At first, Bates might seem like it is located in the middle of nowhere far from everything. However, I do not seem to agree with this sentiment. I think that the Lewiston-Auburn area is a really great place to go to school in and that it has everything we could possibly need. Furthermore, there are so many places to go that are close to Bates. In this post, I am going to write about places that I like to go both in Lewiston and away from Lewiston.

The Lewiston-Auburn area has great places to eat, other than 6000000 Dunkin’ Donuts, although that is a bonus for me in and of itself! These restaurants include sandwich places for lunch, like Heidi’s, sports bar/restaurant chains, like Buffalo Wild Wings, great places to get burgers and fries, like Gritty’s, and fancier restaurants, like Fishbones or Fuel. Those are just a few of my favorites! Not to mention there are also restaurants that have great sushi and awesome pad thai! Even though the food in Commons is absolutely amazing, it is definitely nice to know that you can get off campus for a study break or to celebrate a friend’s birthday. For example, on Thursday night, the night before my last final, some of my friends and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings at 10:30 PM to watch the Bruins game (even though I am not from New England, most of my friends and the other students at Bates are) and to take a break from studying. When we got there, there were about three other tables of Bates students doing the same thing and it was a great way to blow of some steam and gave me motivation to finish up my finals!

Bates is also very close to other really fun places in Maine, including Freeport and Portland to name a few, which are both about 45 minutes away by car. However, I find myself going to Freeport more than Portland for the outlet shopping! Both girls and boys love going to Freeport because everyone enjoys a good shopping trip! One of Freeport’s biggest attractions is its GIANT L.L. Bean store, which is open 24/7! It is honestly hard for me to not find a use for most things at L.L. Bean, and I find that I have to stop myself from buying a duck hunting vest, or other things that are useless to me pretty regularly. I promise that if you come to Bates, you too will have a hard time doing this too, especially in the Winter months when all you want to do is buy Bean Boots in every color and height. Aside from the shopping and the countless amazing restaurants that specialize in clam chowder, lobster rolls, and other quintessentially New England dishes, Freeport is always bustling with people and different seasonal happenings. Below, you can see pictures of two fun seasonal affairs hosted by Freeport! In the Fall, thousands of carved pumpkins lined the walls and areas around L.L. Bean, and in the Winter when I stopped in Freeport on my way home, they had sled dogs for visitors to pet and to look at.

Just because there are so many fun things to do and beautiful places to go in beautiful Maine, that does not mean to say that you are not close to places outside of Maine! I know a lot of people, like myself, who frequently visit Boston for a one-day adventure, or for a weekend getaway! It is an easy 2-hour train ride from Portland, or a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bates! My brother goes to school in Boston, so I try and visit him as much as possible, and sometimes my parents even come up to meet us! Just the other week I went to meet my aunt and brother in Boston to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert. I’m sure all of your parents would be jealous, but we were definitely the youngest people there! Don’t let people get to you when they say “oh my gosh, you’re going ALLLLLLL the way to Boston JUST for one day?!” I promise you, it really is not that far!

So, despite the fact that you might be under the impression that Maine is the middle of nowhere, it really is not. I grew up in a city, and I absolutely love being in Lewiston and feel like I am perfectly located close to anywhere that I would need to or want to go! Also, don’t worry about not having a car! You will inevitably have at least two friends who have cars, and Zipcar is a really easy and convenient way to rent a car at short notice right from campus!