Our New England Getaway
A couple months ago, I explained how much I missed our getaways and wished for a moment of spontaneity. Now, this is important to note because as much as I enjoy the idea of flying by the seat of our pants and going on a grand adventure, it really doesn’t fit in with our current season of life. We run on very small amounts of sleep and are raising young children. So, we have to plan to be spontaneous.
We had some frequent flyer miles, and when trying to decide where to go (besides Vancouver), we both pointed out that we hadn’t been to much of the Northeast and neither of us to Maine. Now, of course, my cliche foodie bucket list starts running through my mind and immediately I’m on board with the idea of lobster all weekend in Maine. So, we did just that. Here’s what went down.
We flew into Boston on a Thursday morning. When we take trips, we almost always start with a Thursday so I can be present for my Wednesday night commitment to my youth girls. We flew into Boston and arrived right around noon. From the airport, we headed downtown to get some food because obviously food would be my first stop. We were only in Boston for the afternoon, so when I chose a place to eat, it had some specifications. It needed to be not only open for lunch, but have a killer lunch. I wanted it to have a variety of options since seafood isn’t Kyle’s number one choice and also be adventurous for me. We landed at Saltie Girl where I had their signature Fried Lobster and Waffles and Kyle had one of their specials which I forgot the name of because I was in a lobster and waffles trance at this point.
After eating what was very seriously a dream dish, we decided to walk through town. We walked through Boston Commons and enjoyed the cold air and brisk walking. These are all things we can’t do with kids and what was once a major part of our life so it felt really special. We walked from Saltie Girl towards Mike’s Bakery where we loaded up on cannoli. I then headed across the street and bought similar items at Modern Pastry. They’re blatant competitors and I needed to try both, you know, for science. Overall, I actually think I enjoyed Mike’s more but I loved being able to taste test both cannoli and lobster tail pastries.
Once the sun started to set, we hopped in the car and headed towards Ogunquit, Maine, where our little cabin was waiting for us. Ogunquit is a little beach town just under an hour from Boston. The cabin was everything and more. We found out it even had its own Instagram account and had also been written up in Domino Magazine. So, that was adorable and a fun surprise.
We arrived, turned up the heat in the house and promptly fell asleep for a whoppin’ 10 hours. I’m not even kidding that I don’t think that’s happened since before James was born. We woke up the next morning and, although we considered going out for breakfast, we ate pastries and drank coffee while lounging in bed and just soaking up being together. The last time that we had traveled just us was when I was pregnant with Ian so while we still opportunities to do things outside of the family norm, it was still limited by all the pregnancy things. Eventually we put on shoes and went to a local breakfast/brunch place. We landed at The Greenery Cafe which had just reopened after a break for the season. I had a lobster and brie omelette and Kyle had a fun egg/crab hash. I actually wanted to leave with a jar of their strawberry rhubarb jam but since it was their first day open, I was told to check in the next day. Then of course I forgot until I was on the plane and let out the most dramatic gasp ever. If you stop by, make sure to leave with a jar of jam and maybe bring me one, too!
That night we headed to Northern Union which was my favorite stop in Ogunquit for food. Again, it was such a pleasure to simply get one-on-one time with each other and Northern Union was the perfect spot to soak up some seriously good eats without worrying about kids. We started off with the Cheesy Maine Polenta Fries and Mushroom Toast while we each sipped some of their signature bourbon cocktails. We then jumped into the Hazelnut Toasted Salsify and paired it with a soft white wine. The Braised Pork Belly Buns were next and we actually decided to share an entrée, which was the Five Spice Encrusted Duck paired with glasses of Dolcetto. Calling this a spot for foodies feels like such an understatement. This is a must stop for anyone and everyone!
We checked out mid morning and drove about an hour north to Portland, Maine, to meet up with a good friend of mine that lives in Maine. The downtown area is just the cutest and we landed at Eventide Oyster Co. for lunch. This was where I felt most comfortable to talk to the staff and ask about oyster selections. I explained that I’ve had them before but wasn’t sure about what to choose or how to pair them. So, I was set up with a variety of oysters, along with their flavored ices: a horseradish, a kimchi, and a lemon-pepper. Along with that I ordered a fried oyster bun, a lobster bun, and I washed it all down with a basil cider. It was honestly a fantastic experience, not just because the food was great, but also because of the staff and how much they were willing to help make me comfortable with what to order. My friend she explained how we couldn’t leave without trying one of the Holy Donuts potato donuts, and yeah, she was right! Holy Donuts was only a few blocks from Eventide so we walked around downtown, which again, was adorable.
After walking around for a bit, we decided to get feeling back in our limbs and take a quick drive over to Porthead Lighthouse for some ocean views. It was only about 15 minutes from downtown and even during the off season, it was a beautiful stop. We walked around for a bit and eventually parted ways with our friend and started the drive back to Boston. It’s an easy and quick drive to Boston. When we got into town, we picked up lobster rolls from Yankee Lobster Co. and settled into our hotel room by the airport.
The next morning, we got to the airport, quickly packed our coats (since we arrived to 70F/21C temps in DFW) and headed home.
So, there you have it! Our weekend getaway was a success and I’m already eyeing down the calendar to decide when to go back, hopefully during the summer to get a break from the unrelenting Texas heat! I can’t say enough great things about Ogunquit, the people there and the local businesses. Make sure to check out that sweet Airbnb and Northern Union for a cherry on top experience!
