Motorboy and I are travelling to Portland ME for Labor Day weekend.
We’re taking the train up, so will be carless & on foot.
We’re staying at the Holiday Inn on Spring St, which is either in Old Port or a very short walk therefrom, I’m not sure which.
So, what’s neato to do in Portland?
We like boats, so we thought maybe a little cruise to the harbor islands (they’ve got those, right?).
We also like pubs, coffee and semi-fine dining. As in we like fancy food, and don’t mind paying for it, but we don’t really dig getting dressed up for it.
Khakis, OK; sequined evening gowns, not OK.
We also like art, history, museums, cool buildings, local wines and GOOD BEER. Real ale if there’s any to be had.
For nightlife we prefer mellow pubs over fashionable clubs, and are usually ready to call it a night by 11pm or so.
You might want to check out John Hiatt and Shawn Colvin at the Merrill Auditorium if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s a nice venue, and you might just go there to see the Kotzschmar Organ.
Another homey pub with live music that’s fairly low-key is Bull Feeney’s.
If you’d like a nice walk with ocean views, I suggest trudging up over Munjoy Hill to the Eastern Promenade
It’s too bad you are on foot. If you could rent a car I’d recommend going a little further norht to Freeport. Where the LL Bean headquarters is and the best pubs around! The James Place Innn Ohhhhh I’m salivating thinking about the micro brew from there! There is always touring the islands and the dinner cruises. You’ll love the area… it’s very quaint.
Meh. I’m no fan of Freeport, I’m afraid, esp. at this time of the year, when the back-to-school hordes will inundate the place for all the sales. Bean’s was a novelty as of about thirty years ago, but now it’s just a big store like any other big store that sells clothes and outdoor gear. The pubs and restaurants are OK, but I can’t see them being worth renting a car and fighting the outlet mob to dine at.
The PPL’s pretty nice, but they’ve lost a lot of their more interesting vendors. The cheese people are still there, though, and they have an excellent selection and a great staff.
For fine dining, you should try Fore Street. It’s been favorably compared to Chez Panisse, and you’re not expected to dress up. Street & Company and Back Bay Grill are also very good. For a cheaper and more casual dinner, you might want to try Portland Flatbread: it’s organic wood oven pizza with a fun atmosphere.
The Portland Museum of Art is the only fine art museum of note. It’s worth checking out, but don’t expect it to be on par with Boston’s better offerings.
Aucocisco is gallery close to the PMA, which often has excellent shows.
There’s a wine bar near the Public Market called Meritage which is kind of nice if that’s your thing: black leather furniture, pretentious wine talk, sometimes ambient djs, but interesting wines and people who are happy to tell you about them.
Becky’s Diner on Commercial Street is an institution where you’ll see an interesting cross section of Portland’s residents.
Good sushi can be had at Sapporo and Ben-Kay.
And I’d echo Loopydude in saying skip Freeport unless you desperately want to shop.
At one point, Street & Co. and Fore Street were owned by the same people. Both are very good, each with its own atmosphere and menu selections. Street & Co. offers outside (“sidewalk”) dining too, which is very nice if the restaurant is too crowded for your tastes.
If you decide to head over to Freeport, I suggest trying the Corsican (Italian) or the Jameson Tavern.
I don’t know how much shopping you plan to do, but you should try to find Portmanteau in the Old Port if you’re in need of purses or tote bags. Also, local artist R.N. Cohen used to have a shop in the Old Port; he moved to a larger store, but I think he’s still in Portland.
Another vote for this place. I discovered it years ago and it is still my favorite place to eat in Freeport. It used to be relatively cheap too, haven’t checked it out lately.
There is a park on a headland overlooking the bay in South Portland, I believe its called Portland Head light, thats very nice. I spent a day there in July with some friends. Nice place for a walk, picnic and enjoy the ocean.
Enjoy, Maine this time of the year is the best, ( well its always the best). We will be heading back sometime in October. And maybe again in November.
I’ve never been to Maine, but I’ve always wanted to travel along the coast. It seems pretty cool, at least from the photos. Also, I’d like to drop by the town of Cutler, in the Northeast. That was the residence of the late Irvine Millgate, not exactly a household name, but he was the writer of one of the most memorable classic movies in history—“The Blob!” I just have this (almost certainly wrong) image of “Welcome to Cutler” signs with some amorphous amoebic type critter welcoming tourists.
Thanks to everyone who has chimed in with suggestions & opinions.
You’ve given me many ideas of things to do, and made me realize there won’t be enough meals to try all the restaurants I find appealing.
And thanks to Czarcasm for fixing my typo.
We definitely won’t be making it to Freeport this time, but I do like LLBean stuff, so someday!