BWE Maine '09

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:04 pm

Well done, Andy, very well done.

HarryKaris · Post by **HarryKaris** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:31 pm

Jim, what is the closest international airport to Maine?

Harry

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:47 pm

Harry: Boston, Massachusetts and Bangor, Maine. Boston is probably best. Let me know if you need a ride from the airport!

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:14 pm

Thanks Andy!

We have already purchased our tickets - we arrive on September 5 in Boston and will probably stay two nights before heading up to the Maine Coast. I haven't booked a hotel yet - any suggestions for something close to everything but not overly expensive? We would love to go out to dinner with our Boston BWE'ers - and I'm sure you all know the best places to go!

Susan

HarryKaris · Post by **HarryKaris** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:57 pm

Jim, I always have a car when in the USA......I like to be free and flexible!! Do you know a good hotel (high speed Internet and spacious rooms) located central so I can stay all nights in the same hotel?

Harry

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:35 pm

Give me a day or two, Harry, I'll come up with some options for you.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:52 pm

Susan, it sounds like you're flying into Boston on Saturday September 5th and are planning on staying til Labor Day, monday Sept. 7th. The hotels in the Back Bay area would be where I would stay, although Cambridge is fun too. I think you need to enlist Howard Specter to do his priceline magic, I'll bet you could find a nice hotel in the Newbury/Boylston Street, Back Bay, Copley Square areas for a decent rate.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri May 01, 2009 4:31 pm

How many BWEers confirmed for the Maine event?

Nic

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri May 01, 2009 7:41 pm

Nic, I've had about twenty people indicate an interest, both on and off line, Jay/Peggy and Rob/Sue have booked their flights.

HarryKaris · Post by **HarryKaris** » Fri May 01, 2009 8:09 pm

Jim, what specific area of the coast are you thinking of?
In case we do party Thursday at your place I think its more convenient staying in a hotel close to your home ....

Harry

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:11 pm

Harry, I think the best place on the coast would be the Boothbay Harbor region, which is a half hour north of Portland, two hours north of Boston, and about an hour from my house in Lewiston. Bar Harbor, which is in Acadia National Park, is even more spectacular in its beauty, is an international destination, but is about two and a half hours north of where I live. Logistically, Bar Harbor would be trickier to pull off, in my opinion, especially for those only staying two or three days. Some are planning on staying closer to a week, in which case I strongly recommend a couple nights in Bar Harbor. Right now the plan is to have dinner at my house in Lewiston on Thursday night, I can accomodate 12-20 people, then move to the Boothbay Harbor area for Friday to Sunday. There are some nice hotels in the Portland and Boothbay Harbor areas. Lewiston is more inland and is not a real glamorous area, there are really only two hotels within ten miles of my house that are reasonably comfortable, a Hilton Garden Inn and a brand new Marriott that just opened a couple months ago. As I've mentioned previously, I have two extra bedrooms in my house for anyone who wants to stay here, plus a third room that I could put a matress in if someone wants to sleep on the floor. My brothers and sister in law, as well as my friend Steve, who has attended several BWE conventions, have all volunteered to help provide transportation to BWEers to and from my house, to hotels, airports, etc. My next goal is to come up with some hotel options in Boothbay Harbor. The Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor is probably one of the higher end properties, www.sprucepointinn.com, and there are other, more rustic but nonetheless scenic spots like Smugglers Cove Motel mentioned above, etc. www.smugglerscovemotel.com

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:45 pm

Peggy and I are debating whether to make it a week-long trip with a few days in Bar Harbor/Acadia, or just a long weekend in Lewiston and Boothbay Harbor.

And maybe a day/night in Boston as well. Is a Boston OL developing, and if so what night is that planned?

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri May 01, 2009 11:23 pm

I think you guys should do Boston over Labor Day weekend, then Bar Harbor Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (maybe stop in Lewiston on the way up Monday evening), then Lewiston Thursday evening for the Howfest '09 Raid-the-JimHow-Cellar dinner, then on to Boothbay region for Friday to Sunday....

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:13 pm

David

Danielle and I are planning to head to Bar Harbor leaving Ottawa on Tuesday AM early. About 9 1/2 hr drive. If I don't make the cut in our club championship then I'll leave Monday but certainly plan to be in area at least Tuesday late day through Thursday prior to leaving to Jim's. Maybe we could hook up to hike up that mountain or just chill and see the local sites. Boothbay for the weekend and leave Sunday morning to drive back.

