Bar Harbor, Maine: five things the Obamas could do on vacation there
| Washington
Bar Harbor, Maine, is the first family鈥檚 . Barack and Michelle and the kids arrived at the local airport earlier Friday and were whisked away in a motorcade to their waterfront hotel.
Hopefully, they鈥檒l get away from Bar Harbor鈥檚 tourist-heavy waterfront for other activities on Mount Desert, the large and scenic island on which the resort town is located. When you鈥檝e got a country to run (that would be Barack) and important issues to promote, such as the reduction of childhood obesity (Michelle), you don鈥檛 always have time to plan your getaways. So here are some suggestions:
Eat at 2 Cats. This local landmark is the best place for breakfast for miles around. Lots of atmosphere and felines, plus great coffee and waffles. It鈥檚 on Cottage Street, which is kind of a walk from the place where the Obamas are staying, but we鈥檙e betting that the Secret Service will make sure they find a parking place.
Visit the lobster museum. The Maine Lobster Museum is just outside town. It鈥檚 got a great cutaway lobster boat and a working lobster hatchery where kids can see the tasty crustaceans in all their life cycles. It鈥檚 fun and educational, and Barack and Michelle strike us as just the kind of parents who like to sneak a little educational fiber into the sundae of vacations.
Listen to Thunder Hole. The Obamas will probably climb Mt. Cadillac, the local landmark and highest point along that part of the US coast. It鈥檚 got a stupendous view and a great gift shop, but it鈥檚 a little ... quiet. Thunder Hole isn鈥檛. It鈥檚 a rock formation on Mount Desert Island鈥檚 east coast, inside Acadia National Park, where when the tide is right, waves slam in with the sound of an oncoming storm. Very dramatic and great for pictures. Hold on to the handrails, please.
Buy pie at Sawyer鈥檚 Market. Sawyer鈥檚, a plank-floored market in what passes for downtown Southwest Harbor, is on the other side of Mount Desert from Bar Harbor. But the blueberry pie is fabulous. Get sandwiches and a pie for dessert. It鈥檚 not the best pie on the island, actually, but it is the best that will be available this weekend. Unity Church in Somesville sells homemade pies that are legendary 鈥� but only on Wednesdays. The Obamas will be gone by then.
Go tidepooling. Tidepools 鈥� those islands of water left behind on rocky coast when the tide retreats 鈥� are endlessly fascinating. We鈥檒l bet Sasha could count the different types of crabs found in one and make it into a dandy school science display. The Bar Harbor area offers lots of places to tidepool, including the coast walk in downtown Bar Harbor itself. But we recommend the outer tip of the island, where the granite cliffs, covered with pines, seem to be marching down into the crashing surf. Have you ever wondered where L.L. Bean gets the inspiration for its cover illustrations? This is where.
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