New England Tour 2010
Maybe someday I’ll write up a more detailed travelogue (realistically, probably not), but we just got back from a week in Portsmouth, NH, which was a lovely change from the 100+ degree temperatures we’ve been having lately. The highest it got there was about 83 degrees, and we almost froze with the 60 degree temps at night. Here’s a quick rundown of what we did and ate:
Thursday: The Friendly Toast for brunch (I had anadama toast, a New England specialty), Marginal Way in Ogunquit for sightseeing, The Rusty Hammer in Portsmouth for dinner (lobster roll #1).
Friday: Niece’s house in Northboro for lunch and a nice visit with family, Common Man for dinner.
Saturday: Red’s Eats for lunch (lobster roll #2 and still champeen!), Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery takeout for dinner (lobster roll #3).
Sunday: Excellent homemade Indian for lunch and a great visit with Gupfee and family, Salem, MA for sightseeing, Nick’s Famous Roast Beef in Beverly, MA for dinner (will never want Arby’s again), quick jaunt to Wingaersheek beach.
Monday: Ceres Bakery in Portsmouth for early lunch, wedding day, cookout burgers at the reception for dinner.
Tuesday: Flo’s Hot Dogs for lunch, Odiorne Point State Park for tide pools, Crescent Beach in Wells ME (sunburn!), Newick’s Lobster House in Dover (lobster roll #4).
Also, I schmoozed with the car rental clerk and instead of getting a mere premium-level car that I reserved through Hotwire, we got a fully-loaded Ford Flex, an SUV that included voice-guided GPS navigation, iPod integration, three zone climate control, seating for seven, and probably a ton more features we never found.
Saturday on the way to Red’s, we stopped at the first native blueberry stand we saw, which happened to be run by a very imposing older man with what appeared to be two teeth – his lower canines. He was a mountain of a man in his blue shirt and red suspenders, and he told me, “My berries ain’t been sprayed in 18 years. When I say they’re ready for a pie, I mean you can pour them right into a pie. And ain’t no spray on my berries!”
Okay, then.