Exploring Portland, ME

Jeff and I are making sure we use our weekends to their full potential and our streak of day trips continues. So far this summer, we’ve gone to three different beach towns, did a scavenger hunt in the Back Bay part of Boston, and yesterday we ventured up to Portland, ME. I had never been before, so exploring a new city is always exciting. After stopping for a quick breakfast and some gas, it took us a little less than 2 hours to get up there. A little warning to anyone traveling south of New Hampshire, be prepared to pay $6 in 3 different tolls each way. We were a little surprised with how much it was costing just to get to Portland, but now we know for next time.

On our way!

Not knowing any better, we parked at the first garage we saw. It was $3 an hour so it didn’t seem too horrible. Unsure of how long we’d be there anyway, we were fine with our decision. We walked out onto the street and were greeted by one of the nicest days New England has seen all season. It was the perfect temperature with a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. For a second, I almost thought I was back in California! We perused a few shops and grabbed a grilled muffin and coffee from one of the corner stores. We were sitting down enjoying our second breakfast and looked over to see a sign that said $5 for all day parking. Clearly we got robbed finding a place to leave our car for the day! We decided to head back to the garage and find either metered parking or get to that $5 lot.

No luck.

We couldn’t find anywhere to park under $10 now that we had forfeited our place in the garage. We gave up on main drag and after driving around aimlessly, we finally settled on parking in front of one of the government buildings. We happily paid $2 for 2 hours and it was only after walking passed several expired meters that we noticed it’s free parking on Sundays! Everyone, please learn from our mistakes! If you are in Portland on a Sunday…DO NOT PAY FOR PARKING! I’d much rather spend my money in the shops or at a restaurant then on a place to leave my car.

Anyway, parking aside, we had an amazing time in Portland. We ate at this amazing restaurant called Duckfat that was a quick walk from the Old Port District. I’ve decided that Duckfat was such an awesome meal that it deserved its own post, so see tomorrow for more details. I will leave you with this fries fried in duckfat and lemon zest donut holes with duckfat caramel sauce were some of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

After what was a fattening—but delicious—lunch, we figured we should probably work some of that duckfat off. There is a beautiful park at the edge of Portland that was built with the public in mind, the Eastern Promenade. Free parking lines the street (if you can’t tell, I hate paying for parking) and there are so many different activities you could do. We saw kayakers and paddle boarders, swimmers and bicyclists, even people just lying on the grass enjoying a good book. We took a nice walk along the coastal trail, loving the cool breeze that was coming from the water. We headed back to the car, exhausted after a nice, long day in the sun. After stopping at one of the nicest rest stops we’ve been to—Maine knows how to do things right—we were ready to be home. Until next weekend! 

Day Trip to Rockport

Ever since the Fourth of July, Jeff and I have been taking advantage of New England’s North Shore and heading to the beach on the weekend. Last weekend we went to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, and by recommendation of a coworker, we ventured out to Rockport, MA this weekend. The little town of Rockport was very quaint. After our hour-long drive, we pulled down the main street that was filled with small shops and already a ton of people. We made sure to get there early so we could get a good spot on the beach. While there are parts of the town with metered parking, we were able to find a free spot just up the hill from the Front Beach. We unloaded the car and set up away from the main cluster of people. (After seeing the tide come in around 1, it’s obvious why nobody staked a claim in the area we were at…it was under water by lunch time!) We sunned ourselves for a while and enjoyed the beautiful buildings that were just along the coast. My favorite building of the day is the one pictured below all the way to the right. We could see them setting up a canopy in that huge window and later found it that it was for a wedding. How beautiful!

The view from just behind our chairs at the beach.

While the water was relatively warm, the temperature outside was still a little cool with the sea breeze. The sun was hot though, so we knew it would be a beautiful day. Also, after wearing glasses since high school and just starting to wear contacts more often, I was very happy to wear my first pair of sunglasses. Sure, they were from Marshalls…but it was so nice not to have to squint all day!

By 11:30, we had left the beach to go explore what the town of Rockport had in store for us. Just up the street from the beach is a long row of unique shops. Each building as different as the next. At the end of the street lies the ocean and you can watch all of the boats and kayaks out on the water. We promised ourselves that next time we’ll rent a kayak to go out there on our own.

 We had lunch at a hot dog place called Top Dog. Jeff got the Bad Dog (bacon, cheese, grilled onions) and I got the Purebred (plain with condiments to add). The hot dogs were GREAT! I would definitely go back and get another. Other clever names included the Golden Retriever with mac n cheese or the Boston Terrier with Boston baked beans on it. It might not have been the fanciest place on the block, but it sure was tasty!

Sitting on the edge of the marina overlooking the beach.

After walking around for most of the afternoon, we decided to head back to the beach and cool off. The tide had come up so far that only a small, crowded portion of the beach was left. That didn't really bother us as we dropped our stuff off and headed straight into the “warm” water. It took a couple minutes to get used to, but once we went under, it was heaven. It was so refreshing on such a beautiful day. We really loved Rockport and will be back soon for the kayaks!!