O.T. Boston and Bar Harbor trip

[Ralph]

I like Bar Harbor a lot better in September, before town shuts down. My wife and I have been there two times, last time in mid October. Lots of places closed for winter. That was maybe our best trip there. No crowds in town or Acadia NP.

[Ti Designs]

If you happen to be in the Boston area and want to do some good riding, I've got an offer - this is open to the first person who takes it...


I'm starting a coaching company, the plan is to start on technique using trainers and move to riding on the roads. The learning curve on the trainer is kinda steep, I've had a number of people from this forum try out what I teach and find that it makes a huge difference. Learning a thing or two makes you want to test it on the road, and that's where the problem comes in. I have no sense of direction at all. That's also where Ian (LeftyFreak) comes in. He puts together rides that show off the best that New England has to offer.

So I'm offering one fitting/coaching/riding day...

[mg2ride]

I was persuaded that Arcadia Park would be worth it so I decided to embrace the tourist aspects of Bar Harbor.

Flying into Boston on 7/21 and driving straight to Bar Harbor. Doing 3 nights in Downtown Bar Harbor.

I'm due in Hartford Saturday night for a family party. Friday, Saturday and Sunday night are still a mystery.

Going to end back in Boston for at least Monday and Tuesday night and flying out Wednesday (7/29).

Do I need or even want a car when in Boston? If not, what is the best part of the city to stay without a car and what is the best way to get around.

P.S. I gotta to the land/water tour on a DUCK! Right?

[Louis]

I always recommend this to folks who are going to be in the area, and if you're looking for a break from hiking and enjoy browsing used book shops it's awesome:

The Big Chicken Barn Books, in Ellsworth.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-C...es/57333428741

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by Louis

I always recommend this to folks who are going to be in the area, and if you're looking for a break from hiking and enjoy browsing used book shops it's awesome:

The Big Chicken Barn Books, in Ellsworth.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-C...es/57333428741

I think we passed this on our drive to Moose Lake.

[schwa86]

No you don't need a car in Boston. Get a T pass for the few days you are here, and walk a lot -- its a pretty walkable city. As noted in previous post, I'd consider the Cambridge side of the river -- I think you'd find more night life stuff going on, good places to walk around (along the Charles, through Harvard and Central Sqs), plenty of restaurants, etc. The downtown Kimptons someone else suggested are also nice. Really depends on what you enjoy doing.

[sitzmark]

Looking at few logistics ...

Bar Harbor > Portland = ~2 hours travel time
Bar Harbor > Boston = 4.5 to 5 hours
Bar Harbor > Providence = ~5.5 to 6 hours
Bar Harbor > Hartford = ~6.5 hours
(Maine Turnpike now 70mph posted / 75+ actual. Rent or bring "E-Z Pass" compatible transponder to make ME toll booths no-stop and NH booth no-slow.)

Looks like Friday is a perfect day for wandering down the New England coast - either keeping it all within Maine, or spreading things out and taking it down to Providence, RI. For Maine, maybe a lighthouse tour - Camden for lunch and Portland for Dinner. Portland is a great "foodie" town. Continuing on Saturday you could finish off the ME lighthouse tour in Southern ME, then hit attractions on the NH/MA coast - Portsmouth in the morning and Salem, Rockport, or Gloucester in the afternoon before heading to Hartford. Or limit stops along northern coast and spend some time in Providence before heading to Hartford. Rather than rebound to Boston from Hartford Saturday night, maybe stay in Providence and work your way to Boston Sunday.

With public transportation (Amtrak, MBTA) out of Boston you can easily reach city and suburb attractions, as well as Portland/southern Maine to the north and Newport, RI to the south. You can see and do a lot in the region without a car but will be tied to train/bus schedules.

More to do than you'll have time for, so prioritizing interests - history, scenic, cultural, food, etc - will help identify "must see" attractions and build rest of trip around those.

Happy anniversary and have fun!

[bewheels]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the above drive times.

I would count on Bar Harbor to Portland being ~4 hours, particularly in the summer.

[sitzmark]

Originally Posted by bewheels

I will have to respectfully disagree with the above drive times.

I would count on Bar Harbor to Portland being ~4 hours, particularly in the summer.

Yes, my error. BH to Portland was a mis-key ... should have been ~3hrs. My times were not intended to represent the tourist route along Maine coast, but rather "best case" using turnpike if mg2ride wants skip the scenic route and go directly to Portland, NH, or North Shore MA. (Not sure what he plans to explore for the three days based out of Bar Harbor)

Tourist season can easily bring sections of Route 1 to a standstill. Travel times and delays are significant. The Turnpike, however, is usually 75+mph except for peak time during holiday travel. Bangor to Portland is about 100 miles, so turnpike will make it a quick trip once on I-95.

[mg2ride]

I'm loving the discussion and the tips. The Easypass tip was something I WILL DO!

My trip from Boston to Bar Harbor will be whatever is the fastest route. Bar Harbor back to Boston will be scenic.

Doing 3 nights at the Arcadia Hotel (http://www.acadiahotel.com/) in downtown Bar Harbor.

I Bit the bullet on a reservation at the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro (http://www.beaconhillhotel.com/beacon-hill/) for 3 nights at the end of my trip. By FAR the most I have ever paid for a room anywhere. Will dump the rental car back at the airport on the first day in Boston.

Everything is pretty much planned except Friday night. I will hold off on that for a bit to see if we need to coordinate with the family for the Saturday Party.

[merlinmurph]

I was going to recommend a couple of B&B's, but it sounds like you're set.

Have a great trip. There's lots of stuff to do and lots of places to go. We got married on Swan's Island just off Bass Harbor almost 10 years ago and visit often. Obviously, we love the place.

Murph

[rounder]

If you were to go to midcoast Maine, north of Portland, a lot of the places described here: Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Acadia, Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Blue Hill, Deer Isle, Stonington, etc. are all less than two hours away. You could visit all of them in a few days if you wanted to. To me, any trip there should include a visit to LL Bean, wherever you go.

[Ken Robb]

My first visit to LL Bean was in 1980. We had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant across the street in the basement of an old barn. After dinner we wandered the store and were so pleased to meet the very nice clerks working there through the night. Since I lived on the west coast I had wondered what the nice folks on the phone with me at midnight their time looked like. They looked a lot like me because we got our clothes at the same place.

A few years ago Les and I went there and the old barn had been replaced by a huge (REALLY BIG) bunch of outlet stores. It was more choice/less charm. Still worth a visit----I think.

[Louis]

Freeport's pretty far down the list of my favorite places in ME, but I agree that a trip to LL Bean is worth it, especially if you have some specific stuff you're looking to buy. Otherwise, it's just shopping outlet-central and pretty nasty.