Saturday Schedule of Events Revisited

We're going to get tired of saying "I can't believe it's only x days until the wedding" right up until the wedding is over, but still, 8 days is blowing my mind. Tomorrow Amy is driving Martin up to Maine, and unless I can contrive a work reason to stay behind, I'll be going too. I'm looking forward to the trip, but I woke up early this morning fully convinced that we won't have enough room in the car for everything. We've got a list a mile long to do between now and then.

One way or the other, we'll get there, and all of you will to. But the point of this post is to tell you a little bit more about Saturday.

On the main website, we have a schedule of events for Saturday. Look at it here.

We've already told you about taking a ferry out to the island, with driving directions and everything.

Click here for directions to the ferry.

The ceremony starts at 5, and the last ferry leaves at 4 from Southwest Harbor. That ferry will probably arrive around 4:30, giving people half an hour to loiter and wander up to the church. We know the majority of people of people will be on that ferry, but we have encouraged people to come early if they can, by telling them about places like the museum, the Islesford Pottery shop, and most importantly, the croquet tournament on the town field!

If you would like to come out early, you can come in full dress or even bring your wedding clothes with you and change on the island. There are a few houses we have access to where you can freshen up.

We're looking forward to the wedding ceremony, and don't want to talk about it too much yet, but thanks in advance especially to our parents, Mayur, Christie, Darin, and the Rivals for helping us out with it!

After the wedding ceremony is over, we'll wander more or less directly back down to the Islesford Dock Restaurant, and the food should start coming pretty quickly.

Click here to watch a short video about our friends and the restaurant proprietors, Dan and Cynthia.

A word about the reception. There will be no formal "sit-down" period at the reception. There will be food stations, and food brought out by servers, more or less continuously, but not a sit down appetizer course, entree course, etc. We thought this would be the best way to let people mingle and relax in the casual spirit of things. Just make sure you eat and don't wait!

After awhile we'll be opening up the microphone for toasts and stuff, and eventually the music will start. We've asked our friend Jason to kind of oversee all this, so he'll keep you informed of things. Jason and Stu (and to the extent they need help, Jimmie) will be DJ'ing, and I can tell you now they've got some excellent material lined up.

Around 10:30 you'll have an opportunity to bid us adieu, as the first ferry back to Southwest Harbor will be leaving around then. After that, the music will just continue until people run out of steam entirely (there will be a late snack to help keep the party going). But all good things must come to an end and there will one more ferry taking everyone else home, leaving anywhere between midnight and one (depending on how it's going).

Thanks to everyone that has been helping us put this all together (there are LOADS of you, it's really humbling), and of course thanks to everyone for dragging themselves up 200, 500, 2,000 miles to get to the thing.

Good Places to Go in Southwest Harbor

Southwest Harbor is definitely on the "Quiet Side" of Mount Desert Island, but there's still plenty to do, and plenty to eat. A few places we haven't mentioned yet.

First, and probably most essentially, for groceries, last minute cravings, and the stuff you forgot to bring, you can stop by Sawyers Market (grocery & specialty) or Sawyers Specialties (wine & cheese). Both are right on Main Street, you can't miss them.

Relatedly there's a nice little bakery known as the Little Notch (also a pizzeria just up the road), both on Main Street. The bakery is close to the Captain Bennett House and the Harbor View Motel.

For fine dining we've heard great things about a couple restaurants, both of which we hope to try while we're up there. The Red Sky is on Clark Point Road, towards the Upper Town Dock, and has gotten superb reviews.

Another interesting place is out in Manset (and therefore near the Seawall Motel), a Mexican Restaurant called XYZ. We were skeptical that there could be quality Mexican up there, but we've been assured it's excellent. Here's one review:

Named after Xalapa, Yucatán, and Zacatecas, Mexico, this south-of-the-border-style restaurant will be sure to challenge your notion of Mexican food. Owners Janet Strong and Robert Hoyt have long been committed to re-creating authentically earthy fare in this bright hideaway. They were serving dishes with chipotle chiles way before most Americans knew how to pronounce them. Enjoy their zesty mole, wonderful homemade chorizo, and robust seven-chile chili. The fresh lime margaritas help soothe the palate. Reservations are helpful. Open for dinner Memorial Day-June and Sept.-Columbus Day Fri.-Sat., July-Aug. Mon.-Sat. Entrées: $8-$21.

