New England – Fall 2010 – Day 4: Bar Harbor to Franconia

Once again we breakfasted on the free buffet and since the pass we had purchased for Acadia was valid for a week we left it with the ageing hippy to be passed on to a new visitor as she deemed fit.
We made a prompt start with a view to stopping off on the way to Franconia in the White Mountains unfortunately the journey was made less pleasant by the return of the rain.
So we arrived at the Best Western White Mountain without having stopped and the rain had limited our appreciation of the scenic journey.
The hotel was in the style of a ski lodge situated above the busy metropolis of Franconia. The foyer was impressive and the room assigned to us was excellent with a microwave and fridge as well as a big TV.
We scanned the information in the room and slowly worked out that, in terms of eating dinner, there was one restaurant in Franconia, the Dutch treat, everything else was either to be ordered in through the reception desk or travel to a neighbouring town. We didn’t enjoy the thought of eating pizza in our room or being watched as we ate it in the foyer so we opted to drive out for dinner in Littleton.
Our views were totally confirmed by the arrival of three coaches during the course of the afternoon and the resultant influx of guests would have made for very little space in the public areas of the hotel.
It was a quick drive into Littleton and in the evening light it seemed an almost “Field of Dreams” moment when Kevin Costner is wandering round the small town of Chisholm and sees that the cinema is showing the premier of “The Godfather” and there are “Re-elect President Nixon” posters and he realizes he has gone back in time to 1972.
I checked out the cinema and it was showing modern movies but the illusion persisted. We parked on Main Street and we were debating what coins the parking meter took – we asked a passer-by who seemed amazed that we didn’t know they took quarters but he helpfully added that we shouldn’t need to feed it at night – a bit like “Gremlins” while we are on the film theme.
While Julia checked one side of the road I walked up the other and there were plenty of restaurants most of which would have been highly suitable but I had hit pay-dirt. On my side of the road was the Littleton Diner, it was so exactly like the one that featured in “The West Wing” when the group were election campaigning in New England. We got in quickly and they were happy to serve us despite it being well after seven and their closing at eight.
The food was cheap and filling but it was the general feel of the place which made it really memorable.
Although the diner had its roots in the past as this explains: Built in Merrimack, Ma in 1928 and transported to Littleton - where it opened in 1930. In 1940 a new Sterling Diner was constructed on the original site, where the Littleton Diner has been an integral part of the community since. They have brought a 21st century approach to marketing and had on sale all manner of merchandise including the staff T-shirt emblazoned with the motto:
Eat in Diners
Ride Trains
Shop on Main Street
Put a porch on your House
And Live in a walkable community
I resisted the temptation to buy the shirt but having got home to England I looked up their website and I can still order one.
On our return to the hotel we travelled the main road again but this time the rain had returned with a vengeance and to add to our concern the “Watch out for Moose” signs were now illuminated and we had no illusions about our small car brushing a moose aside if one crossed our path – nobody has ever concentrated harder than I did ready to make my trusty driver aware should a moose decide to involve itself in our lives.
We were booked in for two nights here so we retired to bed hoping for some clear weather the following day so that we could take advantage of the mountains all round us.