As the semester kicks off, homework loads increase, and the weather chills to a crisp autumnal 50 degrees in the mornings, we all begin to find ourselves needing to escape campus. If you don’t have a car (or don’t feel like driving, parking, and paying for gas), UNE has a solution for you!
The Silver Line, run by Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit (BSOOB), makes the trek from Main Street Biddeford to the Alfond Forum and Campus Center around every hour-and-a-half to two hours, making its first stop at 6:25 in the morning and its last at 8:55 in the evening. The bus, which is styled like one of the classic street trollies which used to be prevalent throughout New England, is completely free for UNE students with their UNE IDs. The trolley makes a complete circuit of downtown Biddeford and Saco, making it a terrific opportunity for UNE students—with or without a car—to get to explore both Biddeford and Saco.
Realizing that students might know about the Silver Line but not what to do in Biddeford, the Bolt has decided to make a weekly “Silver Line Saturday” schedule. This schedule, which is centered around the Silver Line’s UNE stops, gives you something to do to get off campus with your friends and experience a slice of Maine life.
Our first Silver Line Saturday schedule begins, as most of them will, with the 9:40 Alfond Forum stop or the 9:43 Campus Center stop, where you’ll hop on the Silver Line to head into Biddeford. You’ll ride the Silver Line around downtown Biddeford, stopping at the Saco Transportation Center before getting off at the North Dam stop at around 10:00.
From the North Dam stop, you’ll walk ten minutes along Biddeford’s historic Main Street, passing by the old brick mills before arriving at Elements—a UNE favorite. Elements is a bookstore and coffee shop with a wide selection of drinks and pastries, becoming a beer bar in the evenings.
You’ll spend around an hour at Elements, perusing books, drinking coffee, and eating pastries, before heading a minute down the street to the Main Street/Lincoln Street Silver Line stop around 10:45. The Silver Line can have you back at UNE by 11:15, however, if you don’t feel like leaving Biddeford so soon, you can stay for lunch. There are a multitude of restraints in Downtown Biddeford, but I personally recommend Coco Bar and Grill if you’re in the mood for good Mexican fare. If you’re not in the mood for Mexican, there’s also Brickyard Hollow Brewing Co. and OG’s Sandwich Shop right around the corner from the Main and Lincoln stop. You can catch the Silver Line back to UNE at 12:30 and 2:00 at the North Dam stop or 12:15 and 1:45 at the Main and Lincoln stop.
