Portland

Can’t wait to go here again! I love the lighthouses.

I visited nearly 6 years ago… and I am really looking forward to coming back and sharing this beautiful place with my husband. Not to mention eating massive amounts of lobster.

If you want to visit a nice seaside city visit Portsmouth, NH. If you want to see the cosmopolitan side of New England visit Boston. I hate to be negative, because Portland does have some positives but in general it’s a small overpaced, graffitied-up, illegal immigrant sanctuary city that’s full of hippies.

I’ve now been to Portland a few times, and I love it. It has a great, artsy vibe and is very dog friendly. I couldn’t believe how many stores allowed me to bring my dog inside. We enjoyed the food, microbrews, unique shops, and walks along the coast. We also enjoyed exploring Peaks Island, a short ferry ride from Portland.

The hotel we stayed in was super. The city was lovely. The only bad thing was the snow, but.. Hey.. that’s okay!! It was a very nice trip. :-) I can’t wait to go back.

I have a suggestion for folks going to Portland. I have been a resident of Portland Maine for a year and a half and have never been treated as poorly as I have at Joes on Congress Street. I never get a “hello” or “have a good night” or anything from this shop. The fact of the matter is, the clerks are not very friendly (there is a tall man I am thinking of in particular). Just today, I was cussed at (with f words among others) for canceling an item that I decided I did not want. The job can be stressful I know, I have done it, but clerks need to handle it with more class than this (my 6 pack was SLAMMED onto the counter after the canceled item)! I would recommend Pauls, 7-11, Hannaford or rite aid (and there are more places to go to) that are all in convenient areas of Portland and can deal with a canceled item with more grace. Do yourself a favor and don’t go to Joes Smoke shop! Otherwise, there are many friendly places here in Portland Maine.

i was sent to portland to assist in teaching a leadership development course for the unitarian universalist association. it was fun, they paid my way including plane tickets, i got paid by the church, then i got to hang out in portland. all i remember is the ridiculously awesome record store and super clean downtown, but this was 5 years ago.

It’s cleaner, the people are nice, and for the most part it’s just better-looking.
Also very many good concert/show venues around town.

I’m a fool for large bodies of water. Especially those at more northerly latitudes. I’m in love with the Pacific Ocean (the Pacific NorthWest of the USofA to be precise), and I’m sweet on Lake Michigan. But I feel like I’ve missed out on the Atlantic.

For me, Portland, ME personifies the part of the Atlantic that I could fall in love with. Not the vain/showy parts of the Atlantic that Florida and the Canary Islands represent. Not the soft and friendly parts of the Atlantic like North Carolina and Portugal. But the reserved, shy part of the Atlantic. The part that just does it’s own thing – “Oh, don’t worry about me, I’m just catching lobsters” – you know what I’m saying?

Also, I feel like Portland, Maine shares a kinship with Portland, Oregon, where I lived for 4 years. In fact [you may not believe this ;) ] Portland, OR is named after Portland, ME.

So, someday I will get to Portland, ME. In my dreams, my arrival to Portland, ME will signal the end of a bike trip that started in Portland, OR two months earlier.

I liked living at the Back Cove. You should live there too.