There are lots of other places, of course, like Beal's Lobster Pound or the Westside Grill, but you'll have to figure those out for yourself. Good luck!

August Eighteen Invitational Croquet Tournament

It's too bad we're not all up in Maine right now, because we're all missing the 31st annual Claremont Croquet Classic being held at the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor. (We have one lonely guest staying at the Claremont for our wedding, by the way.)

But if you're really eaten up about this (as I am), you're in luck! For awhile we've been planning to have the August Eighteen Invitational Croquet Tournament on Islesford's town field before the wedding Saturday afternoon. [Late update: The "Invitational" part is very much meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Everybody's welcome to play whenever they show up!]


Now, everything about that last sentence is pretty tenuous, from the name (which I just made up), to the "planning," which basically involves bringing a croquet set and some champagne, getting permission from the mayor to have alcohol on the field, and enough people show up early to play.

Mayur has agreed to bring the croquet set, and Jimmie has agreed to secure the booze, so we're in good shape! Come out early and have a whack!

Lobster Boat Racing

Another article to give you a sense of the area in summertime:

Off the Coast of Maine, the Time Is Right for Racing in Bulky, Plodding Boats
By MAREK FUCHS

STONINGTON, Me., July 15 — The lobstermen’s ball lasted until the early hours, and then the lobstermen mostly stumbled their way back to the shipyard, where they spent a restless night on their open boats, under a bad roll of fog.

The well-prepared managed to prop up tents on their decks, but for others bed was nothing but the hard surface of the engine covering and a blanket.

On Sunday morning, it was time to head out to sea — not in search of lobsters but for a competition that has become one of the social events along the coast here, a Kentucky Derby for the trapping set.

Lobster boats are built to be sturdy and are capable of handling pretty much anything on the open water. They are not built for speed. But several times during the summer, up and down the coast of Maine, lobstermen soup up their engines, weigh down the back of their boats and gun the vessels in races that are sanctioned by the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association.

Jimmy Brown, a 56-year-old lobsterman from Montauk, N.Y., came up to watch the race, but he did not find it particularly practical to speed about in a lobster boat.

“You have to let the cages soak,” Mr. Brown said, “and besides, economy is more important than speed.”

Edward Shirley, 62, one of the participants in the weekend of races, thought otherwise.

“You don’t make a lot of money in this race, but it’s good people and camaraderie, and lobstermen are always in need of comrades,” said Mr. Shirley, who lives on Verona Island, Me.

This weekend’s racing took place in this fishing village on the tip of Deer Isle, an island connected to the mainland by an almost comically antiquated suspension bridge. It is populated by lobstermen and vacationers, many of them artists who came here for part of the summer long ago and never left.

The lobstermen on the island have challenging lives that include seasonal employment, early hours and grinding physical work that can shred shoulders and backs.

At stake in Sunday’s races were $4,000 to $5,000 in cash, thousands of dollars more in prizes including a bilge pump and oil, and bragging rights.

Local lobstermen had the benefit of sleeping in their own beds, which was an advantage to Andy Gove, a 77-year-old who was the heavy favorite in his race class.

Mr. Gove’s 36-foot, 900-horsepower boat is named “Uncle’s U.F.O.” — though he is not sure why.

“My wife’s brother suggested it,” Mr. Gove said, “and I didn’t have anything better, so I took it.”

Though delayed because of the fog, the races — nearly three dozen of them, divided by classes — took place on Sunday. The first was for boats 16 feet and under, with skippers 18 and younger, all the way up to a class for boats 40 feet and longer with at least 750 horsepower. There was a separate class for women. And all the classes compete in the open diesel division.

The course ran more than a mile, most of it a flat-out sprint. About 150 other vessels, from lobster boats to viewing barges, ran through man-of-war jellyfish and several seals in Stonington Harbor to watch from the best vantage point, forming a pathway for the racers.

After averaging 46.4 miles per hour against the current to win the day, Mr. Gove was crowned the overall champion. Word around the shipyard is also that Mr. Gove uses his age to lull competitors into a false sense of security, but he said after the race that his days on top might be over.

“Too old,” he said with a shrug as he was greeted with hoots, backslaps and compliments.

