Portland, Maine

August 19, 2012

2012 Summer vacations were short and sweet. Sweet and delicious like a lobster from Maine, like a fluke tartar or a lobster roll on a Japanese steamed bun.

A big cheers for Portland, its friendly people and quiet days!!!

The view from our hotel.

The waterfront

For the ones that don’t know that much about Portland, Maine, here is a short description by Wikipedia.

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000. With a metro population of over 500,000, the Greater Portland area is home to more than one-third of Maine’s total population.

Tourists visit Portland’s historic Old Port district along Portland Harbor, at the mouth of the Fore River and part of Casco Bay, and the Arts District, which runs along Congress Street in the center of the city. Portland Head Light is located in nearby Cape Elizabeth and marks the entrance to Portland Harbor.

The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, which aligns with the city’s motto, Resurgam, Latin for “I will rise again.” The motto refers to Portland’s recoveries from four devastating fires. The city of Portland, Oregon was named for Portland, Maine.

We arrived by air, in a very convenient flight of 45 minutes from JFK. It was a late flight so we went straight to our Hotel. The next morning we went for coffee and a tasty berry tart at The Standard Baking Company and a nice walk around the Waterfront.

The Standard Baking Company
75 Commercial Street
Portland, ME 04101
207 773 2112

The Sea Bags store.
Sea Bags makes eco-friendly tote bags and products from recycled sails.
25 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101
207 780 0744
Monday-Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm
Saturday 9 am – 5 pm

For lunch, we went to the Portland Lobster Company. We had lobster bisque and a lobster roll along with a glass of chardonnay. I have to say that I was expecting something better for what we paid.

Portland Lobster Company
180 Commercial St
Portland, ME 04101
207 775 2112

After lunch, we went to the Portland Museum of Art, where we saw a very interesting collection. Photos were not allowed on most of the galleries but we had the opportunity to visit the McLellan House, a preeminent example of Federal architecture, it was designed by John Kimball, Sr., one of Portland’s most highly regarded housewrights, for shipping tycoon Major Hugh McLellan.[br]