Thursday, July 17, 2008

Beach by train

My sister Kay and I were sent on assignment to Old Orchard Beach last week. Our mission: Eliminate the notorious hassles of parking and carnival food, which plague this seaside town. As I reported in Switch magazine, the solution lies in taking the Amtrak Downeaster and eating at one of a handful of restaurants that offer up more whole foods and plant-based fare. These include: Bayside Pita Wraps, Chrys's Restaurant, Beach Bagels and Ole' JJ's, where I ate a delicious taco bowl made with refried beans. Yum!

What really made the trip special and so stress-free was our decision to take the train. We absolutely loved it! It's so much simpler than driving, and it's always fun to meet other travelers. And it's so thrilling that train service is being restored in Maine. I can't wait for the Amtrak service to be extended to Brunswick and beyond.

Here are a few more outtakes from our day trip:



The view from the Pier.


Here's Kay with the Pier Patio Pub in the background.


Kay took this shot inside the public bathroom around 8:20 am.



We got a great view of this crazy ride from inside Ole' JJ's.



The train station in Old Orchard Beach


Getting off the train in Portland and already looking forward to making the next trip.

5 comments:

Bianca said...

Looks like you had a great trip! I love that pub on the pier. What a cool idea! Unless of course some drunk stumbles over the railing...oops!

Anonymous said...

I have the Whole Foods bag that Kay is carrying. And I tend to use it for the beach =) It's great for carrying LOTS of things!

Looks like you two had a great time.

J said...

What a fun trip. I love that you took that train, and those pictures truly make me jealous that I don't live near the beach.

Anonymous said...

What a fun trip! It's too bad there aren't more trains here in the US- they are so practical (like you say, no parking issues...) and great for getting around! :) Now I'm ready for a day at the beach!!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a really fun outing. I love your idea to take the train. The photos of the beach with the umbrellas is really cool. It's so hot here a dip in the ocean sounds really enticing.