Month: August 2017
Location: Portland
The first time that I heard of Maine, was in the Stephen King
novel, “IT”. In fact, “IT”
was the first “adult novel” that I ever
read. With the movie coming out soon, I
picked up an audio version and listening to it after all these years, I was surprised that I was allowed to borrow it at that young age. Not only is it dark, it also has several
adult themes, not to mention the language. I am quite sure that I probably
did not understand most of what was going on. However, Stephen King did become one of the authors that I continued to read and through him I was convinced that Maine was one of the most haunted States in the US! But his descriptions also made it appear enchanting, with its small towns and natural beauty. That was affirmed when I visited ‘Acadia National Park’ years ago and it
remains one of the most beautiful places that I have seen. I contemplated going back, but Portland was a
more intriguing prospect. So on a Friday morning in August, I departed for
Maine. I hadn’t planned for it to be
this way, but I was listening to “IT”. It just seemed like the right choice.
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| My home for 2 nights |
I had seen in the forecast that it would be raining in
Portland on Friday and so had packed a light waterproof jacket. As soon as we had landed, I saw that it was a
downpour and my jacket wouldn’t be enough.
I found my way to the taxi stand and when I gave the driver the address,
he asked if I was going to Portland or South Portland. I was staying at a place called ‘Morrill Mansion Bed & Breakfast’
and since it wasn’t a typical hotel, was not familiar to the driver. I didn’t know where it was either, and so I
turned on the directions on my phone and we followed it through the rain. We arrived at a residential looking neighborhood
and in front of a house that did not have any big signs. I rushed inside and was greeted by a friendly
gentleman who introduced himself as David, the owner of this place.
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| It was cozy on the inside |
There’s nothing like a “New
England B&B” and this one was as cozy as it gets. David took me on a tour and it looked
great. There was a nice sitting room
downstairs as well as one on the second level, with games and books – lot of
Stephen King novels – as well as a bunch of movies that the guests could take to
the player in their room. Each room had
a distinct theme and we took a really narrow stairway to mine on the topmost level.
It was called “Back Cove Room” and
though small, looked comfortable. Plus,
there was a jar of chocolates and David mentioned that there would be cookies
downstairs as an afternoon treat.
He asked if I needed any dinner recommendations and I said that all I needed right now was an umbrella.
Fortunately, he had several and I picked up a sturdy one and called an ‘Uber’.
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| The famous milkshake |
It was mid-afternoon and I wasn’t quite ready for eating
anything. However, this was the only
time for me to visit one of the popular places in Portland called ‘Duckfat’. It was known for its fries which they cooked
in, well, Duck Fat. But they had one
more thing that I found intriguing, and that was their “Original Milkshake” which had all good things made from Vanilla. The short distance from the car to the
entrance was enough to soak me and once inside it wasn’t better since the place
was packed. It was just after 3 pm and there
was over an hour wait. I guess with the
rain outside people were craving fries and milkshake. I expressed my disappointment and said that
while the fries sounded great, I was there for the milkshake. The hostess suggested that I could get it to
go and I hesitated for a second since it was raining outside. Just for a second. So a few minutes later I walked out in the
rain holding my delicious milkshake in one hand, my phone navigation in another
and somehow balancing the umbrella on my shoulder.
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| Original Cannon from the Pirate Ship |
I devoured the milkshake real fast and that made carrying
the umbrella a bit easier. Well, not
that it helped much since I was still getting wet and the crosswalks were
flooded. I was going to ‘Portland Science Center’ which was by
the waterfront. As I approached it I
saw signs advertising “Pirate Adventure”,
which I reckoned was an exhibit at the museum.
Well, it turned out to be the only exhibit that they had but since it
was raining outside, not the worse way to spend the afternoon. I left my umbrella amongst dozens of others,
meaning there was a decent turnout. I
entered through a dark passage – to set the mood I suppose – into a room where
we were shown a short video on piracy along the New England coast in late 18th
century. This included a young
protagonist who left on a ship to earn money so as to marry his beloved and
ended up commandeering a Pirate ship.
The exhibit, which was spread over 2 floors, told story of what happened
to him and his crew – spoiler alert; they all perish either at sea or by
hanging. They also had some of the
original props from that period, including cannons, making this a popular
destination for kids.
