I read the New York Post article by Cindy Adams, which Heather Martin commented on in the Sept. 2 Forecaster. (“Mainewhile: Mainers should be thankful for cheeky New York columnist”). While I agree with some of Heather’s column, I felt she missed a couple of major points.
First of all, Ms. Adams, after spreading her carbon footprint all over the world, decided to come slumming in Maine. While I am a lifelong Mainer, I spend enough time in New York to know she hardly represents most of the regular people in NYC, most of whom work serving the rich while trying to raise their families in a city the elitists have made unaffordable.
Maine has never fancied itself as a Madison Avenue wannabe, and L.L. Bean was initially a clothing store for the working class people. Over the past 110 years it has built itself into a world-class outdoor and general merchandise business with stores, warehouses and huge online catalog sales. It is true that a fashionista more accustomed to the Marie Antoinette lifestyle would not appreciate the kinds of clothing worn by people who actually go outside in rain and snow.
That aside, it should be pointed out that most of the places she mentioned are tourist destinations and since Maine has a residential population of about 1,369,000 people and about 18,000,000 tourists each year, probably 17 out of every 18 people she insulted were from away. The friendly ones who waited on her were most likely the Mainers. Hope that she at least had the decency to tip them well so they can afford to buy a better class of clothes.
I did see a BMW parked in Bath a week ago. It appeared to be the current home of a homeless person. At least he or she has class.
Susan Chichetto
Bath
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