Travel - Old Orchard Beach October 30-31 2010
I have been working on a post about this trip for a while. And then it turned out to be HUGE! So I am breaking it up, but even the chunks are long. But it was a fun trip, and I hope a fun read. With photos.
I decided to treat myself on my thirty-first birthday. The opportunity for an really special vacation weekend presented itself in September, when local science fiction and fantasy authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller came to the library to do a reading. They were promoting their book Mouse and Dragon and Sharon's upcoming solo work Carousel Tides. Sharon invited us all to her book release party, which was to take place on October 30th in Old Orchard Beach.
Given that my birthday is the 19th, this seemed like a fun way to celebrate. I had not been to Old Orchard Beach - it's about an hour and a half from where I grew up, and there were two state parks much closer to home when my family wanted to go to the beach. Plus, Old Orchard Beach has a reputation for being crowded and full of tourists (I learned of one nickname for the town "The Armpit of Maine" in high school). But by late October even the leaf-peeping crowds would be gone. There would still be a sandy beach, and a bunch of book people would be in town.
I made reservations at the Sea View Inn, which offered a special deal for Sharon's guests on top of their normally low off-season prices. A new friend wanted to come along and get some time away from her own hectic life, but unfortunately her health prevented her from coming at the last minute. So I loaded up the car and drove down on my own.
The drive was scenic - the leaves were past their prime but still a burnt orange color that contrasted with the grass nicely. By the time I reached Old Orchard Beach itself, the burnt orange gave way to brighter oranges, yellows, and a few reds. This much farther south some trees still had good color.
I had looked up the hotel and the gallery where the signing was going to take place - the two addresses seemed to be less than a mile apart, and easy to find. I was right. The roads into Old Orchard Beach funnel you towards the ocean, and the hotel was right on the beach. I was even more confident that I had the right hotel when I looked up to the third floor balcony and saw Steve, who let me know that check-in was at another hotel a couple of blocks farther down the beach and gave advice on where to have dinner.
The hotel room was very nice - no beach view, but with the beach at the end of the parking lot, that was no hardship.
The room was perfect for a longer stay - a counter and barstool-height chairs for dining, a fridge, microwave, two burner stove, sink, and dishes (with soap and dishtowels). I would definitely recommend the Sea View - the only downside to staying there was the proximity to the train tracks (I later discovered that trains at 4:00 AM are no fun). Since the tracks run right through the downtown, every hotel in Old Orchard Beach has this issue, and the Sea View seems to be one of the nicer ones.
Once I got settled, I decided to take a walk on the beach. The shoreline was nearly deserted - I saw about five other people. The birds had taken the beach back for themselves. I saw a meeting of seagulls, and discovered that the crows take over Palace Playland and hold meetings up on the light fixtures of the rollercoaster.
The pier, which was first built in the late 1890's, was also closed, and the signs I could make out advertised attractions which didn't make any sense (other than the ATM, for which I saw three signs).
Reaching the pier, I decided to walk up Old Orchard Street to look for the gallery, which I had driven past but hadn't seen from the car. A lot of the businesses were boarded up or had the windows papered over. Most of the places closer to the beach sold food, and not the healthy variety (the french fry place with a "Frequent Fryer" club was particularly alarming). The few windows that remained uncovered showed off garish beachwear and other things I wouldn't have been interested in had the shops been open. I discovered that the local bagel place would be open for lunch on Sunday, and that the candy factory was open (and whimsical inside). I also found the gallery, and then headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before changing into a more formal outfit for the book signing.
More in a couple of days!
I decided to treat myself on my thirty-first birthday. The opportunity for an really special vacation weekend presented itself in September, when local science fiction and fantasy authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller came to the library to do a reading. They were promoting their book Mouse and Dragon and Sharon's upcoming solo work Carousel Tides. Sharon invited us all to her book release party, which was to take place on October 30th in Old Orchard Beach.
Given that my birthday is the 19th, this seemed like a fun way to celebrate. I had not been to Old Orchard Beach - it's about an hour and a half from where I grew up, and there were two state parks much closer to home when my family wanted to go to the beach. Plus, Old Orchard Beach has a reputation for being crowded and full of tourists (I learned of one nickname for the town "The Armpit of Maine" in high school). But by late October even the leaf-peeping crowds would be gone. There would still be a sandy beach, and a bunch of book people would be in town.
I made reservations at the Sea View Inn, which offered a special deal for Sharon's guests on top of their normally low off-season prices. A new friend wanted to come along and get some time away from her own hectic life, but unfortunately her health prevented her from coming at the last minute. So I loaded up the car and drove down on my own.
The drive was scenic - the leaves were past their prime but still a burnt orange color that contrasted with the grass nicely. By the time I reached Old Orchard Beach itself, the burnt orange gave way to brighter oranges, yellows, and a few reds. This much farther south some trees still had good color.
I had looked up the hotel and the gallery where the signing was going to take place - the two addresses seemed to be less than a mile apart, and easy to find. I was right. The roads into Old Orchard Beach funnel you towards the ocean, and the hotel was right on the beach. I was even more confident that I had the right hotel when I looked up to the third floor balcony and saw Steve, who let me know that check-in was at another hotel a couple of blocks farther down the beach and gave advice on where to have dinner.
The hotel room was very nice - no beach view, but with the beach at the end of the parking lot, that was no hardship.
The room was perfect for a longer stay - a counter and barstool-height chairs for dining, a fridge, microwave, two burner stove, sink, and dishes (with soap and dishtowels). I would definitely recommend the Sea View - the only downside to staying there was the proximity to the train tracks (I later discovered that trains at 4:00 AM are no fun). Since the tracks run right through the downtown, every hotel in Old Orchard Beach has this issue, and the Sea View seems to be one of the nicer ones.
Once I got settled, I decided to take a walk on the beach. The shoreline was nearly deserted - I saw about five other people. The birds had taken the beach back for themselves. I saw a meeting of seagulls, and discovered that the crows take over Palace Playland and hold meetings up on the light fixtures of the rollercoaster.
The pier, which was first built in the late 1890's, was also closed, and the signs I could make out advertised attractions which didn't make any sense (other than the ATM, for which I saw three signs).
Reaching the pier, I decided to walk up Old Orchard Street to look for the gallery, which I had driven past but hadn't seen from the car. A lot of the businesses were boarded up or had the windows papered over. Most of the places closer to the beach sold food, and not the healthy variety (the french fry place with a "Frequent Fryer" club was particularly alarming). The few windows that remained uncovered showed off garish beachwear and other things I wouldn't have been interested in had the shops been open. I discovered that the local bagel place would be open for lunch on Sunday, and that the candy factory was open (and whimsical inside). I also found the gallery, and then headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before changing into a more formal outfit for the book signing.
More in a couple of days!