US - Portland ME
This was my first trip to New England…ever really. While we started our trip in Burlington, which I loved, Portland was the gem of the trip I think. It feels good up here. The people are really nice and the town has some style, all set in a weird Hemmingwayish backdrop. The Exchange Street area (the old port) from our hotel (The Press hotel at the top of the hill) to the wharf at the bottom of the hill has all kinds of shops and restaurants and general walkability. The wharf itself has a ton of seafood restaurants and other things you’d expect.
I guess I just like the authenticity of it all. While other places would have a crab pot sitting around for show, Portland is the real deal, and doesn’t seem to care about doing much for show at all. And there truly are lobster and crab pots everywhere.
The food you get is generally all from the area, without really needing to tell you that it’s all from the area. There’s a pride in that. And it’s not just with the food. Maine is kind of like Scandinavia in that hard winters force you to know how to make everything…and they do.
Portland’s main road is exchange where you can walk from city hall straight down to the wharf. The whole area is called the old port and it’s adorable.
The walk along the wharf area itself is a little meh with large stretches of nothing or warehouses. I would’ve liked some more commercial stuff down there. The rest of our group stayed at the Hyatt place which was nice and at the bottom of the hill, versus us being at the top.
Our most recent trip left a lot to be desired. Pretty much every single person was rude to us, save the awesome guy at Scratch bakery…yeah we went back. The Portland Lobster Company is fast casual and boring and not worth the visit. Eventide is always crushed and you really only have oysters to look forward to. Great if you live in Iowa but kinda meh if you live anywhere near good crustaceans.
Notes to self:
-Some of our family stayed at the Hyatt Place which was closer to the wharf, but that part of town gets a little barren if you are walking along the water the wrong way. Just warehouses and docks.
-We drove north to a charming town called Farmington to visit some family. I know it’s New England but these towns are out of storybooks. Could be a charming American town anywhere.
-On our way to Vermont we stopped at Old Orchard Beach, which we didn’t love and was really just a pier that had waaaayyy too many things on it (a classic long, wide, and open pier this is not), so next we popped down to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire and stayed the night. This place is kind of like Myrtle except with far less stuff. Maybe more like Daytona. Pretty trashy. We got our balcony overlooking the ocean and the kid got to run around and we walked a psuedo boardwalk (it’s really just a dedicated pedestrian part of the street here). We got what we wanted I suppose….though don’t stay at McGuirks. Wow we needed some wine for that night.
-The lobster restaurants all looked about the same. Ours was fine. Kind of like every seafood place you’ve seen on the water anywhere. Crappy might not be fair…but kinda crappy
-Scratch bakery is a must visit if you ask me…but get there early if you want a bagel!
The Press Hotel - Jul 2018
This is a great boutique hotel. It’s got style at every angle. I wish it was little further down the hill but the location is still very central and pretty awesome. I wanted the basic room to be better but they were very accommodating with the upgrade. This hotel should get better press.
Limited room service
Empty mini bar
No ppv
Awesome room, switched up to an executive king
Notes
-Definitely would stay here again but it can easily be the most expensive hotel in Portland…
AC Portland - Jun 2019
The AC is in a fine location as well. It’s pretty business class but it did the job. Walkable to the restaurants we wanted to hit up. Not as cool as The Press for sure.