Inn at St. John, Portland, Maine

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The Hot Dog Truck

I like to read blogs from fellow New Englanders, as I can often learn about stuff I didn’t know about before.  Last night on Drew’s blog, I read all about his visit to The Hot Dog Truck.  He even made a video about it, which you can see here.

The Hot Dog Truck is located in Marlborough, MA, which is a bit of a hike for us.  But the next time we are out that way on a weekday when the truck is open, I so want to check it out.  Now that baseball season is over, I am suffering from serious hot dog withdrawal.  I know, I can cook hot dogs at home, but it’s just not the same as getting them at a ballpark, or from a truck or stand.

The Hot Dog Man is also a blogger, and is one of my competitors in Drew’s Ultimate Fry Sauce Contest.  If he wins, he’d better start bottling that “Killer Pepper Relish” and selling it, so that we all can use it to make our own award-winning fry sauce.  Hot Dog Man is NOT giving out his secret recipe!

Speaking of the Fry Sauce Contest, Drew only has two more slots left…once he gets ten recipe submissions, that’s it.  The tasting event will be held this Saturday, and the winner will be announced soon thereafter.  To enter, please visit the contest page.

Anyhoo, if you are in the area, swing by The Hot Dog Truck and check it out.  Hours of operation and location are on his blog.

Kids Eat Free at the Halfway Cafe

This post is both a warning for people who don’t want to dine in a place full of kids, as well as for parents who are looking for a bargain meal out.  Yeah, I happen to be among the former, I can hear the kids coming out of school now as I type this, and no way could I sit in a restaurant loaded with that sort of high-pitched screeching.  This is why we usually sit in the bar area, even when a place is NOT having a “Kids Eat Free” night.

Anyhoo, here’s the deal…on Mondays and Tuesdays after 4PM, kids under 12 can have a free kids’ meal at the Halfway Cafe, with the purchase of one adult’s entree.  No substitutions, dine-in only.  I’m assuming that these are typical kids’ meals, burgers, hot dogs, etc…I don’t know.  We’ve been to the Marlborough location of the Halfway, and the food is cheap and good.  It’s mostly typical pub grub.

The Halfway Cafe has locations in Dedham, Watertown, Marlborough, Canton, Holbrook and Marshfield.

So…take this as advice as to when to avoid the Halfway, or to go…it’s a public service announcement for all.

Christmas By Candlelight – Member Appreciation Night

We haven’t even taken our upcoming weekend trip to Maine yet, but we are already planning another weekend getaway!  Once again, to Old Sturbridge Village.

So that settles it as to when we’ll be going to the Christmas By Candlelight event this year! I don’t think they’ve ever had this special Member Appreciation Night before.  Mike will have to take that day off of work so we can go, but he has tons of paid time off on the books, so it should not be a problem.

We’ve decided to make it a two night stay…we will stay at either the Sturbridge Heritage Motel, or the Motel 6 we stayed at the last time, depending on availability.  Neither of these are fancy places, they don’t have room service, fancy soaps and shampoos, or Moen faucets in the bathrooms, but they are clean, cheap, and safe.  Our first choice is the Heritage, so I will have to call them tomorrow and see if they have anything for us.  If not, I’ll immediately book at Motel 6.  Just so we have a decent place to stay, yanno?

We have a plan!

The beach in autumn

This is what Long Sands Beach, up in York Beach, Maine, looks like in the off-season.  All summer long, this beach is packed to the gills with sun worshippers.  But now it’s past Labor Day, past Columbus Day, and most of the tourists have gone home.  Many of the local businesses are seasonal, and are now closed for the winter.

But if you want a quiet fall getaway, fear not.  Some places are open year ’round.  One place I recommend is the Katahdin Inn, which is right on Short Sands Beach.  The Union Bluff Hotel is also open year ’round, and is also located on the beach.  Both lodgings offer lower off-season rates.  At the Bluff, you can also get packages that include meals in their restaurants.  But the restaurants are open to the general public, you don’t have to stay in their hotel to eat there.  Their Dining Room serves an excellent breakfast, but it’ll only open for breakfast Friday-Monday during the off-season.  It’s open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday.  The Pub is still open 7 days a week, serving lunch and dinner, and it’s a great place to watch a game, too.

Other dining options not too far away that I know are open year ’round include Robert’s Maine Grill and Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery,  and the Portsmouth Brewing Company just across the bridge in Portsmouth, NH.  I know that there are other lodging and dining options in the area that are open year-round, but I’m only mentioning places where I have actually stayed/eaten, and can recommend wholeheartedly.

You can enjoy the nice quiet beach…if you are really brave and own a proper wet suit, you can even surf.  I’ve seen people surfing in February!  But I’d prefer something a little less scary…maybe flying kites or even rc helicopters is more my cup of tea.
Or just sit and enjoy the peaceful sounds of the ocean!