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Tags: Topless Travel / Coffee Shops / Nude Travel / Starbucks Alternatives / Maine Travel / Grand View Topless Coffee Shop / → All Tags
Brrr! Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens Just In Time For Winter
Maine's Grand View Topless Coffee Shop has had a dramatic year. After only opening up in the town of Vassalboro back in February, the place has been had it's moment in the media limelight, been burnt to the ground by an arsonist, and then reopened in a tent. Now it looks like it's back for good, as the owner has received the permit to reopen in a business trailer on the property—not as great as the original, but it exists nonetheless.
According the Boston Herald, business so far has been slow, but it could also be because the arson fire from last June is still under investigation. But for those anxious to have a place where they can make "I like my women like I like my coffee" jokes, the Grand View is back in business.
Things get a little more NSFW after the jump
Tags: Volunteer Travel / Maine Travel / Gay Travel / Political Travel / → All Tags
'Travel For Change' Is Sending Volunteers To Maine For Gay Rights
Usually, volunteer vacations are about helping the needy, but for some, they can also have a political agenda. Last year, Travel for Change helped send over 400 volunteers to swing states to work for the Barack Obama campaign. Now, they are helping send volunteers to Maine, where voters will take to the ballot box next month and decide whether to overturn a law that allows same-sex couples to wed. "Question 1," as it is being called, is similar to Prop 8, a same-sex marriage ban eventually approved by voters in California last year.
Travel for Change is working with the No on Question 1 campaign to get volunteers from across the country to Maine to work for marriage equality. The organization is raising funds and airline miles, matching volunteers to share rooms and cars, and placing them in appropriate jobs once they arrive in Maine.
Tags: Stargazing / Maine Travel / Fall Festivals / Events / → All Tags
Maine Wants To Remind You What A Natural Night Sky Looks Like
See that mass of light on the horizon in Acadia National Park? That's the Milky Way—for reals.
Stargazers will see the blue yonder with new eyes at Maine's new Acadia Night Sky Festival, which celebrates the starry, natural nighttime sky. The festival, which starts on the sunset of Sept. 17 and ends at sunrise Sept. 21, tries to bring awareness to the problem of light pollution and the importance of preserving the pristine skies of Bar Harbor and and Acadia National Park.
Fest organizers say that a natural sky is increasingly rare, since artificial light from cities create light pollution and obscure our view of the glowing stars and other stellar matter. They add that two-thirds of the entire population of the Eastern Seaboard has yet to see Earth's own galaxy. In light of this (har, har), the Island Astronomy Institute, along with groups like the National Park Service and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, decided to preserve the beauty of downeast Maine's natural sky. It's such a sight to behold, that on clear nights you can see the Milky Way swirl above Mount Desert Island.
Tags: Food Festivals / Food Travel / Festivals / Summer Festivals / Maine Travel / → All Tags
There Are Lobsters On The Loose In Maine This Weekend
It’s only Thursday, but things are well underway at this year’s 62nd Annual Maine Lobster Festival. The party kicked off yesterday and will run throughout the weekend, so get out your favorite lobster bib and have the drawn butter ready. Last year they cooked over 20,000 pounds of the crustacean critters and there’s plenty of other undersea delicacies if lobsters aren’t your thing—just bring your appetite and you’ll be pleased.
Although we have no problem with a festival just based on eating, in fact we prefer it, this summer fest has a lot more to offer than just seafood gluttony. There’s plenty of entertainment, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, and of course, the coronation of the 2009 Maine Sea Goddess. The winner will be awarded a scholarship and will represent the town of Rockland and the lobster industry throughout the year.
Tags: Active Travel / Maine Travel / Races / Kayak / Canoe / → All Tags
Paddle Yourself Silly This Summer With Canoe And Kayak Championships
We don't know about you, but we've been craving to tackle some whitewater lately and a canoe is as good as anything. In only a couple of weeks, the Whitewater Open Canoe Downriver Championships takes place, and although we're pretty good with paddles, we not quite ready for this level. Nonetheless, things get underway on July 1 and finish up on July 5 in West Forks, Maine on the Lower Dead River. With a name like that, we’ll just be spectators for this one, thank you very much.
