There are so many ways to explore Maine – you can paddle its waters, sail the coast, hike through the forests. But no matter where you’re looking to go, you’re probably going to need a car, or truck, or bus to get you where you need to be.
Some hear the call of the open road, and some tune in to the messages written on the license plates of the Maine drivers they encounter. Bianca Garcia’s 2024 piece examines the art, and legal considerations, of creating a standout vanity license plate inside the constraints of just Seven Characters. Morgan Hunt and his partner Coty Smith have taken the challenge to heart, and made their plates not only a kind of rallying cry, but a successful business: Vanity of Maine.
Featuring: Morgan Hunt, Coty Smith
Town: Ellsworth | County: Hancock
https://www.facebook.com/KingOfMaineVanity/
https://www.instagram.com/vanity_of_maine/
You’ve probably heard this one… it’s a classic Maine comedy bit: somebody asks “How do you get to Millinocket?” and the answer is “You Can’t Get There from Here.” Carly Peruccio turns the sentiment behind the joke into a serious investigation of public transportation in Maine, by attempting to travel from Portland, Maine to the farthest northern reaches of the state, entirely by bus. Along the way, she asks how the system is serving, and failing, people who rely on public transportation to get where they need to go.
Towns: Augusta / Bangor / Houlton | County: Penobscot