Bridge Is a Marvel

One thing that happens when you take Route 1 up the coast to Acadia (again, not that we necessarily recommend doing so) is that you take the brand-new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. And I mean brand-new. Last July when we passed through Bucksport, we still crossed on the old suspension bridge. It's an impressive sight: The NY Times wrote about the new bridge recently:

July 10, 2007
Sure, the Bridge Is a Marvel, but How About the View?
KATIE ZEZIMA

The most breathtaking view in Maine, some say, cannot be seen from the summit of one of the state’s majestic peaks or a bluff overlooking the ocean.

Instead, they say, the best way to see the state’s natural beauty is atop something manufactured — the 420-foot public observation tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.

The observation tower, which opened in May and is the only one in the United States, provides an awe-inducing panorama of Maine’s mountains and coastline and a bird’s-eye view of the nearby village of Bucksport. The bridge opened to traffic in December.

The bridge, a 2,120-foot-long span that seems to pop up out of nowhere in this rural area about 20 miles south of Bangor, is being heralded by two very different stakeholders.

Civil engineers see it as a major innovation and a test case for cable-stayed bridges, while local tourism officials hope it will attract visitors to an area that many speed past on the way to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor or the Canadian Maritime provinces.

...

The 13-foot-by-25-foot observation room, accessible by an elevator, offers a 360-degree view that includes the Penobscot River, islands in Penobscot Bay, mountains, hills and lots and lots of trees.

On a clear day, visibility extends 100 miles, allowing visitors to follow the curving, wide river north toward the peak of Mount Katahdin. Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and the rolling Camden Hills can also be spotted.

The local view from the top of tower, an obelisk modeled after the Washington Monument, is just as impressive. The town of Bucksport beckons below, with boats bobbing in the harbor and gray-shingled buildings lining the streets. Fort Knox, a military installation built in 1844 to protect the Penobscot Valley, lies just below the bridge.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Sharon Dunbar, 43, who grew up in Bucksport and lives in Middlebury, Vt. “It’s amazing to see my hometown so clearly from up there and look down and see the waterfront and all the views. It’s breathtaking, just amazing.”

The $89 million bridge is one of a kind, civil engineers say. A typical cable-stayed bridge, in which cables stretch from one or more towers to support it, uses steel cables. This one is the first in the nation to test carbon composite cables, which are believed to be stronger than steel cables and more resistant to corrosion, said Tom Doe, the bridge’s project manager.

Six carbon cables, along with hundreds made of steel, are encased in stays, or the long, white tubes that make up the bridge. The cables are normally bundled together and placed in the stay, making it difficult to replace a single cable. But the Penobscot Narrows Bridge uses a cradle system where cables have an inch or so between them. This allows engineers to pull up to two strands out of each pylon to check them for structural integrity or switch from steel to carbon.

...

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge was a rush replacement for the neighboring Waldo-Hancock Bridge, a suspension bridge that deteriorated and corroded. Building a cable-stayed bridge took the least time and money, Mr. Doe said. The bridge’s concrete structure will also ensure that it lasts longer than a steel bridge, said Cheryl Maze of the Figg Engineering Group, which designed the bridge.

...

Ms. Kimball said many people had fond memories of the old bridge, which still stands. But, she said, people are excited that the new bridge has helped bring communities together.

“This has given us a chance to start working as a region,” she said. “Now everybody wants people to know their town is near the bridge.”

Culture on the Maine Turnpike

For those of you driving up to the wedding, there's a very cool sight waiting for you just after you make it to Maine. In the service plaza in Kennebunk, they just recently installed a huge mural by William Wegman, "probably the world's best-known photographer of dogs." The mural, called "Mooselook," is 30 feet long and 5 feet high and features photographs of the Weimaraners. According to one report, "Mooselock" has "the light brown dogs facing the camera and lit in such a way that their ears could be antlers and their long legs as knobby as the legs of a moose." In addition, there is another mural (shown here) in the southbound plaza you can catch on your way back!

An excuse to post a photograph

The page was starting to look a little white, so here's a post. While looking around for something else, I noticed that the Harbour Cottage Inn redesigned their website. It looks very smart.

One feature they've added is an "online concierge," basically some things to do, places to eat, etc., in and around Southwest Harbor. If you're there an extra day, and need something to do, it's worth checking out.