For those that prefer a kayak for their water adventures, the Kayak Downriver National Championships will also be heading downriver soon. All races are set along an almost 13-mile course where paddlers will run into about 30 different sets of class II and III rapids. If speed is more your thing, there will be sprint races on July 3. Here, competitors will be trying their best to get through a 1.2-mile course as quickly as possible.
From the details on the races, it sounds like anyone is welcome to register to compete (so long as you can swim), as registration only has to take place one day in advance. However, we’re thinking that this isn’t for those used to a casual paddle around a calm bay or through some wetlands. Officials estimate that the sprint races can be done in only seven minutes, depending on the water level.
Related Stories: [Photo of a different race: penguinchris]
·2009 ACA WWOCD National Championships [Official Site]
·Canoe, Kayak Championships in West Forks, Maine, July 1-5 [MaineBusiness.com]
·Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Starbucks Alternatives / Coffee Shops / Coffee / Bizarre / Crime / Maine Travel / → All Tags
Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens as Topless Tent
We've got good news for New England travelers who like their caffeine fix but hate it when their servers wear shirts. Turns out the nation's oddest Starbucks Alternative is down, but far from out.
The Grand View Coffee Shop, which was burned to the ground by a moral crusader last week, has already reopened. Owner Donald Crabtree erected a tent on the site of his destroyed cafe, and the topless waitresses have volunteered to work just for tips (to be fair, we'd bet they get better tips than your local Starbucks barista).
Topless Coffee one; moral crusaders zero.
Related Stories:
· Arsonist Destroys Maine's Topless Coffee Shop [Jaunted]
· Maine Opens Topless Coffee Shop; Hopefully With Frost Bite Insurance [Jaunted]
· Burned topless coffee shop reopens in a tent [Jaunted]
[Photo: AP]
Tags: Crime / Starbucks Alternatives / Coffee Shops / Coffee / Bizarre / → All Tags
Arsonist Destroys Maine's Topless Coffee Shop
Earlier this year we told you about what we thought was a pretty fantastic moment in the history of coffee shops. Grand View Topless Coffee Shop opened its doors in Vassalboro, Maine. As far as we know, Grand View was the only place in the country where you could order a cappuccino and crueller and have it served by a topless waiter or waitress.
An ingenious business plan if you ask us, but unfortunately, not all of Grand View's neighbors were so enamored. A fire destroyed the coffee shop early Wednesday morning, and police say it was set by an arsonist. The fire came just a few hours after the shop's owner, Donald Crabtree, had appeared before the local planning board to defend his operation, and followed several complaints about Grand View.
Undeterred, Crabtree vows to reopen his business, but for now, the nation has lost its most unique Starbucks alternative.
Related Stories:
· Topless coffee shop destroyed in arson fire [Boston Globe]
· Maine Opens Topless Coffee Shop; Hopefully With Frost Bite Insurance [Jaunted]
· Maine travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Boston Globe/AP]
Tags: Starbucks Alternatives / Coffee Shops / Topless Travel / Grand View Topless Coffee Shop / → All Tags
Maine Opens Topless Coffee Shop; Hopefully With Frost Bite Insurance
America still clings to its Puritanical roots when it comes to individuals and their...um... birthday suits. While the French Riviera has their well-known topless beaches and Brazil loves the thong (on women and men), America can't really handle the sight of human flesh unless it's in the privacy of our own homes or in a place where money is exchanged like a strip joint. (Ah! Our the joys of our capitalist society!)
Now you can add "coffee shop" to the the list of places where Americans can witness topless action in action. Yes, where most of us are used to hearing the word "bottomless" when it comes to coffee promotions, a brand-new java joint is advertising "topless" and it's got nothing to do with coffee.
