Sequel to Bar Harbor Pajama Sale

After reading the papers about Black Friday sales, it made me think of our own Pajama Sale in another light. As I read about people waiting outside stores for hours to wildly rush in and grab whatever they could before items disappeared off shelves and altercations over who was in line first, it made me think that our walking around town in PJs is not so crazy after all.

Our Pajama Sale has a civility to it. True, most people are there for the sales, but the real draw is to dress up in your pajamas and shop and feel completely at ease doing so. There is a festive mood to our sale- not the frenzy that you read about or see on TV.

People stop and chat as they see friends and neighbors that were lost in the summer crowds. They discuss their plans for Thanksgiving and share the finds they found. Even Acadia National Park sells its annual passes at half-price off in appreciation of all the locals who support the park year 'round.

It's a time to support the local shops as well and feel good about doing so. Oh I could buy my books cheaper on Amazon but I prefer to support Sherman's Book Store and buy my Christmas cards, calendars, books and toys there. It's the sense of belonging to a community and doing what you can to keep local stores stay open after the tourist dollars fade away. After all this is our town and we have a pride about living here and keeping it a viable community.

I used to love to shop at Port in a Storm- a wonderful bookstore in Somesville outside of Bar Harbor. But they could not keep up with the competition from online stores and closed their doors last year to our dismay. Maybe if they had been embraced in the arms of our small town community they might have survived.

So you can go shop your big box stores and stand in lines with people you do not know and fight over merchandise, but I will take our small town sales supporting shopkeepers you know, rubbing elbows with friends and acquaintances and helping to sustain our year-round community.

Next up is our Midnight Madness sale the first Friday after Thanksgiving- and that has another whole mood to it. Stay tuned.

Local amusement now that the tourists have left

So what do we do in Bar Harbor now that all the tourists are mostly gone and the shops and restaurants are closing to escape to warmer weather? Well we take over the town and create our own amusements that still draw people outside of town.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving we have our annual Pajama Sale- in fact this year we celebrated our 15th! The stores open at 6 AM and offer discounts to shoppers and to sweeten the pot, they give additional discounts if you dress in your PJs. Well to me the only way I am shopping that early is to just roll out of bed and throw on my long fleece robe and head out the door.

There is a festive spirit as people run about in their PJs and robes and often try to outdo each other with some of their outfits and favorite stuffed animal in tow. Now I don't do well that early in the AM and usually make it out about 7:30 to scout out what's around and then build my shopping list for the next sale- Midnight Madness- but more about that in a later post.

The stores offer hot drinks and goodies and people wander around from store to store scooping up the bargains. I find it a to be a type of coming out for the locals to meet and greet and reclaim the town for themselves after the hectic months of summer and fall tourists.

In an effort to extend this day, we now have a bed race down one of the main streets. People dress up old beds and themselves, put wheels on the beds and push and pull the beds down the street and back again in a timed race for the grand prize of $500!

By now it is 10:00 AM and folks in street clothes mingle with those in their PJs, nightgowns and robes- no one thinking that anything looks out of place with this scenario. It continues after the race is over and we all go about our normal Saturday morning chores- going to the town dump ( er- transfer station), supermarket and the PO. By that time being in your PJs seems normal and you wonder why some people are staring at you as you go about in total oblivion.

Yup, that is what we do when the tourists leave- our annual ritual of reclaiming the town in our own unique style!

Closing down the town

I am behind in my postings- work on my house to get ready for winter has kept me busy. To bring you up to speed, we are now in the official season of returning the town to the locals and closing up most shops and restaurants.

But to recap some happenings, on Halloween people come from miles around to go trick or treating on mainly one street in Bar Harbor, the one I live on. Now the population of the town is around 4000 but we get almost a thousand kids. Ah, you say that is what people do in the winter around here to keep warm! Well maybe, but the majority of them come from off

island and as far as 50 miles away. Droves of children line up to collect their booty

as we hand out candy in a production line fashion. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not town sponsored and although people do contribute candy at the local supermarket none of us on our end of the street benefited from their generosity. But we decorate our houses and the town closes the street and there is a festive air to it that makes it special for the children who come.