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| At 'Rhum & Grog' |
The rain had abated when I left and there was a slight
drizzle as I tried to find my way to the next stop. On the way there, the real charm of Portland
was starting to emerge with its cobblestone streets and boutique shops. After a slight detour where I had to go through a parking lot
shrub, I arrived at ‘Rhum & Grog’, which was a classic “Tiki Bar” if
there ever was one, with island decorations and colored lights. I saw something on the menu that was called “Dead On Arrival” and announced itself
as being one of the stronger offerings.
I told the bartender that this was my first stop and I needed to last
for several hours, but seeing that I was there that early, he said that I could
handle it. My reputation precedes
me! The drink was strong, but not enough
to cause a knockout and I was feeling fine when I left.
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| The rain was dissipating as I continued my evening |
The rain had gone and the sun was trying to come out as I
went to my next place called ‘Crooners
and Cocktails’. This took me into an
area full of restaurants and bars and people had started coming out. My place wasn’t that full and looked like an
old fashioned “jazz bar” without the
jazz. The staff looked like the gentlemen
servers from the past and one of them looked like he wanted to chat, which I
wasn’t in the mood for at that time. In
any case, I had finished my drink and was ready to move on to the next stop,
which was across the street. It was
supposedly a popular spot called ‘Portland
Hunt & Alpine Club’. Now this
place was a lot livelier and buzzing as I went in. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink
called “Norseman”, which was highly
recommended. While I prefer to have my
cocktails in dark and quiet lounges, I did like this place, which had wide open windows and an informal setting.
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| A "Comic Book Store" at the end of the hallway |
I left and was halfway down the block when I realized that I
had forgotten my borrowed umbrella and so rushed back to collect it from the
corner where I had dumped it. As I made
my way to the next place I saw a building with shops and one of them was a "Comic Book Store". I went inside and
spent some time browsing. One thing I love about such stores is that they do
not mind if you are just wandering about.
I then went to another signature place in Portland, ‘Vena’s Fizz House’, which besides being a bar, was also an “apothecary” where one could purchase
infusions and bitters. They are
known for their infusions and had a special menu with drinks made from their
homemade concoctions. I got something
called “Blackberry Stinger” and sat
at a bar, which unlike the last place was a more classic cocktail lounge.
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| The interesting 'Glass Lounge' |
A beautiful evening had set in and people had come out to
enjoy that. At my next place called ‘Blyth and Burrows’ I barely got a place
to sit and consistent with the interesting names of cocktails that I had today,
this one was called “Penny Cap”. But that did not compare to the name of the
cocktail that I had at my next place, ‘The
Glass Lounge’. It was called “Why’s the Rum Gone” and based on what I
was having, there was certainly enough of it in my glass! It was now time for dinner and I was going to
a place called ‘Street & Company’. Portland is a town known for its restaurants
and this one was on top of several lists.
In fact, I had called them for a reservation while in Boise last
month. The restaurant was nestled in a
narrow cobblestone alley and while not “fine
dining”, was quite cozy. Being
Maine, I had to get the lobster and also made friends with a couple on next
table who didn’t mind when one of the lobster pieces flew and landed near them
as I struggled with the shell. They
offered me some of their appetizers, which I turned down since I was full. However, before leaving I whispered to my
server that I wanted to send them a Chocolate dessert and left before it was
delivered. Outside, the narrow street had
been closed since it was now party central with a lot of people celebrating Friday evening. Luckily my ‘Uber’ driver found me and I was soon
back in my charming room, exhausted after a fantastic first evening.
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| A beautiful day for a walk |
I came downstairs the next morning and David was wearing his
apron and in attendance at breakfast.
There was a small dining room and after finding a table I went to check
what was on offer. This wasn’t like one
of your chain hotel breakfasts but fresh, homemade food that would have made
any restaurant proud. I was going on a “Walking Tour of Downtown Portland” and
our meeting point was a place called ‘Lobsterman’s
Park’. It was a mile away and since
I had enough time, I decided to walk there, which was turned out to be a good
decision since it took me through some nice looking areas of the downtown. I arrived at the meeting point and saw that
there would another couple besides me on the tour – Ann and Charlie from
Baltimore. Our tour guide was also the
owner of the company and a proud Maine native.
