The Lobster Roll and Presidential Adventure, Maine
October 27, 2013 Leave a comment
I saved an article from the Wall Street Journal detailing the best places in Maine to eat the state’s trademark lobster rolls. The concept is similar to a hamburger, but with lobster. I set out to eat as many as I could over two days. I first went to Red’s in Wiscasset. I waited for an hour in a long line to place my order and another 10 minutes for the food. This was the largest and best lobster roll I received anywhere.
The last place I visited was an upscale restaurant called Pier 77. It’s in an out-of-the-way location between Kennebunkport and Cape Porpoise. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush (the elder one) lives just outside of town on his own little peninsula. I parked on the beach ¼ mile away and walked to the compound. Parking and sidewalk areas directly across the road allow tourists a full frontal view of the home, grounds, and staff buildings. The whole complex is perhaps 150 yards long and most of it juts into the ocean. A stout-looking gate controls access.
I crossed to Bush’s side of the street and walked up his driveway to the guard house. A muscular Secret Service agent greeted me. “May I help you?” he asked. “Could I say ‘hi’ to the president?” I replied. He patiently explained that Bush saw people by appointment only, and his staff fielded all meeting requests. He suggested that I request an appointment, but I explained that I was just passing through town and would be gone by the end of the day. “I didn’t expect to get in, but if I’m here I have to try,” I said. I laughed when the agent said, “They don’t take walk-ins.”
I was a high school freshman when Bush Sr. was elected president. I remember the competent presence he brought to the office. No scandals, he just did the job.
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