The next day I walked around town to catch the last cruise ship of the season- the Queen Mary 2- and count all the places closing down for the season- actually it is easier to count the ones that remain open. Some of the shops will stay open to reap the benefits of the Pajama Sale and Midnight Madness before shuttering their store windows against the winterstorms. But few restaurants stay open and choices for a night out become sparse.

Some new shops have promised to stay open through the winter and we hope they last. A new wine shop- House Of Wines- promises to hold monthly wine tastings and the locals all gather at the first to insure they do.

So now we have the town all to ourselves and although it is relief to be able to once again drive down the streets without having to play "Dodge the Tourist" or be able to walk down the aisles of the supermarket and actually know the people shopping there, there is a touch of sadness that comes with the town rolling up the carpet for the winter. We know that soon cold and dark descends early and winter snow cannot be too far away.

But wait, there are the crazy sales to tide us over until the holidays and then Reel Pizza will be open again (more later about this ray of light in the winter) and there is a calmness that descends that lets us store up energy to face another tourist season!

Cruising in Bar Harbor

This week the Queen Victoria sailed into Bar Harbor on her maiden voyage. And the town threw her a party fit for royalty. The local high school band was there as well as officials to greet the passengers as they came ashore. There was splendidly decorated cake to woo the crowd. Antique cars lined the streets and people spilled from the sidewalks onto the streets to join in the festivities.

And that is one of the big "joys" of cruise ships in Bar Harbor. Although it is fun to see these new ships slip into our harbor, it is not so fun when the cruise ships "dump" 1,000's of passengers onto our small streets and sidewalks. We can get up to 6000 people when 2 ships are in port. Add to that the normal visitors during the fall season as well as all the "leaf peeper" tour buses that come into town as well and the place becomes like Disneyland.

But unlike Disneyland where the streets are meant for people to roam about, we still need to drive on our streets and this becomes an almost impossible task. Locals usually tack up the cruise ship schedule on their frig's to consult before they head off to town. These passengers have been away from the hustle of traffic and alight onto our streets without heeding crosswalks, sidewalks and the fact that there are real cars trying to maneuver their way through the hordes. Plus they tend to be more advanced in age and thus move more slowly as they make their way across the streets.

So beware of visiting here when the cruise ships are in though Acadia Park still beckons and looks forward to visitors this time of year as the crowds thin out in the Park. The town merchants thrive on the cruise ship business so I do not begrudge them their profits. But most of these shops have no other function then to serve as tourist traps and do not necessarily enhance the local economy and close up once the patrons dry up.

I much prefer the times not that far ago when Acadia Park was the attraction and those who came were people who loved the outdoors, hiking and reveling in the splendor of the park instead of the trinkets of the town.

Tides and tourists receding

Just as the tides recede and expose the gravel path to Bar Island, so too are the waves of tourists as the school season starts. First the New Hampshire schools go back the last week of August and Massachusetts follows the week before Labor Day with Maine close behind.

Bar Island- which Bar Harbor gets its name from- is an island off of the harbor that is only accessible at low tide when a gravel strip is exposed that you can walk or ride on to access Bar Island. All too often tourists neglect to check the tides tables and get stranded on the island until the next tide or even worse, their cars are tested to see how well they can float!

So too are the streets and roads of Bar Harbor becoming more exposed as school starts and vacations become a summer memory. You can once again walk on the sidewalks and actually find a parking spot at the grocery store.

But like the tides that come in once again to cover your exit back from Bar Island, more waves of tourists will be arriving shortly that will once again block the sidewalks and make driving hazardous to one's sanity.

The cruise ships will start to come in more frequently now through October and as the larger ones arrive they bring a whole other breed of tourists!

Stay tuned as the adventures and challenges continue as we ride the next wave!

Survival Skills

Locals have learned certain tourist survival skills and pay the consequences when they do not abide by them. One of them is to never shop on a Sunday morning in the local supermarket which I made the mistake of doing. Actually anytime during the summer is a challenge but Sundays are the worst. Weekly renters usually arrive either late Saturday or early Sunday and all flock to the supermarket to start their week off.

