The countdown to Labor Day & Hello Maine!

And so we are in the home stretch of summer, only two weeks removed from September and Labor Day. We all know summer always flies by too quickly. July seems to take it's time but it is only an illusion. To combat this the family and I always take the last week of August into Labor Day for our summer vacation. Somehow the realization that it is time for our vacation helps ease the pain that summer is almost over.

Thanks to Sandy the NYC Board of Ed cancelled our winter break. The upside is that we banked the vacation time and for the first time we are taking the last TWO weeks of August for our vacation. That is how you take Sandy's bitter lemons and make Lemonade.

This year's vacation destination is Maine and New Brunswick. Peace, quite and lobster. Today is Day 1 and we already have 300 miles and a nice stop in Portsmouth, NH, under our belt. (Beautiful town Portsmouth. Worth a visit.) Something magical happens when you enter Maine. The feel and smell of the air changes. Seafood spots and lobster shacks start popping up every quarter mile on Route 1. You can feel yourself slow down.You are in Vacationland. *

*(For some inexplicable reason they don't use that slogan anymore)

After 300 miles in the car we are wiped. A swim in the hotel pool revives me and the little one enough that we want to get something to eat. A quick survey of the plentiful seafood options and we settle on Fisherman's Catch in Wells. It is off Route 1, near the water.  It is a classic lobster shack without being overly kitsch. We arrive and the place is packed, 30 minute wait.  It is late so we opt for take out. The staff is great and friendly and we have our food in 10 minutes. We book back to the hotel, sit down and eat. It is perfect.

Lobster Stew

Crab Roll

Steamers!

It would have been great to go out on the town and eat but we will have plenty of time for that. We are happy right where we are: In our  hotel room, the four of us together, watching Big Bang Theory on TV and eating "take out". Of course it helps that "take out" in Maine means fresh, plentiful and delicious lobster, crab and clams. Ahhh Maine. Ahhh, vacation. Ahhh, summer.

House label Root Beer

 Fisherman's Catch -  134 Harbor Road, Wells, ME  - www.fishermanscatchwells.com