The Weekend Reader
Maine, Fasting & The Outsider
LIBBY CAMPS in NORTHERN MAINE
A while back, James Harvey-Kelly and I were talking about where we wanted to go for our next FT story. When he said he had always wanted to go on a float plane I knew we had to go to Libby Camps in Northern Maine. That piece is out today, you can read the story here, but James’s great photographs are best seen in print. Rare situation where I caught a fish on demand.
I’ve been to Libby Camps a number of times over the years and love it—here’s an ACL story I wrote back in 2013! Not much has changed since then, and probably hasn’t changed in about fifty years. If you’re into the simple life, I highly recommend it.
SUMMER HOTELS
It’s hard to find summer destinations that’s aren’t high intensity. Yes Northern Maine is good, or even the mid coast. Closer to the big town is Pridwin on Shelter Island. I went there earlier this week and it was terrific. If you can stay in a cottage then you have a little autonomy and great views of Crescent Bay. Near the ferry and Black Cat Books, easygoing vibe and a good equation for families.
I wrote about fasting in Elite Traveler, you can read that story here. This was my second time at Buchinger Wilhelmi in Marbella. I never thought I would become a fasting believer, but I’ve enjoyed it immensely and really hope it’s part of my calendar. The illustration shows me with my daily allotment of honey, which gets you through the afternoon, when you’re surviving on 250 calories a day. The day it didn’t arrive I nearly had a breakdown. But it’s worth it!
NEW OUTSIDER BOOTS
The Outsider IV, my collaboration with Viberg is here. Artwork by Mr. Slowboy— big week for illustrations! This is the latest of working together. It’s a tweak on the three, a chukka boot in new colors that’s lightweight and shockingly comfortable. The original Outsider I is available for order (a dark brown durable Chelsea boot) and so is the Outsider II, which is an amazing warm tan, wider last, and lighter weight. Really fun to work with Viberg, the great Canadian company who does terrific work.
DIVE BARS
I’ve written about bars a lot over the years, including dive bars way back for Glenn O’Brien at Bergdorf Goodman magazine (archive unfindable). There’s a piece in the Times about the dim future of dive bars in New York. The reasons are well-known, expensive real estate and changing drinking habits, chief among them. I was interested in the idea of the $3 beer as a platonic democratic ideal. That a dive bar is a place where different people can come together in the same room is also appealing. Here are some old Contender pieces on What Makes a Good Bar and Why Bars Matter and The World’s Best Bars. I think we’re moving beyond an unironic dive bar. These days there’s no way to make something that isn’t self-aware. But maybe the dive bar finds ways to endure that are outside our best, or worst, intentions. Let’s hope so.
Realize the original newsletter didn't have the link to Libby Camps! Here it is: https://www.libbycamps.com
The boots look amazing! Was there ever an Outsider III?