I think its a simple as, "Is it worth the drive?". Spanish Springs is the closest square to me, but can't say we spend much time there as there is nothing regarding shopping that is of interest. Visit Amerikanos a couple of times a year, Ruby Tuesday for salad now and again, once in great while Kilwins for a too expensive ice cream. Panera's & Dunkin are everywhere and are nothing special.
Now, if the squares had actual shops and restaurants that were outstanding in their offerings, we'd gladly frequent them even if it was a drive to get to. Unfortunately, we haven't found any truly unique shopping and far and away the restaurants are lucky to achieve mediocre. We do have a handful of restaurants that we will drive to (some as far a 40-50 minutes away), but it has to be "worth the drive".
|