Convenience at a premium: Sebago, Kennebunk

Ah, Route One, The Old Post Road. Has such a romantic ring to it, right? The passage of letters through love and war along America's oldest thoroughfare.

So, I don't know if bummer's the right word, but a frown emerges turning into the new Shops at Long Bank in Kennebunk. With garish white lines on black asphalt, and a matrix of perfectly mulched poplars that grid the lot, the advent of the strip mall sure is a lame response to Maine's wild heart.

It starts to get better as soon as I step out the ride. The salt air that fills the nose is a wacky sensory twist to this sterile section of the highway, a lotus perfume that cushions the corporate manicure. Besides, it's ever grounding to remember that I'm here to drink beer and have fun. And Sebago's never not come through in that department.

It's a dripping 90 degrees but I know there's ice-cold beer through that door. Inside Sebago's prized new location it's a whole different world. There are ruddy cheeked merry men aplenty. Ladies too, but you get the feeling that while the ladies linger in the surrounding shops, the men may be scrambling for reasons to check email/down pints.

The cavernous space features generous tall-backed booths like the seats at Disney World's Haunted Mansion. Today they're filled with families. With a Hannaford's across the way, and this ideal watering hole as an inarguable highlight, it's more clear why the developers put convenience at such a premium. With one parking spot, you can kill a lot of birds. With this tall Frye's Leap IPA though, I'm going to hone in on just killing brain cells.