We were in good hands.
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| The one place that survived all of the fires |
She started off by telling us about the history of Portland
and the cultural landscape. It seems
that Portland is second to San Francisco in having most restaurants and bars
per capita of the population. And speaking
of the population, while Maine is a big state, most of the population is
concentrated in and around Portland. It
is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation and certainly the 2nd
most popular in New England - after Boston - especially amongst youngsters. It is also very inclusive, welcoming refugees
and being tolerant of all communities.
Plus it has a lot of history, starting with the “Revolutionary War”. We
started walking through the streets and our guide mentioned how Portland as a city
kept getting burnt down and then rebuilding, having gone through the cycle
three times! On one occasion a British
Naval Officer came over to bombard the city, but in a very gentlemanly manner,
gave the townspeople advance warning, thus allowing them to go away and save
themselves. He then proceeded to level
the city, though we did see one church that survived that attack.
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| The serene garden behind 'Longfellow House' |
We walked through the main “square”, though it really wasn’t a square, but a place where
people could gather around in the evening.
For some reason Portland has a lot of banks and most of the buildings
that we passed were affiliated with those.
One of the nation’s best known poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was
born in Portland and his residence is now a historic landmark. The property now bellows to ‘Maine Historical Society’, who had a
building next door and which ironically was very modern as compared to this
quaint house. The house itself was only
accessible by appointment, but we could walk through the gardens which were
outstanding. Our guide
mentioned that the gardens are public property and many people who work nearby usually get their lunch and enjoy it in these tranquil settings. It is a hidden gem in the middle of downtown,
similar to a place I had discovered by accident near ‘Columbus Circle’ in NYC years ago.
Before we left the gardens, we were interrupted by a gentleman who was
clearly homeless and suffering from mental illness. While he didn’t really
ask for anything, he did impart a lengthy discourse which was mostly
unintelligible. Our guide mentioned that
we would encounter many such people in Portland, though they were mostly
harmless.
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| John Ford |
Portland downtown is not level and being somewhat of a
peninsula, slopes on either side of the main street, both ways leading to the
waterfront. We started towards the main
harbor and as we walked down the slope, it occurred to me that while these were
beautiful streets, they weren’t very conducive to walking in the winter. Plus, based on yesterday's rainfall, it
would really not behoove any business being downhill! Before reaching the waterfront we came across
the statue of John Ford - the John Ford.
I had no idea that he was from Portland, always assuming he was a
Southerner or from California, at least based on the movies that he made. Around his statue were plaques of his most
well-known films and having enjoyed many of them, it was a nice surprise to see
this monument. We were now near the
harbor and being a nice day it was crowded.
We passed by a Donut place called ‘Holy Donut’, which was started by a young woman when she was a
student, and which is a popular place with locals and visitors alike. The reason for that – the donuts contains
potatoes! Yep, never saw that
coming. There was a big line waiting to
get in, though I wasn’t sure I would be amongst them.
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| Lunch with a view at 'Portland Lobster Company' |
Our guide left us outside one of the more popular eating
establishments called ‘Portland Lobster
Company’. She even told us how to
order the famous “Lobster Roll” -
buttered and without any mayo. My fellow
travelers and I decided to have lunch together and found a spot outside on the
wharf, as we waited for our Lobster shape pager to buzz. That took a long time,
allowing me to chat with Ann and Charlie and I told them about my travels,
something that everyone I meet finds interesting. They were on their way back to Baltimore while I had a couple of places that I wanted to visit this afternoon. So after lunch we exchanged numbers and went
our separate ways.
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| 'Victoria Mansion' |
Another historic landmark in Portland is a place called ‘Victoria Mansion’, built in the mid-19th
Century for an affluent couple. It was a
short walk away from downtown and as I approached it, while not quite like the
mansions of Newport, it did look grand.
I got a ticket at the “Gift Shop”,
where I was also told not to take any pictures inside the house. There were in middle of restorations on a
room, but right away I could see the opulence based on the main room, the
dining area as well as the central stairway.
There were volunteer docents in each room to help explain the settings
as well as the significance of that place.
