BARRYTHUNDERWOOD

BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_jc87u0h wrote

I realize that there are politicians and organizations who are opposed to this option, but are there any actual people who are against it? Like individual humans? I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person who voiced anything but support for it, and even here on the internet the comments are just endlessly in favor of this right.

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_j9vzhjr wrote

I have a little insight into a part of this anyway. I know over the last couple weeks in particular there have been more than a few instances of straight up trashed parents letting their 3-5yo kids just go hog wild screaming and spinning on the dance floor at like 9-10pm while people were playing music and there were patrons there who came to see the act. I can totally imagine that after a while management (who honestly has always been super cool with me anyway) would just be like “holy hell people, please just try not to be a total piece of shit”

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_j98nyge wrote

I don’t think you’re wrong - maybe my comment was a little vague, but I am really talking about a room with like 200-800capacity.

Sure, we will get Stapleton or Aerosmith to show up at the waterfront, and that will bring in folks from all over for a night, but if you are a band with a 500 person draw, there is absolutely no reason to ever travel north of Portland. That kind of venue could operate year round, with a much fuller schedule, and would give the people who already live in Bangor a reason to go have a nice night out (as opposed to people from hours away spending hundreds of dollars on tickets and parking once or twice a year).

If we’re talking about abstract concepts like vitality and culture, IMO those sort of smaller venues have much more impact than the waterfront ever could.

Obviously if we take the longgggg view, maybe waterfront brings in cash, that cash somehow magically creates a city more likely to support those sorts of smaller venues, who knows. I’m skeptical, as the waterfronts and casino have been doing their thing for years now, and I haven’t seen the slightest change for the average resident.

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_j97a7fx wrote

It’s just one small aspect of many, but if we talk music venues, there are basically none anywhere between “dude in the corner at 100 cap bar/brewery” and “giant 5k people concert”. Portland has the State, as well as a bunch of other great smaller venues (PHOME, One Longfellow, etc). Those kind of places help build culture and vitality, and no one has taken a chance in the greater Bangor area to really make one (Bangor arts exchange has a super spotty schedule and sound is never good and it usually feels feels like cheap wedding reception, and the new Gforce thing theyve tried at the mall is sketchy and temporary).

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_j2972so wrote

I can literally piss off the front step whenever I want, make as much noise as I want, go for a walk in the woods without seeing anyone. Negatives aren’t many, but zero food delivery and every restaurant closing at 9, and the nearest movie theater being an hour away are a bit annoying sometimes.

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_izbtbb6 wrote

I also say check out the Psychology Today site, can sort by gender/specialty/insurance/location and a bunch of other things. If you’re willing to do virtual sessions, you can expand your search to the rest of Maine as well.

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_iuhpajw wrote

I think the delineation of Downeast starts at the Sullivan bridge on route 1 - as others said, it really depends on how much you tolerate/love being somewhat remote. It’s beautiful down there, but I’m from Hancock (near Ellsworth), which is a pretty small town, but every time I end up true downeast Ellsworth seems like NYC.

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BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_it94d86 wrote

My dad lives in QC about 30min from Sherbrooke, I always took the Coburn Gore route, it’s a little more low key of a crossing. Then you have about an hour of like farmland to drive through to get to Sherbrooke. But recently I’ve started taking the Vermont route (crossing at the Derby border on the Beebe road, not the rt 91 derby crossing). It’s absolutely tiny and and easy low key crossing and I’ve never seen a line or had any weird trouble. Keep in mind that QC cops just live to give US cars speeding tickets (my mom got a ticket with Maine plates for doing 7km over), and those tickets ain’t cheap so make sure not to get lulled into looking at your MPH by accident. So if you’re definitely wanting to cross in Maine, go Coburn Gore. There’s a gas station in Eustis, it’ll be a little more expensive but it’s like 30 min from border. It’s a real bitch in the winter though.

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