| Rockland Maine's Old Granite Inn
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| | sculpture hewn from tons of St. George,
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| Read Jetsetters Magazine at
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| | Maine artisan-dressed granite.
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| To read this entire feature FREE with
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| | John, the innkeeper, originally from
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| photos cut and paste this link:
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| | California, greeted me and showed me
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| Every year in an Outside Magazine
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| | around the modest inn, and then took me
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| readers' poll, Rockland, Maine ranks
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| | to my room, an airy corner alcove on the
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| among the top 100 best small towns to
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| | second floor (room #6) with windows all
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| live in. This is the town where the then
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| | around for great views of the bay.
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| controversial 1957 Lana Turner soap opera
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| | John's wife, Regan is an educator from
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| flick, Peyton Place, was filmed - back
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| | New York City. John is a former engineer,
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| when the most dangerous thing in a small
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| | so he keeps the inn in tiptop shape.
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| town was . . . gossip! The producers
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| | There's a steam radiator for heat in the
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| wanted to give small, hometown America a
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| | winter, but it is summer, and I didn't
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| risqué shock that today is a comical
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| | need the ceiling fans, so I popped open
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| celluloid version of homespun Americana,
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| | the large windows for fresh breezes
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| a mild comparison to what is on the
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| | coming off the saltwater bay.
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| Internet today.
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| | The OGI has 11 standard rooms, nine with
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| Maine joins only one other state in the
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| | private baths, but try to get my room,
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| lower 48, the only state to do so. It is
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| | #6, the best room, with private bath and
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| the only state with a single syllable.
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| | a king comfy bed, period-piece dresser
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| Life in Maine is a simple life, not many
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| | drawers, and replicated gray-stripped
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| complexities. Rockland has not changed
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| | Colonial Federalist wallpaper. The
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| much since the '50s. I guess that is why
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| | natural hardwoods throughout the inn have
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| the PP producers chose it for their
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| | been painstakeningly restored.
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| mighty cult genre.
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| | On the ground floor, the living room is
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| I was sitting in a local café one fine
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| | stocked with books about the area, with a
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| summer day, gazing upon the black and
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| | fireplace in front of the sofas to curl
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| white photos on the wall of a bygone era
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| | up in with one of those tomes. The dining
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| of the historic Main Street. There used
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| | area is just off to the back, where Regan
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| to be an electric trolley line down the
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| | serves her famous quiche in the morning.
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| main drag, and the gossip is they are
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| | You can come cook for me anytime, Regan.
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| bringing it back. I can see Peyton Place
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| | Breakfast is from 8-9 a.m., with coffee
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| in the frozen-in-time snapshots. Rockland
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| | at 7 a.m.
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| is still a great place to live. Main
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| | From 1906-1984 the Old Granite Inn served
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| Street is now on the National Register of
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| | as an Elks Club, but it was originally
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| Historic Places, with most of the old
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| | built in the 1700s as a family home. The
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| brick buildings housing ice cream shops,
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| | gray terrazzo floors were added after a
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| bookstores, cafés and bars, museums and
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| | fire gutted the building in the 1940s.
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| art galleries. Rockland is a wonderful
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| | John and Regan Cary live in a more
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| place to visit in the summer - just for
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| | contemporary home attached to the OGI.
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| all those farm fresh flavors of ice
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| | Regan was working hard in a computer
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| cream!
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| | cubby hole, designing a flyer for a
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| But beneath the surface, the community
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| | rummage sale that day, taking place in
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| has a lot going for it. MBNA moved into
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| | the basement. I checked out the items for
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| town and is the main employer, the
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| | sale, and John was doing a brisk business
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| largest privately owned credit card
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| | for such an early morning start.
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| issuer is the U.S., with their corporate
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| | Get on their email newsletter at
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| restored stark white Greek
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| | Check out is at 11 a.m., but I was
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| Revivalist-style headquarters near the
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| | staying longer in town, so with Regan's
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| water, giving it a campus-like feel. It
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| | permission I left my bags and came back
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| is fun to walk around Rockland, to view
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| | later and left the key in the basket by
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| the old mansions and buildings; duck into
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| | the door. That gave me a warm, small town
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| a canoe and dory building shop to see
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| | feeling, and I can see why Rockland is
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| dense, white Maine cedar turned into a
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| | voted one of the best small towns to live
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| recreational work of art.
