Alan Ilagan

If there’s one thing that’s never a waste of money, it’s a decent set of luggage, and a fine hat. I tend to mix and match – a gray wool coat and fedora, and beneath them a Louis Vuitton Monogram Keepall and a Jack Georges leather briefcase. Of course, when traveling to Ogunquit, the last thing on my mind is luggage, and once we got there it made no difference what we clapped on our backs.

From the dismal, dreary, rain-drenched darkness of upstate New York, Andy and I drove into the sunny land of Maine for our annual Fall trip (this is our tenth year of coming here). We were ensconced in our usual digs at the Naughty Pine Room of the Ogunquit Beach Inn (thanks as always to Greg and Mike for another lovely visit!) Greg had a number of new places to go and things to see, but first we had dinner at what is usually a favorite, The Front Porch.

Now, I don’t like to write bad reviews, so I won’t say anything about our experience at The Front Porch – all I’ll mention is that Wayne was absent, and sorely missed, and we’ll leave it at that. So instead of heading upstairs for a nightcap, we went over to Maine Street, where Jimmy took good care of us, and we got to meet two wonderful ladies, Kris and Mary Ellen, who were in town to pick up a new dog. One of them is a police officer, so Andy and her traded war stories while I sipped on a sidecar. Everyone won that evening.

Luckily, our time in Ogunquit had just begun, and it was only going to get better, starting with breakfast at Amore the next day. Andy had a Belgian waffle with Maine blueberries and real maple syrup, while I opted for the Amore Benedict – which was your usual Eggs Benedict with a twist – sausage and tomato in place of the Canadian bacon.

After that we drove into Kittery to do a quick outlet trip – and though I had made up my mind not to do much damage, there was a half-off-everything sale at Cole Haan, so I caved in and got a leather messenger bag that I would otherwise have never been able to afford. (Though I deserve some credit, because at one point I had two pairs of shoes in my hands along with the bag, and I talked myself out of them.)

We returned to town, where I walked around examining the flowers still in full bloom. The weather smiled on us this year, and the weekend was already shaping up to be a gorgeous one – though there was a moment of pause the next day…

Greg and Mike at the Ogunquit Beach Inn always have the best vintage postcards of Maine beach scenes, so a few years ago Andy and I took a set of 35 mm photos of our own while on Ogunquit Beach. (Apologies for the scanned quality, but I think it adds to their antique inspiration.)

The post is entitled “Vintage Ogunquit” because it evokes another era – a more innocent, hopeful time, when the sun and wind were the only reasons for furrowed brows. Also, these photos were taken a number of years ago, so for me they’re vintage in that sense (hence the tragic goatee, and not-so-tragic 30-inch waist I once had).

Hopefully Ogunquit will weather the impending Hurricane Earl with pluck and aplomb, as it has countless other storms. (Though for once, I feel lucky to be far inland.)

Good luck to all our friends on the coast… our thoughts are with you.

This weekend Andy and I are heading to one of our favorite spots in the world – Ogunquit, Maine. It will be my first time in Ogunquit during the high summer season since I was a kid. I think I’m most looking forward to what the flowers will look like – usually we only get to see them at the start and tail-end of the season. Of course, I’m also excited to see the first Regional Theater run of Sunset Boulevard, one of my favorite musicals of all-time. It will also mark my first time attending a show at the Ogunquit Playhouse – about which I’ve only heard great things. In other words, it’s an Ogunquit trip filled with firsts – the best kind of trip.

Being that we were behind the vacation-planning schedule, we couldn’t get a room at our usual haunt, the Ogunquit Beach Inn, so we’ll be at the Anchorage, which is central and convenient, if lacking in the personal touches of Greg and Mike. Even so, we’re looking forward to the trip, especially the show, as it’s Andy’s first time seeing it on stage, and the last time I saw it was over ten years ago, before I even met Andy. (A more detailed look at Sunset will be coming up a bit later.)

As for now, I am packing up some sunblock and searching out some coconut-scented hair care products. It’s going to be a summer trip by the beach, rain or shine.

It is our tenth year vacationing in Ogunquit, Maine, and we started off like we always do – loading the car and taking a quick photo in front of the house. The thunderstorms of the night before have dissipated, and the sun is beginning to shine. It will grant us an entire weekend of warm summer weather.

Like much of New England, Ogunquit is also ahead in the bloom department – the entire town is awash in blossoms that we never get to see (our trips usually happen before and after the main summer bloom season).

This time the lilacs were already done, but everything else was showing color – the peonies, the allium, the poppies, the lupines, and most of all the roses. (More on them later…)

It was like being in town again for the first time, so fresh was the experience, and the arrival of what seemed like record-setting numbers of people added to the high-summer feel of the weekend.

After settling in at the Ogunquit Beach Inn (where the room was sweetly scented by a bouquet of late-blooming French lilacs and a trio of Siberian iris), we unpacked and prepared for dinner. I had an introductory cocktail in the piano lounge of The Front Porch, serenaded by the ivory-tickling prowess and vocal stylings of Rob Dionne (and the Porch patrons) while I waited for Andy to join me for dinner.

It was a good beginning, and we finished with a few goodies from Bread and Roses.

We were back in our beloved Ogunquit, where a sea breeze was ringing in the summer.

I promised my friend Greg that I would give him a shout-out on my site, so here it goes. He and his partner Mike run the Ogunquit Beach Inn, the preferred accommodations for me and Andy on our Ogunquit trips, and this past weekend was no exception. Greg also started his own blog, so I recommend you check it out here: Ogunquit Beach Inn.

It’s a great read for all things Ogunquit, and beyond. He’ll give you the insider’s view on the town, as well as undiscovered jewels for those who think they’ve seen it all. There are also great pictures that go along with every post, so when your heart starts to yearn for that beautiful place by the sea (as mine does as soon as we depart for home), this provides a little bit of solace.

When we’re in Ogunquit, we always stay at the Ogunquit Beach Inn, run by hosts Greg and Mike. Andy had met them on one of his Ogunquit trips prior to our first visit, but had never stayed with them. As the owners of the Inn, they have mastered the art of innkeeping, simultaneously able to treat us as family members while giving us privacy and space. They set up dinner reservations, give dining and entertainment guidance (last year they got us into the cast party for A Chorus Line, where I inadvertently jumped ahead of Lorenzo Lamas as he made his opening night entrance), and always have an amusing recap of the town’s latest scandals.

On that first visit, they put us up in the Knotty (Naughty) Pine Room – a haven separated from the main house with its own entrance and porch deck. Aptly-named for all of the warm knots that ran throughout the woodwork, it’s where Andy and I would cuddle in after a relaxing day, watching an old movie or reading a book. When in season, a bouquet of lilacs brightens the room.

In the morning, Andy heads into the main house to get his requisite coffee while I get to sleep a little longer. Mike makes an amazing collection of breakfast muffins, and Greg offers the morning news. It is a comfortable, cushioned start to the day – a lazy entry to a peaceful way of life that, at the time, I didn’t know was possible.