Swimming: Acadia's Beaches and Ponds

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," pp. 52-53:

Sand Beach is Acadia's only stretch of sandy ocean beach. ... On Park Loop Road, 0.3 miles after park entrance station [on the east side of Mount Desert]
Seal Harbor Town Beach. This rocky beach offers changing rooms, rest rooms, and a float just offshore at high tide. a delightful lobster shack is just a short walk away at the scenic Seal Harbor Town Pier. At Seal Harbor, off Route 3.
Echo Lake Beach is an excellent place to take young children for a real swim. Children love the temperate water and sandy beach. The only drawback is the crowds -- the large parking lot is often filled to capacity by 11:00 a.m. ... At the south end of Echo Lake, off Route 102, about 3.6 miles south of Somesville.

Boat Rentals in and around Southwest Harbor

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 47:

- King Camping Supplies. Full-day or half-day canoe and car carrier rentals. Adjacent to Seawall Campground on Route 102, Seawall Road, Manset (207-244-7006)
- Mansell Boat Company. Rents canoes, keel sailboats, and powerboats. Sailing lessons available. Located at Hinckley Yacht Yard, Southwest Harbor (207-244-5625)
- National Park Canoe Rental. Full-day and half-day canoe rentals conveniently located in Long Pond, the largest lake on the park. Put-in is directly across the street; no car transport is required. … Reservations recommended. Located on Route 102, directly across from the north end of Long Pond (207-244-5854).

The Islesford Historical Museum

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 45: "Islesford Historical Museum quaintly illustrates the lives of early settlers of the Cranberry Isles and their seafaring culture through annotated displays of historical artifacts. Free admission."

Trip to Maine, Part 3

Saturday was our only full day on the island and we were determined to make the most of it. Around 7 am, Amy got up and took Martin down to the Sand Beach for a bit. At 8 am we were supposed to meet with Dan and Cynthia to go over the menu. Cynthia wasn't feeling well, unfortunately, so instead we took a walk into town. Town? That's really overstating it. There's a church, a post office, a meeting hall, a bed and breakfast, and that's about it. So we went to the church and saw it for the first time fully opened up. It looks great. Very New England. On the outside, unfortunately, they're still doing some work on the steeple, but Dan assured us the remaining scaffolding will be gone by next month.


Across the street Amy got us some coffee and bought some stamps to use for thank you cards. If you have any stamp needs this summer, it would be really nice if you bought them from the Islesford post office. Funnily enough, their stamp business is a major source of town income! At the post office we ran into Ashley Bryan, who may be the town's most famous resident. For any of you with kids, I encourage you to pick up one of Mr. Bryan's books. Say, "Ashley Bryan's African Tales, Uh-Huh."

With our coffee we sat down and addressed some postcards and dropped those off. Then Amy stopped at the bed and breakfast to check on something for her Dad.

By then it was time to go meet with Dan at the restaurant. I think the food we picked out is going to be a huge hit. One thing I'm especially looking forward to is the raw bar. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee we'll be able to get oysters the week of the wedding. This is because the restaurant only buys local. All in all a sound policy, but we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

By now we were struggling to catch the 11 am ferry, but still dropped in at Marian Baker's pottery for a minute to say hi, while Amy checked out some flower arrangement stuff. Oh, and we drove up to Karen Smallwood's house and had a five-minute consultation on our wedding cake!

Up to Northeast Harbor, over to Southwest Harbor we went. We barely caught Gail the florist to drop off a vase and then over to the Marine store to pick up a new GPS antenna for Dan. And with that, our hard work was basically done. We drove the long way around the quiet side of the island to visit Bass Harbor (a town neither of us had been to), then we made our way to the Knox Road Grille at the Atlantic Brewery.


For those of you reading our invitation closely, you'll know this is where we're meeting Friday night for drinks. And bbq, should you so desire. For $17, they had all-you-can-eat barbecue (pork ribs, chicken, pulled pork, sausage, listed in my order of preference). Amy reports the veggie burger is also legitimately good. The main thing, though, is if the weather holds, it will be an excellent and mellow atmosphere and a perfect place to welcome people to the wedding.

