Maine Part 2… Portland. One Year On The Boat.
Arriving into the Portland Harbor was beautiful. We passed Cape Elizabeth lighthouse, Portland Head Light, Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Peaks Island, Long Island while approaching the city. The Old Port is a working city with fishing boats, lobster boats and renovated warehouses for restaurants and shopping. The city has become a food mecca. You can find high end culinary with a laid back feel. Here are a few suggestions: Twelve, Porthole Bar and Restaurant, Butcher Burger, Eventide Oyster Co., Izakaya Minato, DiMillo’s, restaurant Holy Donuts are a few. There was one breakfast place with a garage door that I can’t seemed to find a name for. But the food was delicious and they also had a bit of shopping available like books, bags, small home decor pieces and more.
We were a bit familiar with Portland due to our family vacation in 2023. Some of the restaurants I named above are from that time. Our kids love to eat out and eat well. So they picked the oyster place and the Japanese restaurants. And, of course, Holy Donut’s!! We couldn’t complain about any of them.
From Portland you can experience a few excursions. Some took a whaling tour. Which was successful, they saw whales. You can take the Casco Bay Lines to Peaks Island. My husband and I did it. The ride is short. We rented a golf cart and toured the island. It’s a charming and rustic island. We stopped along the way to enjoy the scenery. It was quite beautiful. We finished off at the Cockeyed Gull for lunch while we waited for our ferry ride back.
This year we took our E-bikes over to the Portland Head Lighthouse. OK, to be honest, the ride was not that great. The city has not made it bike friendly. There is a safe area to cross over the Casco Bay Bridge but before or after you are basically on the main street which has lots of pot holes, cracks, and dirt & sand. And a big portion of the roads had construction going on. BUT, the lighthouse was amazing. The landscaping around it was magnificent. It was worth the going.
Portland has some decent shopping. Blanche & Mimi, Bliss and swag boutiques are just a few. They have a Whole Foods, a Food Co-op, post office, drug store, a few galleries, and a large venues for music and theatre. Walking along the Old Port you will hear live music playing from many restaurants and bars. It has a great vibe.
Last, our marina. DiMillo’s Marina. The staff is professional, helpful, and kind. They have everything you may need in a marina. The location is perfect. You can walk to anything. Even the Casco Bay Ferry is right next to it. We felt good leaving the boat there for a few days to sneak home to see our grand baby.
We had a great time and looking forward to stopping by there again.