Danny

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:40 pm

Sounds like an excellent plan Danny!

RDD · Post by **RDD** » Mon May 04, 2009 4:50 pm

I've been off the grid for a while but will be in Maine.
Rob Dayton

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon May 04, 2009 6:45 pm

It's going to be a great event, I'm getting a lot of interest offline as well as here.

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Mon May 04, 2009 9:23 pm

if we have this kind of turnout, I would think we could negotiate a group rate wherever we stay. The smugglers inn looked nice.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon May 04, 2009 9:41 pm

Not a bad idea Jay. I checked the rates at Smuggler's Cove the other day, it was like $85 a night for that weekend.

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Tue May 05, 2009 1:08 pm

I agree about Smugglers - it looks like a perfect place to stay. Once i hear more in favor, I will probably book Rob and I there for Monday through Thursday and then book one night near Jim's house and book back at Smugglers Friday through Sunday.

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Tue May 05, 2009 2:06 pm

Again, why don't we get a count of people and then I would be willing to attempt to negotiate a group rate at Smugglers.

Peggy and Jay
Rob and Susan
JimHow

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue May 05, 2009 2:49 pm

Smuggler's Cove is a beautiful spot. The only concerns I'm having about the weekend are the Prohibition-era laws concerning alcohol consumption in restaurants. There is strictly no corkage allowed in restaurants in Maine. When Rick and Kathy came to town we were able to circumvent those laws through some impressive stealth activity when we went out to Cabbage Island and had dinner at the hotel at which they were staying. Of course we'll be able to do plenty of drinking in the rooms and on the decks at the motel, but bringing wines to dinner will be a challenge. I'm sure we'll manage. That's why dinner at the JimHow estate on Thursday night will be important, so that we can get in at least one blow-out wine dinner during the course of the weekend. I'm all for Jay working on negotiating something with Smuggler's Cove, it's a gorgeous spot, it'll just be important to keep in mind a couple things: 1) It is clean and friendly and located in a great spot, but it is also not exactly the Ritz Carlton. Think that motel we stayed at in Sonoma '06, but on a the water. 2) Jay, now that I think about it, I think some of the rooms do not face the water, we want to make sure we get rooms that face the water.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Tue May 05, 2009 5:25 pm

Jim,

Around here for private functions a restaurant may shut down for a private event and get around the liquor laws by getting a special event license. In Ontario it's $25 and not a big deal. In an off season period a restaurant may shut their doors for 20 people??
Alternatively if any of the places had small meeting rooms they can be converted to a dining room and similarly a license obtained to allow BYOB. How do people get by for weddings,birthdays,anniversaries etc without the ability to obtain a special events license?
It wouldn't be the greatest to have a wine group get together from all points and not be able to share some classics freely and openly.

Just thinking out loud,

Danny

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue May 05, 2009 5:37 pm

I know it's hard to believe, Danny, but that's the way it is in Maine. It's all because of the wholesaler monopoly. These are laws that have literally been on the books since the 1920s. I had my wedding reception at Smuggler's Cove and we couldn't bring the wines we wanted to the reception, I had to smuggle them in under the tables. I'll do some more research on the issue, though, to see if we have other BYOB options.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue May 05, 2009 11:57 pm

dstgolf wrote:How do people get by for weddings,birthdays,anniversaries etc without the ability to obtain a special events license?

The alcoholic beverages are supplied by the licensed establisment.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Wed May 06, 2009 2:10 pm

Jim,

Unbelievable! I thought that we were a little backwards when it came to wine freedom but there are a reasonable number of BYOB places along with the added ability to obtain special event licenses. This is amazing in the 21st century....!

David,

Yes that was the way it has been in Ontario as well but you could usually make arrangements with the establishment to use a wine salesman that they use. Once contacted you tell him/her the wines you want to buy(bring) and a bill of sale is drawn up to reflect the wines that would be brought in for the event making it semi-legal! During the times of prohibition there was always a way around the laws which were not viewed as an insurmountable hurdle. Jim certainly will know the local laws better and what can be safely done and we don't want to get anyone in to trouble.

Danny

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Thu May 07, 2009 4:53 pm

Hi Everyone!

