Without the continuous daily torrential downpour, WE'd bet that riding in New Hampshire is beautiful. Without many builders at the show, it's easy to get lost walking among the infinite number of imported Asian leather dealers, Italian sausage sandwich slingers, and event T-shirt vendors. And without the majority of the bars closing at midnight, it would have been a lot easier to get drunk.
Don't get me wrong though, a good time can be had in New Hampshire. The food was remarkable - we feasted on relatively inexpensive buttery white lobster and lightly browned scallops every night (eating show food three times a day can lead to health problems). Makris, a local eatery specializing in seafood, served lobster dinners for incredibly low prices compared with most anywhere else in the U.S. Although tequila was hard to find in most places, we were able secure a few bottles in Concord after talking with our friendly servers about a Mexican bar & grill.
Located about 20 miles northeast of Concord (the capital of New Hampshire), Laconia's main event concentrates on Weirs Beach. Throughout the years, the show has spread into some of the surrounding towns - good thing too, it sure was a pain in the butt to get around inside the small city. Plus, parking was outrageous - 20 bucks for bikes and 30 for cars. I understand that people will pay because they really want to attend, but you're looking at a $100 day if you pay for your date. That's like paying for a day at Disneyland with longer lines.
Overall, we had a good time in the Northeast, but it was easy to see how it could improve next year, the weather included. With the lowest attendance in over five years, it seems that there were many people who felt the show was better in years past.