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Homely BELFAST feels like the most lived-in and liveable of the towns along the Maine coast. Here the shipbuilding boom is long since over (and the chicken-processing plant that regularly turned the bay blood red has also gone), and the town has declared the waterfront a historic district, sparing it from over-commercialization and condo development. As you stroll around, look out for the old-fashioned Greyhound and Western Union office (complete with jukebox) and any number of whitewashed Greek Revival houses. Belfast was a lively center in the 1960s, a fact still reflected in its stores, community theater groups, festivals and the WBYA (101.7 FM) radio station. However, except for its several eating establishments and one cinema, most businesses close early in the evening.
The convivial information office (tel 207/338-5900, ), at the foot of Main Street by the bay, is next to the old railroad station used by the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (tel 207/948-5500 or 1-800/392-5500, ). Hour-long excursions ($18) in reconditioned Pullman cars run from here up the lush banks of the Passagassawakeag River, along tracks laid in 1870 to connect logging operations with the sea - though whatever impression you might get from their advertisements, the trains are pulled by diesel not steam. En route to the villages of Brooks and Burnham Junction, you pass through thick forests, at their most colorful in the fall. The same company offers cruises on an old-style paddle boat in Penobscot Bay ($15, combination rail-cruise ticket saves $3). Also right beside the rail terminal, Weathervane Seafoodrestaurant (tel 207/338-1774) has tables on the wooden jetty outside; across the bay, Young's Lobster Pound (tel 207/338-1160) serves $10 fresh-boiled lobster dinners, among the best in the state, with sunset views. Up the street, Krazy Kones scoops locally made Cranberry Tiger ice cream in its family-friendly parlor. Historic Darby's Restaurant on High Street serves tasty, inventive breakfasts, lunches and dinners to a congenial mix of locals and visitors. Bay Wrap , 20 Beaver St, has all kinds of gourmet wraps on offer. Belfast Co-op Store and Deli , 123 High St (tel 207/338-2532), offers a huge range of vegetarian food and picnic fixin's. For accommodation , try the Alden House , 63 Church St (tel 207/338-2151 or 1-877/337-8151, ; $75-100), a beautiful 1840 Greek Revival house run as a B&B; the comfortable Thomas Pitcher House , 19 Franklin St (tel 207/338-6454 or 1-888/338-6454, ; $75-100); or the Londonderry Inn , 133 Belmont Ave (tel 207/338-2763 or 1-877/529-9566, ; $75-100), an old farmhouse that serves huge breakfasts. Along Hwy-1 across the Passagassawakeag River in East Belfast are several inexpensive motels, including the Gull (tel 207/338-4030; up to $35-100), and an oceanfront campground, The Moorings (tel 207/338-6860; $21 per tentsite), on Hwy-1 toward Searsport, open May through October.
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