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Camden, Maine
ChuckStops
Shops and Places
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Being a scant few days early for the 61st
annual
Maine Lobster Festival, we opt for a look at
Camden town.
The six hour
walking tour
of Camden
begins as the raindrops ease-up.
Happy-hour upstairs at
Cappy's Chowder House
has drink specials,
free wings and a bucket of jumbo shrimp priced at ten bucks.
It's the chowder, though, that gets all of the kudos.
The Smiling
Cow is a wonderful roadside attraction and a
political wonderland for bumper-stickers, badges, shirts and souvenirs.
The back deck overlooks the waterfalls and the harbor with its tall ships.
Alyce and Mark's
Village Shop
was once a business supply store
until Staples showed up down the road. Today, like many retailers
Down East,
they earn a living as a mom and pop shirt and gift shop.
The embroidered Maine Coon cat shirts are hot sellers.
The upscale art and craft store,
Maine Gathering has a fine selection
of Maine crafts-- from jewelry to fine art, pottery to prints.
How much is that bunny the window?
Crossing Main Street,
sandwiched in between the
Lord Camden Inn and Planet Toys
a gigantic rabbit munches clover in a storefront.
Planet
Toys is the most unique store of its kind in
town. Covering the area of two stores and floors
the place is tastefully crammed full of every toy
you have never thought of, but wished you had.
Christ, Van Gogh and Freud action figures-- cards for
every occasion, light-up, glow-in-the-dark, jiggley things,
twirling, bouncing, gaming stuff-- all fun and reasonably priced.
Alan's Zesty
Gourmet carries hundreds
of hot sauces--
from mild to "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye." Yes, he has blueberry.
Sage is an Indian spirit and art gallery featuring antique
and modern Native American art, crafts and sacred objects.
The walls are covered in fine Pendleton and Indian blankets.
Richard, the owner, is reading the book
In the Hands of the Great Spirit
The 20,000-year History of American Indians by Jake Page.
The animal tarot cards are cut and the Jaguar appears.
Strolling the darkened and slippery-bricked
backstreets,
music rises out the
Off the Boat Tavern, calling
like a
foghorn from afar, promising a foamy pint and some
tasty tunes to end the night. The upstairs bar is a secret place.
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