Our market is small and meets the the locals' needs barely in winter though you will run into quite a few of us in the bigger stores 25 miles away on weekends. But in the summer it becomes impossible to move down the crowded aisles as people wander aimlessly trying to find items they need and probably don't exist in our store.

Shopping becomes a family experience and so you now have all these kids running around adding to the confusion. Cell phones abound as people loudly carry on their conversations or talk to others in their parties mere aisles away.

I had my first traffic jam just trying to get into the store- just like the tourists who stop and talk in the middle of the street to their friends on the sidewalk, this woman was talking to her son trying to coordinate what they were going to do after shopping. She had to do this just inside the doorway and could not move a few feet in so others could get by her.

Being 4 deep in the waiting line, I remarked that people should go around her and I got a look like I was oh so rude. This also happens in the lines at the Farmers Market- but that story is for another day.

So I became totally un-Maine like and shouted- hey move in so others can get by- the woman just looked at me and the long line of people waiting to get in and continued talking. She then moved her cart about a foot so we could squeeze by.

Imagine standing at turnstyle in the subway in NY or Boston just as you are starting to go through and begin a conversation with the person behind you and not go through until your conversation is finished. You might get away with your life intact! It continues to amaze me how people leave their common sense behind while on vacation.

Tourist Crossing

Well summer weather has finally arrived after a very wet season and Bar Harbor is overflowing with the tourists who have arrived in droves. Now I guess people must think because they drove so far to get here that they have reached the end of the world and all laws and conventions don't exist in this mythical town of Bar Harbor. After all we used to be called Eden so why have rules in Paradise?

For the times one has to drive downtown, it can be perilous. There are crosswalks aplenty but people seem determined to create their own. What constantly amazes me is that the tourists are a few feet away from a crosswalk but still insist on crossing wherever they feel like. Without realizing it, they are putting themselves and the mental health of locals at peril.

Some of the ways that they try to defy the natural law of stepping out in front of a moving vehicle are many. The one I cringe at the most is the stroller approach- this is where some mother thinks if she pushes a stroller out between parked cars that moving vehicles will stop out of concern for the child- which the mother obviously has none ( concern or brains). What they seem to be oblivious to is the fact that the stroller is so low to to the ground that we do not see this until our wheels are almost upon them!

The ways they cross are many and driving becomes a game of skill to make sure you can dodge them all without any injury! Of course all the locals say tourists are fair game when not in crosswalks. There are the ones who cross diagonally in front of you, those who just run out, those who start across then stop halfway- undecided if they really want to go in that direction and then turn around and head back. There are families who cross in droves- teaching their kids that you do not have to obey traffic laws and there are those who just stop in the middle and talk to their friends still on the sidewalk trying to decide where they want to go.

Of course there are those motorists who encourage these bad habits by stopping every 2 feet to let the stampede go by and back up traffic. I prefer the scare tactics myself- if tourists are not in the crosswalk I keep driving- hoping they will speed up their crossing and their heart rates by the time I get close!

You have to keep an ever watchful eye but someday I fear that I will become a victim of a tourist crossing as I carefully slow down for all the crosswalks and am ever vigilant for the errant tourist.

Let's be careful out there!

For old fans of Hill Street Blues, you know this was an admonition to be careful out on the tough city streets. Well the same can be said for vacationing here as well. People often come to Acadia National Park unprepared for hiking our mountains and trails and go about climbing them like they would a stroll through a city park. Now we don't have mountains like they do out West but you do need to take precautions when hiking. In addition to proper hiking shoes, maps and water, make sure you pack your common sense. We know people tend to leave this behind on vacation.

What tourists don't hear alot about is the number of people injured or killed each year while vacationing here. And I don't mean to make light of this because it can be tragic. When I hear the sound of the Life Flight helicopter landing at the ball fields, I know if it is daytime or early evening it is most likely a fall in the Park or if late at night usually a traffic accident. The helicopter is there to take seriously injured people to the hospital in Bangor. We all look at each other when we hear this and say a prayer and know we will read about it in the Islander's next edition.

