. They make a gigantic lobster sandwich that B and I split. We did the shopping and then back to the car, then in again for lunch, then back in for a jar of the ketchup that was with the fries. There was a line for the restroom and I thought there was another one so we left and then came back again. The door greeters thought we were insane.
The original plan was to go down toward Boston and find the Trader Joe's and stop at Target and a New Hampshire liquor store as well. The traffic on I-95 was impossible and it looked like it was going to be a rough trip toward Boston, so we bagged the TJ's part. The car was also very full and we opted out of Target since we really couldn't think of anything we needed. But we did buy booze. It is way cheaper to buy in NH. We end up going a couple of times a year and stocking up.
Home by 5 PM or so. It was a good trip for sure.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-20 05:34 pm (UTC)