The thing that makes Bar Harbor distinct from Boston is that it's just far enough away from Boston that your average Masshole can't convince the wife and kids to pile into the Land Rover/4Runner and drive there on a Friday night or Saturday morning. Look at Portland for contrast.
I would actually have said that Bar Harbor and the Old Port area of Portland were more alike than different other than the surrounding small city in Portland's case where tourists don't generally go. And Bar Harbor has cruise ships although they've continued to fight off actually building a pier for them.
I'd agree. Both have more in common with each other than either has with e.g. Ellsworth or Lewiston but the businesses overtly catering toward yuppies from points south drops off a cliff once you get past Portland.
