The Best of Plymouth:Where to Eat

Although our breakfast was complimentary, Christopher and I were left to ourselves for lunch and dinner. We got to try a lot of fantastic restaurants on our honeymoon. Here are some of the highlights. 

Best Coffee Shop: Blue Blind's Bakery 
Blue Blind's Bakery was our go to coffee shop while in Plymouth. It was not only a hop, skip and a jump away from our inn, but it also served absolutely delicious coffee. Christopher and I were huge fans of their caramel lattes. They also had some baked goods which we did not try, but looked wonderful. Do keep in mind that this family is run by the sweetest Jewish family, so the shop will be closed on Jewish holidays. We happened to be there around Shmini Atzeret, so we were unable to get coffee there later in the week. 

Best Lunch Spot: Luigi's
Luigi's has some seriously awesome paninis and sandwiches. My chicken salad sandwich and pasta salad were delicious, but I was seriously tempted to steal Christopher's panini. 

Best Gastropub: Nosh Food Tavern
Nosh was a great place to grab dinner. They had an excellent selection of beers and unique and tasty food. We were happy to see that they served several microbrews and local liquors. Christopher and I loved their salt and vinegar fries. 

Courtesy of http://www.noshfoodgroup.com/

Best Hole-In-The-Wall: Asia Tasty
Christopher and I ate here THREE times. Asia Tasty was fast, cheap and their food did not have a ton of MSG. We were particular fans of their crab ragoons and fried spring rolls. We would definitely recommend ordering a bunch of appetizers to share. 

Best of Fine Dining: Patrizia Italy Trattoria 
Christopher and I celebrated the last night of our honeymoon at Patrizia Italy Trattoria. This was an excellent restaurant. There are several Italian classics with a modern twist and an extensive wine list. I loved my Tortelli di Ricotta e Spinaci con Burro e Salvia (Fresh spinach and artisan ricotta hand-made ravioli in sage-butter sauce, shaved Parmigiano Reggian) and Christopher enjoyed his Orecchiette alla Barese con Salsiccia e Broccoli (Hand rolled “little ears” shaped pasta in garlic, sausage, broccoli rabe and roasted tomatoes).

Courtesy of http://patriziasitaly.com/

Do you have any Plymouth recommendations?

Shipping Up to Boston

Christopher had never had a chance to visit Boston, so this city was definitely on our go-to list. The weather and our lack of time limited what we could do and see, nevertheless we had a good time.

Our first stop in Boston was the North End. I have a particular attachment to the North End, because my great, great-grandmother once lived there.

Paul Revere's House was a must see. Pro-tip: This site is cash-only. Be prepared.

We also visited Mike's Pastries. Oh, Mike's Pastries. This is what Italian dessert dreams are made of. I have wanted to return here after I first visited ten years ago. TEN YEARS. That is how long the memories of their cannolis have lasted me. Another Pro-tip: If you ever want to earn brownie points with me, bring me a cannoli. Or ice cream. Or dark chocolate. I am not picky.

We could not go to Boston without visiting Quincey Market. This place is intense and rather overwhelming. There was a two-story store of just Christmas ornaments.

We ended our time in Boston with a few stops along the Freedom Trail. Many of the Freedom Trail tours and museums are on the pricy side, so we contented ourselves with taking pictures of the outside of buildings and exploring the Granary Burial Ground.

A proper Boston weekend is definitely in the works. Perhaps our one year anniversary!

Exploring Cape Cod

 Christopher and I had no plans during our honeymoon. We wanted to take it easy and go where the wind blew us. On the Tuesday of our honeymoon we decided to meander through Cape Cod.

Our first stop was in Sandwich. We walked around the town for a but and visited the Thornton Burgess Society. Thornton Burgess was the author of Peter Cottontail and a passionate naturalist. We enjoyed exploring the grounds and briefly hiking in the woods.

We found our dream home for sale!

A church turned inn/restaurant we are dying to try.

After a quick lunch at The Bee Hive Tavern we explored a beach in Brewster. It was incredibly gorgeous and relaxing.

We also visited First Encounter Beach. I am descended from the Pilgrims (Tilley's and Howland's), so it was quite humbling to visit a beach that was the beginning of so much creation and so much destruction. This was an emotional experience.

 We ended our day on the other side of Cape Cod at the Coast Guard Beach. This was another simply beautiful location.

I would highly recommend taking a tour of Cape Cod. It is a lovely place to meander through.

The Week Before the Wedding

The week before our wedding was incredibly busy, a little stressful and completely and utterly wonderful. Christopher's family arrived in Maine Friday afternoon, however my family arrived Tuesday evening and my grandparents arrived Thursday evening.  Besides getting ready for the wedding, we were able to sneak in a little sight-seeing.

On Wednesday I introduced my family to Sea Dogs Brewery. After lunch we drove to Bucksport and explored some of my favorite locations- the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, Fort Knox and Buck's Cemetery. We also visited Blue Hill and I shared with them the home and grave of the Rev. Jonathan Fisher, my thesis topic.

On Thursday my family came with my to my university. After I gave a review session for a midterm, we took a hike at Gould's Landing by Pushaw Lake. This is where Christopher and I took our engagement photos last year.

On Friday my grandparents joined us for apple and pumpkin-picking at Treworgy Farms. Everyone loved it and we were able to get some supplies for the wedding. For more information about the farm, check out my previous blogs here, here and here.

Many of these locations are not new to the blog, but are certainly some of my favorite and definitely worth sharing with my family. Stay tuned for posts about our honeymoon and wedding. We have not received our finished wedding photos yet, so the honeymoon posts will probably come first.

The Day We Failed to Go to Ellsworth and Just Went to Bar Harbor Instead

Christopher loves seafood. I do not. When he heard the Autumn Gold Festival in Ellsworth had a chowder tasting contest, he was on board. Freckles and I followed along for moral support.

We were quite disappointed when we arrived in Ellsworth. The chowder tasting contest was packed beyond belief. The boat rides on the river turned out to be people just offering rides in their personal, tiny boats. The rest of the venues were kind of lame or very Ellsworth-oriented. No one seemed to be welcoming dogs. We were not impressed.

Once we realized that the Autumn Gold Festival was not for us, we hopped into our car and headed to Bar Harbor instead. We had an awesome lunch at a pet-friendly restaurant and then took a walk on the path by the old hotel. We ended up having an awesome afternoon, enjoying the last few days of summer weather.

Battle of the Bands

Christopher and I were lucky enough to be invited the the Third Annual Acadia Hospital Battle of the Bands. We had a great time dancing, drinking some legit margaritas and discovering music from The Stone Doctors, The Time Pilots and the Maine Street R&B Revue. The best part about the whole event was that it was intended to raise money for children's services at the Acadia Hospital. Awesome cause, awesome night. If you are interested in giving, check out this.

The Bangor Art Walk

The Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative hosts an Art Walk several times a year. I was able to attend, thanks to the University of Maine Humanities Initiative and a number of other programs. 

Several stores and restaurants hosted various artwork downtown. Many art studios on 31 Central Street were also open to the public. The evening ended with a tour of the University of Maine Museum of Art. This was an incredible opportunity to explore local art, and one I hope to seize again soon. For more information, check out this website.