Doug, the pitmaster/proprietor, suggested we arrange transportation between Southwest Harbor and the barbecue so people can more fully enjoy the Brewery's varied and award-winning offerings. So off to Bar Harbor we went! There we stopped at an ice cream shop that's also home to Oli's Trolleys. It's not finalized yet, but we are working on getting a trolley or two for people on Friday night. While Amy was inside haggling over details, I walked Martin over to the harbor. As obsessed as she can be with the frisbee, she's more obsessed with the water, so while we were taking in the view, Martin... jumped in. Nearly bringing me in with her since we were attached by leash. Bad dog.

This report is becoming tedious, but there's still more to tell you about. Two spas, one in Trenton (across from Bar Harbor airport), one back in Northeast Harbor. Between the two Amy and I debated when she'll have time to get her pedicures--with no resolution yet.

We still had some time before the 6:00 ferry so we shopped around for some insect repellent to give to people. I'm allergic to mosquito bites, so this insect repellent thing is a major preoccupation of mine. I carry OFF around with me at all times.


When we finally made it back to Little Cranberry, our energy was understandably ebbing (well, except for Martin, who jumped back in the water below the dock), but we managed to find it in ourselves to go meet with Christina Spurling back at the church, who is going to be playing piano and/or organ at the wedding ceremony. She's very good, and we were kind of abashed because we didn't give her much guidance as to what we wanted. That explains why at this very moment I'm listening to a bunch of organ music I scrounged up from iTunes, hoping to find something we like and she can play for us.

Alright, I'm tired now just writing this, so here's the rest: emails with Darin about the sound system, dinner with Dan and Cynthia and Leslie, picking wines for the reception, back to the house, sleep!

Trip to Maine, Part 2

Friday morning after going to the beach with Martin, the first item on the agenda was to go to Portland to meet with our photographer, Carl Walsh. Actually that was the second item. First we had to go to the LL Bean outlet because we forgot what we had tried to tell all of you, namely that it gets cool in Maine even during the summer.

So we popped into the LL Bean outfit and got a couple of fleeces and I got some preppy brown jeans. Then it was to the coffee shop where we met with Carl for about an hour. He showed us a couple of albums, which if you've seen his website, you'll know were amazing. On top of that, he remembers Amy from way back in 1999 (mainly because of George the chameleon), because he was on Islesford doing a magazine shoot.

After leaving Portland we took the scenic route so we could stop at Red's Eats again. Let me tell you, the food there is incredible, and I would never say don't go there, but it's clear during the summer that it takes a LOT longer to drive up the coast on Route 1 than it does to just take the interstate all the way to Acadia. So unless you just feel like taking your time getting to the wedding, take the interstate.


When we finally made it up to Acadia, the first stop was Westside florist to discuss bouquets and such. We kept showing Gail, the florist, pictures of wildflowers that we liked while she tried to explain to us all of them grow in swamps and bogs and such. I think (hope) we came to a reasonable compromise. We'll be going for all local garden flowers, no big stuff like lilies, roses, etc. We walk a thin line of tentative preferences and total ignorance when it comes to these flowers, so we'll see...
After that we made a video on how to get to the Upper Town Dock in Southwest Harbor. That'll have to be a separate post. Finally, after all that, we caught the ferry out to Islesford.

Once over, we dropped off Martin at the house, and went down to the dock around sunset for a superb dinner with Dan and Cynthia. (We talked wedding stuff. What else?) And that's it for Friday!

Planning trip to Maine, Part 1

We got the rental car around 1 PM on Thursday and were on the road around an hour later. Traffic was okay, not too bad. First on the agenda was to stop at the IKEA in New Haven. Why IKEA? Elderflower syrup. I can't tell you why, yet, but it's wedding related.


We also got some cinnamon rolls. Amy had one. I had the other five. Second stop was in Waltham. Not Amy's house, but Costco. We had to get some supplies for the gift bags we'll be leaving with the hotels. Water, snacks, that sort of thing. Amy went inside and did the shopping, Martin and I stayed outside and played frisbee (I also tried pushing her around in a shopping cart, which she was less enthusiastic about).

We made it up to York at a decently early hour. In fact, we beat Amy's dad John up there, so we just hung around and watched the USA network and drank Bud Lights until he got there. John got there and we chatted about the wedding, and soon Donna made it back from playing Bingo!


