New2Maine.com

Portland, Maine is a busy place, especially for a city of just over 65,000 people. From the bars and restaurants to the theatre and art scene, it seems there’s hardly a dull moment. She and I have just begun to scratch the surface of what’s going on around here, but I thought it might be a good idea to share with you where we come up with some of the ideas for our “date nights.” Having decided that Old Port is more of a fair weather destination (wandering half-drunk down brick streets in the cold isn’t as much fun as doing it in shorts and sandals), we’ve begun to look for indoor (i.e. heated) things to do.

I’ve already blogged about the hockey game and some of the restaurants we’ve tried. For other ideas, we have come to rely on two main sources: MaineToday.com and The Phoenix. MaineToday.com’s Entertainment Calendar contains myriad listings for all sorts of events and happenings in and around southern Maine. The Phoenix, a weekly free newspaper, also contains many of the same event listings, and some interesting local flavor pieces to boot (please note that The Phoenix is not exactly kid-friendly, so watch where you leave it laying about).

So, if you’re looking for something to do in Portland that doesn’t involve the typical dinner and drinks in Old Port (which is great, don’t get me wrong), take a look at what MaineToday.com and The Phoenix have to offer. Of course, if you’re hungry before or after, you can’t go wrong with one of the many fine eateries in Portland.

DSC_0184, originally uploaded by ldrypolcher.

A cool picture of the Cape Neddick Lighthouse, all lit up for Christmas.

turning point, originally uploaded by Ed Karjala.

Here is another image of Portland Head Light from a much farther vantage point. This is at dusk, and the light is shining. Simply gorgeous.

As announced previously, She and I ate at Fore Street last Friday (the 16th, my birthday) for our shared birthday dinner (Her birthday is the 17th). We were quite excited at the thought of finally sampling some of the food we’d heard such good things about. For those who’ve tried parking on Commercial St. on a Friday evening, Fore Street has its own small lot in front of the restaurant. Go down Franklin Arterial to Commercial, and it’s about a half block up on your right. No guarantees you’ll get a spot during the summer though! We arrived just before our 7:30 PM reservation and were seated quite promptly. On our table was a birthday card from the staff at Fore Street, a nice touch.

The restaurant itself was much more casual that we’d assumed. The wait staff wears jeans and white button-down shirts (as do many of the wait staffs at restaurants in Portland), and the kitchen is open so that diners can see them preparing their dinners. We were expecting a bit more of a fine-dining atmosphere, but the casual environment was not off-putting. The waitress was very prompt in arriving and taking our drink and meal orders. We received our bread and drinks shortly thereafter and chatted and watched the kitchen work. I had a Freeport Brewing Brown Hound Brown Ale (excellent), and She had a glass of pinot noir (also quite nice).
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It is snowing this morning in Portland. As far as I can tell, this is the first snow fall of the season. None of it is sticking yet, and with an air temp in the mid-30s, I doubt it will. Still, this is the earliest I can remember seeing snow in several years (of course, this is also the first winter that She and I have lived in Maine). We’re traveling to see my family in Connecticut for Thanksgiving, so I hope the weather holds out until we get there and back. For anyone traveling for the holiday, you have my prayers for a safe trip. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Update: It’s just after noon now, and the snow has lightened up a bit, but is still coming down. It’s barely starting to stick too. The streets and sidewalks are still just wet, but the lawns are starting to turn white.