Sometimes accidents just happen but most other times it is due to not paying attention to the trails, not being in the proper physical shape or sometimes to just being foolish. I hold my breath when I see kids running around slippery rocks or people hiking in flip flops!

People have been swept away by rogue waves as they stand too close to water's edge on the rocky outcroppings or have been lost due to not having trail maps.

So come enjoy the rugged mountains of the Maine coast and soak up the beauty of the harbors and coves, but please make sure you pack your common sense along with your ounce of prevention to make it a memory you will relish.

The sun shines on Bar Harbor

Ok- no tourist rants - just enjoying a beautiful day in Bar Harbor. The sun was out all day- it may have even hit 80! The evening is a typical Maine summer night that we all thought was lost to global warming- pleasant night, slight breeze, not humid and makes everyone want to be out and friendly.

I hit my favorite local hangout- McKay's- kinda like a Cheers in the winter but always great food and welcoming anytime. I sit at the bar and order the always popular McKay's salad- greens, apples, golden raisins, hazelnuts and a white truffle oil dressing- yum. Pair that with the ahi tuna appetizer with avocado and a wasabi oil and you have the perfect light meal for a late evening out- of course paired with a nice glass of wine.

Locals and tourists mix at the bar and talk about their respective hometowns and best places to go to eat and have a drink. Distinctive southern accents give away their locales. We chat and include newcomers to the bar and the conversation flows smoothly.

I bid my farewells and start on my way home but am tempted by the sirens' call to stop at MDI Ice Cream- I know I shouldn't but.... Local homemade ice cream with unusual flavor mixings that are always a delight. Stout with fudge, girl scouts gone wild( mints cookies mixed into chocolate ice cream) wasabi chocolate, blueberry basil and many more. I decide to keep with the light theme and go for a orange tarragon sorbet - not too sweet - topped with candied lemon peel.

As I proceed up the street to my house , my boss comes out of the YMCA sweaty from a game of basketball and jibes me about eating ice cream- guess I can't talk about my diet but such a nice summer days deserves to be topped off with the perennial summer treat!

Braving downtown Bar Harbor during the day

One of the best ways to enjoy living in Bar Harbor is to live within walking distance of town. Not all can be so fortunate but I put up with other inconveniences for the privilege. This also means that you can mostly dodge the traffic that clogs our streets which were never meant for RV's that resemble Greyhounds ( buses, not the dogs), Hummers ( towed behind said RV's), real buses and the lost tourist who creeps along at 5 miles an hour which is really not moving at all.

We tend to classify the people by their license plates, like all people from a certain state we pigeon hole them into all exhibiting the same characteristics though in truth we know it is usually just those from their large populated areas. If someone decides to pull a U-turn in the middle of town, you can usually win the prize by shouting Massachusetts ( though we affectionately call them Massholes). Those turtles slowly making their way up Main St are usually from Pennsylvania and so on. People from Vermont are usually pretty savvy- I think they put up with their share of leaf peepers during fall foliage and know how not to look like a tourist.

So today, I had to go downtown to the PO during the mid-afternoon and as I was working this meant driving in and out. Now I kept telling myself- don't do this- but I had to get an important letter out in the only mail pick-up of the day ( and no, there are not mailboxes scattered throughout town)

So as bad as it is trying to maneuver the streets, what is next to impossible is trying to find a parking space which are at a premium. Now being a townie, I do know where I can usually find a spot or two even it means walking a bit as I will get there faster than trying to find a spot close by the PO.

So I started down a one way street to park my car when I suddenly found my passage blocked by a car coming at me- obviously going the wrong way and totally oblivious to this fact as they looked out their windows at the B&B's on the street. Now these streets are one way for a reason- they are just too narrow to fit 2 cars, esp. when parking is allowed on one side of the street (which I was attempting to do!) They finally realized their passage was blocked and looked around to see how they could proceed. I gestured madly at the One Way sign pointing in my direction and pointed at a nearby driveway- thinking maybe they would be smart enough to pull in so I could pass. But they shook there heads at me and it was obvious that they did not think they were the transgressors here and looked quite peeved that I was blocking their route. I knew at that point it was useless to try and make them see that I was on the side of the law here and looked around for a way to squeeze my car past them but no such luck. I had to back up a few feet and back into an open driveway to let them go by. As they did, they looked at me and raised their fists in anger at my disturbing their trip down the street.

