7/20/08 Wiscasset

From Belgrade we went to Augusta and stopped at Wendy's (I know . . . not very Maine-ish when there's one in every town, but there's not one in Farmington and it was convenient and cheap and we were starving). Over lunch, Rodney laid out some possibilities of where to go next and we decided to head to Hallowell, a quaint section of Augusta with more fun shops like Belgrade, and then to play it by ear. We got to Hallowell and between the drizzle and the late hour on Sunday afternoon, the shops just didn't look very appealing OR they were already closed. So instead of driving TO Hallowell, we drove THROUGH Hallowell, and that's where our adventure really began.

We continued south on ME 27 and soon were in Wiscasset. Grace had told me about Wiscasset and about Red's Eats. She knows my fondness for lobster rolls and theirs are among the best. Do a Google search and you'll see rave reviews from CNN, Travel and Leisure, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Paupered Chef, NPR, Chowhound, and on and on. There are stories of people waiting 2 or more hours in line for Red's. It's just a simple lobster shack on the corner of Main Street and Water Street. I knew this was a place I wanted to go. But Rodney doesn't like seafood and we had just eaten a late lunch, so I was willing to forgo it. It turns out, there's much more to Wiscasset than just Red's. We had a great time plundering around and, imagine this, taking photos. I even bought more Christmas gifts!

It turns out there are 2 advantages to going sightseeing on a rainy/drizzly day: 1. the streets are wet which always makes for a great photo shoot (per Rodney, the photographer, who says look at any car commercial and you'll notice that the road is always wet), and 2. the line at Red's was VERY short. I knew from all the hype that their lobster roll was basically a whole lobster taken out of the shell and put on a piece of bread served with drawn butter or mayonnaise on the side, so I could save it for later and it would still be delicious. So we decided (I asked and Rodney agreed) to be part of the hype without the hassle and I got a lobster roll-to-go from Red's Eats.