The next morning I got up and Martin and I joined John and Maggie (t'other labradoodle) to the beach for about an hour while Amy slept. There was a heavy sea mist which was pretty. There were a lot of dogs around but Martin was mostly interested in the frisbee and barking at me when I wouldn't throw it.

We got back, got Amy up, and set off for parts north...

Marian Baker: Islesford Pottery

Next door to the Islesford Dock restaurant is Marian Baker's Islesford Pottery shop. We think her stuff is beautiful and have bought a few pieces over the years. Amy commissioned a beautiful bowl as a Christmas present to me to commemorate our engagement. I highly recommend stopping in her shop while you're there and picking out something nice.

Marian says that inspiration for her pottery

comes from many sources: nature (rocks, the colors of moss and lichens, the sea); some traditional English and Japanese pottery; and the material itself (the way clay can hold a mark and appear soft, the way glaze can be rich, layered, watery or stone-like.

Wendell Gilley Museum in Southwest Harbor

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 45: "Wendell Gilley Museum features intricate wooden bird carvings by the master Wendell Gilley in a beautiful building. Children enjoy the live carving demonstrations. Located on Route 102 in Southwest Harbor. Open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission fee (207-244-7555)."

Lobsters in New York

A few days ago we posted great places for lobster in Bar Harbor, but that's no help to anyone right now is it? So, for all of you New Yorkers, here's an article listing some great new places for lobster rolls right here in the city:

June 3, 2007 -- IF you can find two New Yorkers, you can find an argument: Mets vs. Yankees, East Side vs. West Side, Mary’s Fish Camp vs. Pearl Oyster Bar. I’ll go with the Mets and the West Side, but in terms of lobster rolls I’ve decided to leave the battle for another day and instead get familiar with the newest contenders. After eating rolls of crustacean mayo-globbed goodness for two weeks straight, I can no longer fit into my jeans. I have, however, figured out which rolls catch the wave and which ones wipe out.

Ed’s Lobster Bar

222 Lafayette St.; (212) 343-3236

Chef Ed McFarland of the newly opened Ed’s Lobster Bar is the guy you can thank for the world’s best lobster roll - a hot buttered bun filled with a mound of deliciously sweet claw meat. McFarland worked with Rebecca Charles (of Pearl Oyster Bar) for six years, and his pedigree shows. His lobster roll (market price) is a masterpiece of pulled and shredded lobster that’s so sweet, it tastes like it’s been soaked in cream. It’s glossed with just the right amount of mayo, and served with a side of piping hot sea-salted hand-cut fries.

Penelope

159 Lexington Ave.; (212) 481-3800

This neighborhood spot brings a summertime Maine vibe to our concrete city, with its blue-and-white awning, worn wood-plank flooring, mix ’n’ match antique tables, and walls covered in aqua wainscoting. To complete the dream, owner Jennifer Pootenza has whipped up one heavenly under-the-radar lobster roll. Overloaded with lobster meat dressed in lemony mayo, her Turtle Cove Lobster Roll ($16.50, named for one of her favorite surf spots in Montauk) is served on buttered and griddled Tom Cat Bakery brioche.

Ditch Plains

29 Bedford St.; (212) 633-0202

While chef Marc Murphy’s lobster roll ($25) is served in a pedestrian hotdog roll (grilled and amply buttered), its modesty is in bun only. He loads up this pup with a substantial helping of lobster salad fashioned from knuckle-size hunks of sweet lobster meat tossed with aioli and a smattering of tarragon, celery, parsley and just a touch of Old Bay.

The Mermaid Inn

96 Second Ave.; (212) 674-5870

While a classic lobster roll technically calls for a split bun (a squared-off hotdog roll), there’s always room for creativity. Chef Jose Luis Martinez at The Mermaid Inn uses his with an oversize brioche roll the size of a catcher’s mitt that’s stuffed with a heap of lobster salad (market price). The salad itself is heavy on the mayo, but the warmth of the roll makes the lobster meat more succulent.

