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Volume CXXXIII, Number 7 |
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BOC Notebook: Find great escapes in Brunswick
KAZIA JANKOWSKI
CONTRIBUTOR
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| Kate Irving '04 and an unnamed student hike Tumbledown Mountain this fall. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Outing Club) |
Editor's Note: Kazia Jankowski is filling in for Elliot Jacobs this week.
Contrary to popular opinion, the world is not coming to an end. Sure, it's getting darker earlier, there are fewer BOC trips going out, and most professors have realized that they have only covered one-fourth of what they intend to cover and are bumping up the number of readings. However, this just means that it is up to you to establish a balance in life. Of course, it always helps to have a little guidance to figure out how to best work that balance. So here you go (oh, and this advice applies to everyone, not just freshmen)!
For starters, take advantage of the last organized BOC trip of the semester and go to the cabin! It's great. Not only can it be a romantic getaway (it is not important if you have someone with whom to share the romance), with fires in the woodstove, a sliver of a moon and great stars, but it is also the only BOC trip that ensures a rousing game of Twister, should you choose to accept the challenge. Seriously, though, the cabin is great if you just want a place to relax, read a little and hang out, which is not so easy to make happen at Bowdoin.
After the cabin trip, however, the responsibility of getting yourself outside is really all yours. But that's okay, because there is actually plenty to do in the surrounding Bowdoin area. (And getting yourself to any of these areas will warm you up enough so that you won't mind the cold. Just remember hunting season starts November 1.)
While the weather is still warm, biking is always a great option. There are a number of 45-minute to an hour routes that start from Bowdoin. Simpson's Point is probably the best known by both locals and Bowdoin students. It is a public boat ramp, which extends off none other than Simpson's Point Road, and it has great views looking over the water. To get there, head down Maine Street away from downtown and past Brunswick Apartments. When the road forks, take the left on to Mere Point Road. Continue down Mere Point, past Middle Bay Road, to Simpson's Point. Road, which juts off to the left. This will lead you directly to the water. If you want new scenery (pretty open space and houses) for the return trip, as you head back from Simpson's Point take a right on the first road. This road will dead-end, there you should take a left. Eventually, you will run into Middle Bay Road. Take a left and that will bring you back to Mere Point Road (and past one of the running trails of the Commons). Take a right on Mere Point Road back to campus. Simpson's Point can also make an ambitious run.
Another good option is Pleasant Hill Farm. Similarly, its name relates to its road, and it makes a good biking or running destination. To get there, again, head out past Brunswick Apartments. After you pass the hospital, Pleasant Hill Road will turn off to the right. Follow Pleasant Hill Road to the farm, where there are three identifying wooden signs: "SUPPORT." "LOCAL." "FARMERS." It is hard to miss, and there is a great pumpkin launch using a trebuchet. If you are still feeling energetic when you arrive, the farm itself has some great trails that you can explore, especially on snowshoes or cross-country skies. After all, at this point, snow is inevitable.
Know that, you, too, can begin to investigate the train tracks that extend from Hannaford. That way, once the snow really accumulates, you will already know which direction is more exciting for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. It also makes a good destination for autumn walks.
Those ideas should get you started or, if you already know them, at least remind you that you don't always have to search far for adventure. It lays in your hands, and just like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder.
Okay, and now for the advice for first years only. Elliot kindly suggested last week that maybe you not work so hard (advice we can all follow), so in your new-found free time, go out to eat. There are lots of great places to eat within walking distance, and you can actually sit down and talk to people, unlike in the chaos of the dining hall. Scarlet Begonia's is always a good choice for pasta and pizza, but don't forget that Benzoni's also has good pizza. For Indian food there are two options, Bombay Mahal (by the Looking Glass Hair Salon on Maine Street) and Shere Punjab, which gives a ten percent discount to Bowdoin students.
Humble Gourmet on Pleasant Street is also a good early-dinner option. Its food is similar to that at Wild Oats, but it is open until 6:00 p.m. The Kitchen and Tess's Market have a variety of sandwiches, pizzas, Greek food, etc. Really it doesn't matter where you eat, just that you take the time to enjoy it and do something new. After all, as my yoga professor says, it is all about "honoring yourself for taking risks to do something new." So go do it!
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