A nice place to be

wa wa we waw! Damn, gorgeous!

 

Wow, how could you be tooooooooo busy for that?

 

WOW!!! That place looks amazing!

 

Well, if you can take time to run through Maine and the Maritimes, you'll have prettier shots than that to share. I've stayed in a ton of hotels and have eaten in more restaurants than I care to remember, and I've never been happier than when I was at home. If you can head north and make your run across Maine through northern NH, I heartily recommend a pit-stop at The Balsams, one of the nicest resorts in New England. The rooms are simple, the meals are incredible, and the opportunities for entertainment and recreation are outstanding. Even out-of-shape folks can benefit from a hike to Table Rock - folks that are afraid of heights won't get the full benefit, because the table is undercut, and it feels like you are standing in mid-air. Out of a dozen or so people I have trekked up there with, only two could bring themselves to walk out on the rim and look around - most of the rest crawled out and a several wouldn't venture out there at all.

 

Man I gotta change fields to something I could take the wife on a business trip and pamper her for a while......

 

Wow, this reminded me that I need a vacation!

 

Makes me think I'm in the wrong field.

 

The Balsams is similar in some respects, but more laid-back and Old-World. The place is clean and quiet, with some of the finest chefs in the travel business. I've talked to the staff, and it seems that many of them have "graduated" to the Balsams from the cruise industry so they could enjoy the surroundings, have a family, and ditch the grind of the cruise schedules. It's a cold and sometimes isolated place in the winter, but the winter sports are great, and in the summer, you can see Canada from the golf course and enjoy comfortable cool breezes. Of course, come presidential primary time, you can show up after midnight and be the very first town to have your votes registered in the country. It's a great place to spend your second honeymoon, if you don't need a casino and cable TV to keep you entertained. In fact, I don't think there is a TV or a radio in any guest room - much in keeping with Maine's soon-defunct Black Point Inn. Your occupancy there could get you a reduced rate and a guaranteed tee-time at a really nice old PGA-class golf course that would hand you a real lesson humility. Not accurate off the tees? Bungle your approach shot? Better settle for double/triple bogey at best. That pretty little course is a bear!

 

Now I gotta change fields.....