BLT Fish

21 W. 17th St.; (212) 691-8888

You might expect a high-class version of the lobster roll from a fancy chef like Laurent Tourondel, but you won’t find it in his downstairs fish shack at BLT Fish. His lobster roll ($24) is no-frills and beach-ready. The lobster salad is lavished with celery, capers, tarragon and chives, all spooned into a warm brioche sub, sliced in two and tucked into a red plastic basket crowded with skinny fries. It’s tasty, but for $24 the kitchen should be more generous with its meat.

The Black Pearl

37 W 26th St.; (212) 532-9900

While this lobster roll is boldly described on the menu as “The Best in Town,” clearly someone’s not eating out a lot. For $20 at lunchtime and Market Price at dinner, you get a cold lump of bubble-gum pink lobster meat - without an inkling of seasoning - served on a dry bun.

Lobsters in Bar Harbor

The Washington Post Travel Q&A recently answered a question on where to get the best lobster in Bar Harbor. These are sound choices:

I'm looking for seafood restaurants in Bar Harbor, Maine. Lobster is at the top of our list.

Gail Heimes, Middletown

Lobster is the king crustacean in Bar Harbor. Hard-shell lobsters are available year-round, whereas soft-shell lobsters, known for their sweeter meat, are in season July through September. Bar Harbor restaurants also prepare other creatures of the sea and shore. Here are some local faves:

* At the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound (1237 Bar Harbor Rd., Trenton, 207-667-2977), pick your own lobster, then watch it boil in ocean water on an outdoor wood-fire cooker. Leave room for sides and pie.

* Galyn's (17 Main St., 207-288-9706), which overlooks the harbor, dresses up its seafood -- though you can also get your lobster plain-old boiled.

* Sample Down East cuisine at the Rinehart Dining Pavilion (50 Eden St., 207-288-5663), on the grounds of Fairview, the former summer estate of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart.

* The Jordan Pond House (Park Loop Road, 207-276-3316) is the only restaurant in Acadia National Park. Stop by for afternoon tea with popovers and jam.

* Jordan's Restaurant (80 Cottage St., 207-288-3586) cooks breakfast into the next mealtime. Try anything smothered in blueberries, such as the pancakes.

* At Tapley's Variety and Grill (317 Main St., 207-288-8185), share breakfast with lobstermen before they head out to sea.

Blueberry Picking on Mount Desert Island

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 45:

In August, scrumptious blueberries grace nearly every trail in Acadia. Nevertheless, if you want to pick berries in large quantities 9and help your kids bake their first blueberry pie), you will want to go to a commercial picking location. On Mount Desert Island, you can reach such a field by driving south from Somesville on Route 102 about 4.5 miles to Seal Cove Road on the right. Turn right and drive west 0.6 miles until you reach Long Pond Road. Turn right and drive north about 1 mile, watching for signs advertising berry picking. Rates are reasonable and by mid-August the berries are delicious!

The Oceanarium in Southwest Harbor

From Lisa Gollin Evans's "An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park," p. 44: "The Oceanarium / Southwest Harbor offers wonderful hands-on exploring the sea life of coastal Maine. Touch, smell, listen, and learn amid a wealth of interactive exhibits, including twenty tanks filled with sea creatures. Located on Clark Point Road in Southwest Harbor, between the Coast Guard Base and Beal's Lobster Wharf. Admission fee (207-244-7555)."

Walking up the Main Road on a sunny summer afternoon: Tourism on Islesford over the years

Hugh L. Dwelley's "A History of Little Cranberry Island, Maine," pp. 147-148, describes day trippers out to Islesford:

In the 1940s and 1950s and earlier, a tourist family or a couple walking up the Main Road on a sunny summer afternoon, was a curiosity to be peered at or remarked upon. While the Islesford Ferry made trips to and from Mount Desert two or three times a day, nearly all its passengers were natives or summer residents well known to everyone. ... In 1998, the National Park reported 11,905 visitors to the Islesford Museum between June and September. While most came no further than the museum and the nearby restaurant dock with its gift and pottery shops, a good number walked or rode bikes across the island to Gilley Beach, with stops at the store for pizza [sadly, not open in 2007! -ed.] and a post card, or at Dan and Katie Fernald's art gallery or to snap a picture of the church.

These are the Day Trippers -- the latest layer of tourists to visit Islesford. No longer are they unexpected as they walk up the Main Road or down the Back Road, but they still may be subject to a remark or two. By 5 p.m. they are gone and the island belongs to its residents.