Tags: Kayaking / Active Travel / Outdoor Travel / → All Tags
NPR Confirms Kayaks Are the Hotness for 2008
Last month we noticed that this summer's hottest travel trend is jumping into a kayak. (We even did some paddling ourselves!)
Now NPR backs up our trend-spotting with a report live from Maine where retailers like LL Bean and Johnson Outdoors say kayaks are flying off the shelves while canoes sales stay flat.
One outfitter has even changed its name to hype its kayaks:
In a sign of the times, an Old Town, Maine fixture, Old Town Canoes, is now called Old Town Canoes and Kayaks....
For now, here in Maine, kayaking is the new canoeing.
Related Stories:
· Old Town Canoes and Kayaks [Official Site]
· Kayaks Hot, Canoes Not [NPR]
· Kayaking coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Bob Jagendorf]
Tags: Active Travel / Fall Travel / Outdoor Travel / National Parks / → All Tags
Active Fall Travel: Take on a Tour at Acadia
Just because summer is winding down doesn't mean you have to give up on the outdoors. For September and even October, Acadia National Park in Maine has a lot to offer, including stunning scenery and cooler temperatures.
We like the idea of the park's "Step-On" Tours, which allow you to just jump on a bus as rangers navigate the 27-mile Park Loop Road system. The tours start at $50 an hour and most last at least three hours. True, it's not exactly a deal, but at least your guide knows what she's doing!
There are also a few other tours that involve a little more exercise. The two-hour Beaver Trek runs through September and October and is all about the little critters. Meanwhile the Carriage Road Ramble is the ideal opportunity to take in the fall colors. You'll learn about the native flora and fauna and what each brings to the party at the park. Each tour runs about two hours and both cost $100.
Related Stories:
· Acadia National Park-Ranger-Led Group Tours [Official Site]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: post406]
Tags: Amtrak / Public Transportation / Train Travel / Trains / → All Tags
C'mon Ride The Train: New England Drivers Hip to Downeaster
It's hardly shocking that as gas prices rise, more commuters are looking to public transit options they may not have considered earlier. But the Amtrak train leading in gains may surprise you: It's not the soup-to-nuts Northeast Regional or the posh Acela trains, but the Downeaster, the Portland-to-Boston route which picked up 947 extra passengers a day over last year.
We're pleased that we may have reached the tipping point for new public transportation options to be developed nationwide, although the initial result will just be more crowding. (A Midwestern friend of Jaunted says the Milwaukee-Chicago "Hiawatha" service is in dire need of another car per trip, as workers used to driving the 90 miles kick back on the train instead.)
Related Stories:
· Amtrak's Downeaster Ridership up 28 Percent [AP, via Yahoo]
· The Downeaster [Official Site]
· Amtrak coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: herzogbr]
Tags: Zorbing / Active Travel / → All Tags
Even Big Bouncy Balls and Hay Now Dangerous
Just when you thought it was safe to strap yourself into a big, double-chambered plastic ball and roll down a ski slope with no means of controlling your descent, the dangerous side of Zorbing rears its nefarious head. Sun Journal reporter Rebekah Metzler was enjoying one of the perks of her job by previewing the Lost Valley Ski Area's soon-to-open 240-acre Zorbing park.
All was going well as she and a photographer were rolling down a grassy ski run--until their Zorb "bounced off a hay-encased post, went airborne and landed hard several seconds later," fracturing Metzler's back.
There are several measures designed to keep Zorbs from going off-course, and proper air pressure is the key to avoiding the pachinko-style caroms, but the mishap is pretty scary nonetheless. It's easy to feel invincible when you're strapped into a cushioned, womb-like bubble, but apparently that's still not enough to protect Zorbers from rare cases of extremely bad luck. There's probably just a millimeter's difference between "broken back" and "most awesome Zorbing run ever." Still, we'd do it in a heartbeat.
Related Stories:
· Lost Valley Ski Area [Official Site]
· Fun Ride Turns into Painful Experience [Sun Journal]
· Zorbing coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sun Journal]