Upstairs were the Bedrooms and for once I thought that the “Guest Bedroom” was better than the main
one. But the most intriguing room by far
was something called “Turkish Smoking
Room”. I thought that it would make for a
great nook to stretch out and read, but smoking when there were drapes, carpets
and upholstery around; perhaps not so much.
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| 'Portland Museum of Art' - the one in Maine! |
Nearby was the “Portland
Museum of Art” and they were supposed to have a tour at 3 pm. I walked over there and saw that the building
itself looked quite modern and artistic.
I purchased my ticket and asked the lady where to assemble for the tour
and she said there wasn’t any such thing today.
I said that I begged to differ and that it was mentioned on the
website. After some debate we realized
that I had been looking at the website for ‘Portland
Art Museum’, which is in Portland all right. Portland, Oregon! And I had been to that. Well, guided tour or not, I was still going
to explore this place and that was a good thing because this museum is
excellent. Visitors are encouraged to
start on the top floor and work their way down through several galleries, which
are designed to be very “open” spaces
rather than individual rooms. The art
work – which wasn’t just paintings – was interesting and I was impressed by
their collection. The museum extended
out to other buildings, including another one of those historic houses, though
nowhere close to the mansion I had just visited. For me, the best thing I saw in the museum
was a wall in the area next to the café, where there were inanimate objects
such as a toy car, flowers etc. and visitors were encouraged to either draw or
write down their impressions on a card and pin it. I enjoy seeing such displays in museums – and
I have seen in several places – and spend several minutes examining some of the
cards.
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| This became my favorite place - 'Bramhall' |
There was some sort of street performance going on across
the museum and a big crowd had gathered.
But I had other plans, the first of which was visiting a cocktail lounge
which was actually located near my “B&B”. This meant that I would be walking more than
a mile away from downtown to where I was staying and then walking back for the
rest of the evening and the going back for the night. The things I do for a good cocktail! On the way there I came across a “Used Book Store” and of course, I had
to go inside for a walkthrough. I then
continued towards my destination, which was called ‘Bramhall’. It was a bar
located in a basement and felt like a dungeon with stone walled dark room and
dripping candle wax. In short, I loved
it. I liked it even more when I saw that
they had “Rice Crispy Treats” on the
menu. I told the bartender that I had
never seen these as a part of a menu and these ones were topped with “Nutella”. Yes please.
My evening was off to a great start with these accompanying a cocktail
called “Nomad”; and in this setting
too.
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| The whimsical 'Bearded Lady's Jewel Box' |
I had been told to go to a curiously titled, ‘Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box’ for a cocktail. It was on my way back into downtown and as I
entered the bar, it looked like a whimsical place. There were things hanging from the ceiling
that looked like shredded “Wedding
Dresses”, some creative shrines and all other things that gave this place
its own unique character. This place was
the polar opposite of the one that I was coming from and that’s why I love
travelling and finding these spots. The
owner was sitting next to me and framing the menus. Yes, the menus are handed out as picture
frames. I ordered something called “Gnarly Beard” and it was just as
original as this place.
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| A famous Portland watering hole - 'Lincoln's' |
I came into the main part of downtown just as the evening
set in and headed to another place that was on everyone’s list – ‘The Armory Lounge’. It was a part of a hotel and resembled being
in a library. Well, one with a central
bar. There were just a couple of people
in there; I suppose it was a nice enough evening to be outside rather than a
stuffy lounge. I got a drink called “Cold Toddy” and then continued to a
place nearby called ‘Maps’. This is a “Dive
Bar” known for 2 things – Cheap Beer and Maps on the walls. It was also full of people and I was lucky to
find a chair in the corner to go with my “German
Lager”. Another place that was
similar to this was ‘Lincoln’s’. Any internet search for bars in Portland
probably has this place on the top for one reason – all drinks are $5, and its
cash only. As can be imagined, it is
extremely popular and boisterous. But
despite the inexpensive drinks, the interior resembles a respectable night club.