I've been doing some research and it seems there are a lot of places on the coast that don't serve alcohol that allow you to byob - but only beer and wine - no liquor. These places all seem to be the ones with the picnic tables out back. I think maybe the byob is more applicable to nicer restaurants but I also found an Application for Special Events BYOB that is 10.00/day. I think maybe if we put ourselves down as a group "Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts" perhaps they would allow it at a decided location. Maybe it is something like Danny said they have in Canada.

Just food for thought.

Susan

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:31 pm

Of course you're right, Danny. There are workarounds if you have a cooperative restaurant or hotel owner, and there are even some places that are willing to bend/break the law. And then there are those who like to hide behind the law because it leaves no alternative to their 3-4x markup.

Anyway, sounds like Susan has a plan!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:39 pm

I'm sure we'll be able to pull it off. We're basically talking about covering dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, the rest of the time there will be plenty of opportunities for consumption of fine wines.

Tom In DC · Post by **Tom In DC** » Thu May 07, 2009 11:50 pm

We have to bail on this one, due to a scheduling conflict. (Admittedly, the conflict is with other vacation plans, so don't feel at all sad for us.)

It sounds like a great group will attend a typically stellar BWE event, so we'll just assume that BWE Maine gets worked into the annual rotation and see everyone Down East in 2010!

Ciao,
Tom and Gail

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri May 08, 2009 12:16 am

We'll catch you next time, the door is always open, we don't lock 'em up here in Maine....

sdr · Post by **sdr** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:10 pm

I'm wildly jealous of all of you who are going to this soon-to-be legendary BWE event in the great state of Maine, home of the black-capped Chickadee. Unfortunately for me, it falls in the heart of the hurricane season, so I must remain in Florida to hold down my roof. I look forward to your glowing reports.

~stuart

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 3:11 pm

I'm bumping this up just because I've sent a couple of pm's to different members with no response so I'm assuming that the emails aren't going through (or maybe y'all don't like us anymore :-0 ) Anyway, I just thought maybe we should start thinking about talking to Smuggler's Cove or any place Jim thinks is a good spot. I know Jay offered to negotiate - I'll lend a hand any way needed. I just get a little nervous when I have airline tickets and no lodging.

If Howard is reading this - when should I start looking on the websites to get a hotel (is that Priceline?) in Boston. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, we wanted to ship wines - is that something we can do Jim?

TIA

Susan

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:33 pm

Hi Susan, I was just thinking about ME '09 as well.
Smuggler's Cove sounds like a good plan to me. We want to make sure we reserve rooms facing the water.
You can ship wines to me at any time, I can send you my mailing address.
Jim

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:17 am

Luckily you did not pick June to come to Maine as it rained virtually every day this month. And it is supposed to rain every day this week through the weekend. I've actually been heating the house a couple nights during the past week.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:42 am

Susan,

I understand your concerns about wanting to know where to stay long in advance especially on a long weekend.

Last Fall we used priceline to book in Boston and loved the 4* Intercontinental in the Harbor Front district.Got a great deal for Boston(around $100). Location was easy walk to quincey Market (virtually across street) and about 20 min walk to Copley Square. Any of these three areas recommended. You can get help using www.betterbidding.com to see what hotels have gone for in the various regions recently and what hotels you are likely to get. As you know it's a bit of a crap shoot with priceline not knowing exactly what hotel you'll get but if you stick to selecting 4* and 31/2* we've never been unhappy and usually surprised at the value. Good luck hunting and hope to see you and Rob in Maine.

Danny

Agree on trying to get a block of rooms nailed down in Boothbay or other for Fri/Sat if we will need about 10+ rooms.

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:30 pm

Thanks Jim - Please do send your mailing address so that we have it and can ship the wines. You can e-mail me at sdayton at cozen . com.

Thanks for the tips Danny, I appreciate it and will try better bidding. We hope to see you as well and are really looking forward to a real vacation in Maine!

Best,

Susan

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:46 pm

At this point, we'll be in Boston Tuesday and Wednesday before leaving for Maine on Thursday so Rob, Susan and whomever, let me know if you're available and possibly we can plan a get together. Of course, we would love to see any of the Boston folks as well.

Daytonnc · Post by **Daytonnc** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:28 pm

Hi Jay:

We get in on Saturday and planned to stay in Boston two nights and then head up the coast. Not quite sure where we are staying on Mon through Wed but I'll give you our cell numbers and Rob will have his computer - so if we end up staying in Boston longer, we would love to get together with you and Peggy and any and all Boston BWE'ers!

Susan

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:52 pm

sounds good! you can pm me with contact numbers if you like.