Essentially a foodie pilgrimage, I spent three days and two
nights in Portland, Maine, (destroying my diet) being a fat kid.
Deciding to forego a typical Cape Cod Labor Day Weekend, we headed
up to Maine where our money could be spent on dietary delights that were Food
Network worthy. A basket of overpriced, indistinguishable fried food and melty
soft serve versus co-op harvested vegetables, grilled and pressed on locally
made artisan bread?
Welcome to Vacation Land.
Here is my mini-Maine guide to Portland.
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| Honestly, I was too busy eating to make out |
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| Hotwire.com offers mystery-esc deals |
Hotels
Our hotel was a mystery until we clicked "buy", but Hotwire.com helped us score a place for $87/night, no more
than ten minutes from downtown Portland. Yes, it would have been killer to be
in the central of everything, a la The Regency Portland, but at almost $300 a
night, I find it hard to admit I’d be saving $1,000 in order to spend a weekend
in Maine.
Parking
Bring quarters! Like Boston, Portland has meter parking as
far as the eye can see.
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| Lots of fun and you'll probably be the cutest girl playing (Coast City Comics) |
Entertainment
Moody Lords (records
/ retail)
578 Congress Street
Portland, ME
578 Congress Street
Portland, ME
One part Looney Tunes,
one part Garment District, a small second floor shop that peddles vintage
records and clothing that were admittedly under priced.
Coast City Comics (comics
/ pinball)
634 Congres Street
Portland, ME
634 Congres Street
Portland, ME
Yet another reason to bring a fist full of quarters.
Business in the front, party in the back, this nerdtastic storefront houses a
surprising amount of pinball machines at the tail end of it’s location. If you were wondering, I dominated in the Monster Mash game.
Wicked Walking Tours
www.wickedwalkingtours.com
www.wickedwalkingtours.com
The ominous Old Port buildings and cobblestone paths led to creepy
stories of strange encounters and eerie sightings during this hour walking tour.
For $16 per adult, the Wicked Walking Tours is certainly a good deal if you’re a
history buff / ghost story enthusiast.
Tip! If you’re going on the night tour and thinking
food afterwards, plan ahead since a lot of establishments close early in
Portland and you don’t want to end up walking a mile like we did. Also, don’t
be ashamed if you’re glancing behind you while walking back to your car at the
end of the night…I did it about 100 times. What
else can I tell you guys?
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| Sir Perry Pear Cider, if you're a wine drinker, you'll love it (Duck Fat) |
Restaurants
Huge portions. Probably one of the best turkey sandwiches I have ever had. It was heartbreaking to throw out the other half when we realized our hotel didn't have a fridge.
If you're in Portland, you need to eat at Duck Fat. The wait (and there will be one) is worth it. Six different dipping sauces for french fries that are fried in duck fat, great beer and wine list, mouthwatering paninis...oh God, why did I leave Portland?!?
On a scale of 1 to 5, how hot do you want your food? Because your waiter will ask you, and don't showboat like I did, 4 is spicy! Delicious Thai food, modern atmosphere, and one of the few places we noticed was open until midnight.
At first glance, Mesa Verde appears to be a no frills Mexican joint that is thankfully open past 10pm, but this place has sweet potato empanadas! Foodie Redemption!
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