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| Ending the evening at 'Fore Street' |
My final stop prior to dinner was at a place called ‘North Point’ which had something like “Christmas Lights”, thus making it a
very “warm” place. For me, it was just a place to spend some
time prior to my dinner reservations at a place called ‘Fore Street’. It looked
similar to the place that I had been to last night – not surprising since I learned
later that they both has the same owner – though the menu was different. It had open kitchen and a lively ambiance and
the food was good. I called an ‘Uber’ and seriously contemplated going
back to ‘Bramhall’ – it was a minute
away from my place – for a nightcap.
Well, more for the “Rice Crispy
Treats” really. But, it had been a
long day and I retired back to my room.
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| I couldn't give this a miss |
The next morning I came down to hand over my keys to David
and he invited me to have breakfast. I
was going on a “Portland Old Port
Culinary Walking Tour” i.e. classy way of saying “food tour”. Due to that, I
wasn’t planning to eat beforehand, but then David told me there were “Baked Eggs with Lobster”, and well so
much for arm twisting. When he meant
lobster, he wasn’t kidding since there were chunks of it in there. I was planning on walking in to the downtown
and since I was to leave for the airport directly from there, was carrying my
backpack with me. It was a hot day, I
mean really hot and thus not conducive to carrying a load while on an extended
walking tour. I was rushing to get to
the meeting stop and in my haste went past the cross street where I was
supposed to turn and then had to rush back.
Did I mention that it was hot!
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| Some fancy dip's at the first stop |
I was meeting my group outside a place called ‘Old Port Wine Shop’ and was the last to
arrive. We had a big group, including a
family with a baby in a carriage. Our
guide introduced himself as a food enthusiast and on a mission to go to all the
restaurants in the city. We started in
the wine shop where he showed us a bottle of “Mead”, which is one of the major products of Maine. Apparently the law prohibits people from
tasting alcohol in a wine shop and so we moved next door to do our actual
tasting. With a baby carriage in our group, it was a
challenge getting it in and out of the stores and would be for the rest of the
tour. Besides the mead, we also tasted “Lobster Mac & Cheese”. Plus we had a variety of “Balsamic Vinegar's” and some flavored salts to try as dips. It was a good start and the best thing about
being in this place was that it was air-conditioned and I could keep my bag
down.
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| The vintage 'Public Market House' |
Our guide was constantly giving us pointers about where to
eat and fully endorsed my dinner selections over the last couple of evenings. He did mention a place called ‘Grace’,
which is a restaurant built inside a church, not unlike ‘Church Brew Works’ in Pittsburgh.
We stopped at a chocolate shop called ‘Dean’s Sweets’ and then proceeded to a place called ‘Public Market House’, which our tour
guide said was the oldest “food court”,
but not the one found in your typical Mall's.
On the way there we walked past several places that I had seen yesterday
as a part of my tour and it was nice to hear his version of those
stories. I also chatted with some of the
members in our group and it was interesting to hear what
had brought everyone to Portland, and to this tour in particular. In fact, a couple from Massachusetts had made
a trek this morning just for this.
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| Those 'Wild Blueberries' were outstanding |
At the ‘Public Market
House’ we went to the second floor, which had a few unique places and we
would be tasting things from 2 of those.
The first one was a soup spot called…wait for it…’Kamasouptra’. Yep, they
went there. They had about 8-10
varieties of soup and we were encouraged to try as many as we liked before
picking the one we would like to have as a cup.
I tried a few and all of them were delicious; something that would be
perfect during the cold Maine winters.
But I went for the good old fashioned “New England Clam Chowder”, because I was in Maine after all. Next on the menu was “Wild Blueberry Sticky Rice”, which was from a place run by 2
sisters who had spent some time in Thailand and had fallen in love with the “Sticky Rice” delicacy. They had returned to open this restaurant and
by all accounts have been successful.
Now, I am not a huge fan of Blueberries by themselves – I don’t mind
them as a part of other products or dishes – but these were different. Much smaller than the typical ones found in a
grocery store, they were sweeter and a perfect addition to this dish.
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| The famous 'Stonewall Kitchen' |
We continued on and I was feeling the heat and the weight of my
bag as we entered the crowded streets.
