We too have come to like Essex a lot and found Marley's a few weeks ago.
This spring as part of our retirement transition north, we moved our boat to a mooring at Brewer Marina in Essex. We just got home from an overnight at Hamburg Cove which is a pretty place to hang out for a night, but a bit crowded on weekends.
I think Mark is TF's version of the Truman Show. How that relates to Essex CT is beyond beyond me, that's for sure.
Anyway we love Essex too, but Hamburg Cove across the way in particular. Always stopped there for a few days. Took the Whaler over to Essex a few times, but usually just chilled out, on the east side of the CT river.
During the mid '60s, my father would sail to Sam's from Richmond to Tiburon on his 28-foot sloop. He always ordered an abalone sandwich (no longer on the menu), and I a hamburger.