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| | in - because of people like John and
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| One place not to be missed is the
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| | Regan.
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| Farnsworth Art Museum, rather museums.
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| | Summer Fun In Maine
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| Farnsworth is a respected name in
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| | The North Atlantic Blues Festival, winner
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| Rockland, and you will find a three-story
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| | of the Blues Foundations "Keeping the
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| art gallery museum in the old bank
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| | Blues Alive Award", runs in July at
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| building on Main Street, and then a few
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| | Harbor Park, in Rockland. I noted that
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| blocks to the back is the magnificent
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| | Shemekia Copeland was one of the
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| Pirate Museum (entrance $7).
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| | headliners at the 2003 event, whom I saw
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| The Pirate Museum is a vast collection of
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| | in Vegas, and she shouldn't be missed.
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| dramatic seafaring oil paintings, mostly
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| | Tickets are only $20 per day, $25 at the
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| create by the notable Wyeths (The museum
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| | door, or better yet, $35 for a weekend
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| is known as the Wyeth Center.), a three
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| | pass. Call 207/593-1189 or call the
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| generational collection of their canvases
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| | Rockland Chamber of Commerce at 800
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| that portrays the days of yore and lore
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| | 562-2526.
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| on the high seas. Rockland still
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| | Port cargo is up 43% over the prior year
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| maintains its links to windjammers and
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| | in the Rockland port, but the fishing
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| packet boats. Many summertime windjammers
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| | haul is down at the Portland Fish
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| load up a cargo of tourists for cruises
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| | Exchange, as was the number of cruise
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| through the Penobscot Bay islands. Later
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| | ships in the harbor. The cruise ships are
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| in the day I watched ferry boats load
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| | all going over to Bar Harbor, now, but
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| trucks and cars for the largest island,
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| | you can still catch a family outing on a
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| Vinalhaven, where in the past much of the
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| | traditional coastal schooner through the
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| famous Maine granite was quarried.
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| | Maine Windjammer Association Do not miss
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| The regional airport is located just
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| | the Pirate Museum at the Farrington/Wyeth
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| outside Rockland at the Knox County
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| | Museum in Rockland. Find out why pirates
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| Airport; the terminal is a throw back to
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| | capture our imagination from these
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| simpler times. I think they still shoo
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| | imaginative portraits, murals, and
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| cows off the runway, but the security
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| | seascapes. I guess there is a little of a
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| problems of the world have hit home -
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| | pirate in all of us. Then you will have
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| four TSA agents checked my bags on the
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| | some jargon to swap with the maties on
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| flight out - I was the only passenger on
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| | your summer windjammer cruise.
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| the plane, so they had plenty of time to
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| | For the best on Maine on TV check out
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| unzip everything. On my flight to Maine I
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| | "Bill Green's Maine" on Channel WLEZ in
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| met returning residents bound for some of
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| | Bangor, Maine, or WCSH in Portland,
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| the coastal islands. The main Maine
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| | Maine, or visit
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| airline into the terminal is Colgan, a
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| | The Rockland Farmers' Market Association
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| rubber-band express service of USAir,
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| | is an organization of independent local
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| with connecting flights primarily to
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| | farmers, growers, and producers who offer
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| Boston. The local bus terminal is located
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| | a wide variety of locally produced farm
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| at the Ferry terminal, which is probably
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| | fresh foods, plants, flowers and other
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| really the main hub of the town because a
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| | products. Many of those products can be
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| marina is located close by.
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| | purchased in the stores on Main Street.
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| The Rockland ferry terminal is across
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| | Acadia National Park is close by, great
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| Main Street from the best place to stay
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| | for rock climbing with Acadia Mountain
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| in town - the historic Old Granite Inn, a
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| | Guides: or call 800/232-9559.
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| Colonial Federalist architectural
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