Our next stop was something that was quite well known amongst purveyors
of fine grocery products – ‘Stonewall
Kitchen’. A business started by 2
friends in Maine to sell “preserves”
and “chutney’s” at Farmer’s Market
has since grown into an empire that comprised of 10 stores on the East Coast as
well as shelf space in ‘Whole Foods’. Entering the store, it felt like a “Gourmet Food Store”, which it was. We tasted their most famous product which
launched all of this, “Wild Maine
Blueberry Jam”, and it was on top of a freshly made Biscuit. This was by far the best thing that had I
tasted today and while the jam by itself was outstanding, along with the
biscuit it reached an elevated status which would be tough to beat. They encouraged us to try other products
throughout the store and while everything was very good, I kept coming back to
that Blueberry Jam.
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| I was supposed to climb that! |
The final stop on the tour was at a “Brewpub” that advertised itself as being “Maine’s Original”. It was
called ‘Gritty’s’ and was just like
any other pub in any other city. We did
try some of their house brews alongside some pub appetizers, and then the tour was
over. It had been good without being
spectacular, though not the most terrible way to learn about the city and its
food scene. I had a few hours before I
had to leave for the airport and despite the heat and my bag, I decided to make
the relatively long trek to the ‘Portland
Observatory’ – and uphill too. I had
heard about this place during my walking tour yesterday and learned about its
unique history, which was an example of entrepreneurship at its finest. Built in early 19th Century, this
was a privately owned “Maritime Signal
Tower”; not a Lighthouse. People
paid a gentleman named Captain Lemuel Moody a subscription fee of $5 to alert
them when their ships were approaching the harbor. The ships couldn’t typically be seen from the
harbor and so via this means of communication the ship owners could prepare
for the arrival of their goods and crews.
I was definitely interested in learning more, not to mention the view from the top.
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| One of the levels inside the 'Portland Observatory' |
I arrived at the Observatory huffing and puffing and the
lady inside said that I could take a tour starting in a few minutes
and which comprised of more climbing! I
seemed to be the only visitor at that time and so would have my own personal
guide. Before we reached the top, there
would be 5 levels and each one had exhibits telling a part of the story regarding
that place. As we went up I asked my
guide how many times she made the trip during the day and she said several. This was steep and kudos to her for doing
that. I have climbed some towers in the
past and most of them lead you on a spiral path before depositing you at the
top. I loved that over here not only
were there levels, but each one was significant. I learned more about the Captain Moody and
how he would sit at the top with his powerful telescope and when he saw an
approaching ship – as far as 30 miles away – he would hoist a flag so as to
inform his subscribers. On one of the
levels I saw the collection of flags and it was brilliant. Of course, once the radio was invented, this
became obsolete. But what an idea.
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| And the gorgeous view from the top |
One of levels told the story of tower over the decades when
it wasn’t being used, till the 80’s, when it became a historic landmark. I saw that in one of the enclosures there was
something that looked like a bug and my guide mentioned that it was a “Powder-Post Beetle”, which I guess is
similar to termites, just bigger. They
discovered this in the woodwork, leading to massive restoration project and
there were photographs of the same.
Finally, it was opened in early 2000’s for tourists and is now over 200
years old. We had reached the top and
the views were stunning. It was a clear
day and I could see across the harbor and also on the other side, where in the
distance were the mountains of New Hampshire. I took some pictures and even sat in the same
place where Captain Moody would have been. I must commend his commitment
since despite the view, it wouldn’t have been comfortable, especially in the
winter.
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| Last stop before leaving - 'Eastern Promenade' |
I came down and proceeded towards something known as the ‘Eastern Promenade’, which was a park on
the waterfront. There was also a beach
over there and it was crowded. It looked
like everyone had come out to be in the sun.
There was also a walkway and a small train track which was headed into
downtown; and I was hoping that I would be able to get on to a street at some
stage. So I set off and after some time
came across ‘Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad
Co & Museum’, which explained the train track. They were also running some sort of a tour on
a train since I saw one pass by with tourists.
I found my exit and came out onto a street which led me to ‘Duckfat’ - as crowded as
before. I contemplated going in and
making it a perfect bookend to this weekend, but called an ‘Uber’ instead and left for the airport. What a town!
I had enjoyed my time here and Portland may actually be my
favorite city in New England now. I can
totally see it overtaking Boston as a destination for youngsters, and pretty soon. As a kid I thought that Maine was a place
where all bad things happened, thanks to Stephen King books. It's anything but.
