LOCATION: South East Coast Maine
APPEARING:

Outlets in Kittery, Maine.











Ft. McClary State Park, Kittery. Built in 1690, it protected the harbor from Indians, French and the British.







York Harbor, York.





York Beach.





















Nubble Light, York. They've got a park here as well - real nice spot.



Ogunquit Beach, considered by many as one of New England's best beach.











Ogonquit Playhouse, one of the nation's oldest summer theaters.



Footbridge Beach, just north of Ogonquit, shy of three miles, another great beach.









Kennebunkport.















Bush compound, Kennebunk. Don't let Dubya's accent mask the fact that his family are old money Yankees. Bush Sr. summers here.

Old Orchard Beach.




































I've often squandered this space on my travels and I feel that I should offer some notes for my less-than-nomadic or non-New-England-bound audience. Of course, as usual, this is an assignment for work. For the next four days I'll travel through Maine's oft-visited coastal corridor.

Today's south-east coastal region spans from the New Hampshire border in Kittery, to a smidge south of Portland at Old Orchard Beach. This stretch is a main draw for beach goers where long swaths of sandy beaches abut classic New England seacoast towns - where they know how to enjoy beaches with taste. Ogonquit, considered by many as one of the regions finer beach towns lives up to the claim, though a bit packed for my tastes. Nearby Footbridge Beach, named for the bridge one has to cross over to the sand bar, is probably a better choice.

Further to the north, Kennebunkport is a cozy little affair, where a confluence of streets intersect to form a small village. Weathered clapboard buildings are the status quo. But it's Kennebunkport's coastal compound for the Bush family that has draws modern day crowds. Though Dubya's accent does not betray his roots, the Bush family is an old New England clan and often summer out here on Bush Sr.'s seasonal residence out here. In the early nineties, Kennebunkport was the equivalent of Crawford Texas.

As the night waned, I swung over to Old Orchard Beach, known for its kitschy beachside amusement park. Earlier this year I ventured out to Salisbury Beach, Mass. for similar attractions, but the roller coaster just pulled at the kid in me and I had to check out this place. It's not old-time New England, but it is fun nevertheless. The whole place was run by similarly aged kids from Eastern Europe who jaunt out here for a summer job and a dosage of American culture. On another note, throughout my drive northwards, the prevalence of the Fleur-de-lis and a hint of French accents could be heard; it seems like Southern Maine is a popular destination for Quebecians.