Fifty-Four Hours in Portland, ME


Just Before Our Landing

Interspersed among our photo essays on Tanzania and Germany, I though I'd provide a quick update on our impressions of Portland, ME. One of the friendliest cities I've ever visited, it actually lived up to all the hype provided by the the West Village Roomies (who got married!). Highlights of our visit:

- A meal of lobsters, oysters, and clams at the locally beloved J's Oyster - It doesn't get any better than this. We were really hungry when we found this hole in the wall that a store clerk recommended (we spent the late afternoon on our first day wandering the eclectic stores of the "Old Port"). So while we waited for a table along the Bay, we sat down at the bar where we enjoyed oysters, beer, and conversations with the locals (seriously!).
Dinner outside consisted of more seafood (the aforementioned lobster with clams on the side) followed by more drinks with the former Roomies at a pre-wedding gathering down the street.

- Outletville - Mom would be proud. Despite a childhood spent arguing against stops at any outlet malls (any such breaks on a family road trip could only mean hours of boredom while Mom and Sister shopped) Wabes and I headed to Freeport, where we visited the mammoth L.L. Bean Store and even poked around in a few of the other outlet stores (I did need a black belt for the wedding since I forgot to pack one...)

- Lighthouses in the rain - The remains of Tropical Storm Ernesto hit New England on Sunday afternoon, just as we headed out to see the lighthouses south of the city. So instead of sunny scenery, we captured quintessential photos of waves crashing into Maine's rocky shores next to the likes of the Portland Head Light. Wouldn't have it any other way (well, maybe a little less wind so that our umbrella was a little more effective). It provided the proper scenery for stoic shots in my new Navy overcoat (purchased on the cheap at one of the aforementioned stores of Old Portland).

- Watching the Roomies wed. One would think it rare to attend a wedding in which two of one's roommates marry each other. Yet this is my second. I'm totally on a roll...