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Valentine Bandit’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day in Portland, Maine, or as we refer to it, Valentine Bandit’s Day.   Every 14th of February the city wakes up to our downtown festooned in red hearts.  Who does it?  Where do they all come from?  Who has that much tape?  Somebody knows – multiple people know because there are 1000s of…

The Longfellow Connection

You might be a poet and not even know it.  Look at your feet.  Are they long fellows? Longfellow, the poet, is no stranger to Portland, Maine.  He was born here in 1805, in room 346 of the Residence Inn on Fore Street.  Well, okay maybe not, but the Longfellow home was where the Residence…

Looking Back Through Time: Around Portland Nearly a Century Ago

In 1923 voters of Portland approved a new city charter. As part of this change in the city’s form of government, a tax reassessment was completed in 1924. For this reassessment, every taxable property in the city was documented and photographed. The 1924 Tax Records Digitization Project is a collaboration between the City of Portland,…

A Glimpse of Portland’s Past Hidden in Plain Sight

As you stroll past The Works Cafe and Temple Street Parking Garage on your way to the Nickelodeon Cinemas to take in another round of the Barbie movie, you may not notice an intriguing stone object lying nearby amidst a small patch of greenery. Here lies the Face of Mirth; a lone remnant of the…

The Fat Happy Seals of Portland Maine

Courtesy of Natural Resources Council of Maine   I have wondered from time to time, as I sat on the deck of Luke’s Lobster at the end of the Portland Pier, if the seals know how good the food is here?  Has somebody told them?  Is that why they’re here?  Do they read restaurant reviews? …

Of Ghosts, Boots, Stuff and Canvas Bags

I’m afraid of ghosts but I like to think that if I was a ghost, I would not be afraid of boots. This a picture of a boot that a coworker of mine found in her wall during a renovation here in Portland. Apparently, there is an old superstition (18th, 19th century, maybe older) that…

The Great Fire: How Hot Was It In There?

On July 4, 1866, Portland, Maine experiences the biggest urban fire in America to date.  Almost 2,000 buildings go to the ground and 10,000 people lose their homes in the space of a day. There’s nothing like it in America until the Great Chicago Fire which will come seven years later. The Portland Fire is…

Portland from the Rooftops

There is a story about the roof of the old Eastland Hotel (now the Westin) in Portland, Maine. The Eastland has a lot of stories connected to it. When it was built in 1927 it was one of the most elegant, and the biggest hotels in New England north of Boston. Charles Lindberg, fresh from…

Birdwatching in Portland, Maine

Here’s a universal rule of life. If your diet consists of garbage and discarded smelly fish, you’re going to develop self image problems later on in life. Pity the seagull!  Here’s one I recently spotted down by the Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal in Portland coaxing the last drops out of a nips bottle. For…

The Ghost Signs of Portland, Maine

This is not a spooky subject. To prove it, here’s a ghost sign, a recent example, that is fun!  It’s the old Brian Boru sign on Center Street, closed 2018. Ghost signs are painted commercial signs of businesses that are lost and gone, usually much older than my first example. At the turn of the…

5 Great Places for Adult Beverages in Portland, Maine

There’s a  wide variety in Portland, Maine!  Try these 5 Great Places for Adult Beverages when in town.  Portland, Maine – a perfect destination for a quick weekend getaway, a week by our beaches or even a lifetime (we won’t tell your boss).  With so many choices, you can find a speakeasy, charming cocktail spot,…

One Local’s Opinion of the Top 5 Breweries in Portland, Maine. Written by Nicole Brackett.

Portland, Maine has become the best city in the country for craft beer in quality and quantity. Our food and beer scene is truly award-winning. As a beer-slinging, IPA-obsessed local I know it can be overwhelming to navigate our vast brewery scene, so I am here to help! It has been a long journey for…