This New England

Lucia's O'Reilly's "Sodom and Gomorrah,'' acrylic on burned paper, with thread, fabric, book rings and rod. This is part of her show Hard Passages, at the Newport Art Museum, through March 22.

XXX

Dining out involves discretionary income, which is tough to find these days. So establishments have to be a bit more edgy.

For example, The Kennebec Journal, in Maine, reports that waitresses and waiters are topless at the new Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, in Vassalboro, Maine. (At left, "Two Tahitian Women,'' by Paul Gauguin (1899); Andrew Wyeth and a few other artists have tried, but there are remarkably few pictures of topless Maine women. Climatological challenges, I guess.)

There was some controversy when the outfit's owners (presumably well-clothed) went before town officials last month asking for permission to open the joint.

But Vassalboro's leaders saw no legal problems. Indeed, they probably saw an opportunity for some additional tax revenue as a result of a thriving new establishment in these impoverished times. Maine is mostly a poor state, except right along the coast, where lots of people "from away'' have summer places.

The only drawback for the coffee shop's owners is the necessity of keeping the heat on higher than usual for such an emporium -- quite an expense in the Maine, which is overly dependent on heating oil from such places as Venezuela (whose most famous New England distributor is Joseph P. Kennedy of Citizens Energy).

Check out the coffee shop, but, as The Kennebec Journal notes, a sign outside says, "Over 18 only" and another says "No cameras, no touching, cash only."

Until the economy gets even worse. Then standards may be made a tad more supple.

Then it will be, as Cole Porter asked: "Who's prepared to pay the price, for a trip to paradise? Love for sale.''

The Kennebec Journal, of course, just had to mention the inevitable jokes about cup size.

 Tags  Grand View Topless Coffee Shop Lucia O'Reilly Maine Newport Art Museum Vassalboro

Comments

Saul Ricklin said:

Re cup size I loved this memorable sentence from a story I just read by Chile writer Jose Miguel Varas: "She was on the tall side with delicate arms and legs, but she also possessed a lovely set of teacups and was nicely endowed in terms of her posterity."

Link | February 27, 2009 9:44 AM
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Saul Ricklin said:

Re cup size I loved this memorable sentence from a story I just read by Chile writer Jose Miguel Varas: "She was on the tall side with delicate arms and legs, but she also possessed a lovely set of teacups and was nicely endowed in terms of her posterity."

Link | February 27, 2009 9:46 AM
Report Abuse

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