So like the person who suddenly decided to walk backwards on the street and bowl over others, these people were detemined to make their way down this street in their own fashion regardless of the signs posted otherwise.

Do people really leave their common sense back home on vacation or do they think that the normal conventions cease to exist if you are in a small tourist town at the tip of an island? This pattern will repeat itself as I muse about living in a tourist town, esp where people seem to do things that put themselves or others at risk.

Wap wap wap- the sound of the Lifeflight helicopter landing- because another tourist left their good sense back home- more on that later.

Bar Harbor, tourist mecca or oblivion?

Living in a small town on an island In Maine that also happens to be home to a very popular national park, Acadia, presents interesting observations of people on vacation. Our small town of Bar Harbor is very quiet from November through April, dead in fact some people may say. But from May through October there is an increasing buzz of activity that becomes a loud roar in July and August.

I decided to write this blog as a commentary on life in a small town that bursts at the seams during the high season as B&B's like to name their highest rate. These observations come from someone who lives here year round and who wanders among the tourists soaking in the vitality that comes in the summer and early fall before we all go back into hibernation for the winter.

But it is also a commentary of how tourists act while on vacation and wonder if some of this behavior is unique to those who visit a place that takes so long to travel to and seems removed from civilization or if this is true of all tourist towns across the world. Comments and observations from others who live their lives according to tourist seasons are welcome.

So what got me started on this blog was the typical behavior that seems to beset those who come to a small town on vacation. Tourists become oblivious to their surroundings except as it pertains to their immediate needs. Today I decided to tackle the crowds and grab a cappuccino at one of the few places that stays open all year- Cafe Milagro. Although their coffee may be a little on the pricey side it is always good and locals like to support these shops so they will stay open year round. Now I knew it would be crowded in town as the weather was threatening rain ( when hasn't it this season) and the fog still clung to the shorelines- not many people ready to venture into The Park ( as we locals refer to Acadia National Park) if they could get wet.

After making my purchase and walking down the street I noticed this woman staring into the shop windows as she pushed a jogging stroller in front of her. Not only was this stroller preventing anyone from getting around her, she was also moving at a pace that made one wonder if she really did jog! I kept my distance as I recognized this type of browser and knew their behavior could turn erratic at any point. And just to confirm this she abruptly stopped and then immediately starting walking backwards, obviously drawn back by an object that was calling to her. Of course she did not turn around to go back nor did she look over her shoulder to see if anyone was behind her, but just started walking backwards drawn by the sirens silent call.

Unfortunately, the people walking behind her were not tuned into the same frequency and therefore were blocking this woman's backward movement ( as she continued to stare sideways into the shop's windows) and were nearly knocked over by her. Now this seems to be a typical reaction of people who become so immersed in their surroundings that they forget that others exist- this woman looked at these people she just nearly bowled over as if to say- what are you doing here blocking my way- can't you see I am in my own vacation world and you should not be in it! No apologies- just this hard stare at these people to let them know they should not have been there in the first place.

I chuckled to myself and crossed the street to avoid any possibility of my incurring her evil eye and chalked it up to another oblivious tourist. We locals all know they can be dangerous and try and spot the signs for self preservation.

I will post more of these Bar Harbor tourist aberrations to amuse you and comment on. Now mind you, I am not against our tourists- after all they do bring money to the town and support The Park, and I have spent more than a few evenings chatting pleasantly with them at local hangouts over a few drinks and for the most they are well behaved. Bu there are those that we can always count on to act in certain ways that do bring either a smile or a smirk and it is those I will recap along with our seasons' ups and downs. And wait until the cruise ship season is at its height- that brings a whole other type of tourist to Bar Harbor!