A weekend up in Portland

For our anniversary this weekend, we headed up to Portland, Maine with Dave and Kelli. With gas prices what they are, Tom quickly discovered in the planning process that taking the Downeaster train was the way to go: $45 round trip per person, only a few minutes longer than driving. Sure beats $70/tank for our 4Runner!

We arrived in Portland on Friday and had lunch at a great seafood restaurant on the waterfront -- the kind that is tucked in next to the big touristy seafood restaurant and is the one where the locals seem to go. We checked into the Portland Harbor Hotel mid-afternoon, then headed out in the evening to see the Portland Sea Dogs take on the Harrisburg Senators. Minor league games are the best -- up-and-coming stars (Beckett, Buckholtz, and Ellsbury all played here, and even Ortiz spent some time here a few weeks ago on rehab), cheap prices for great seats, and quality entertainment by the various mascots (Slugger the SeaDog and the TrashMonsters...sounds like a Sesame Street Band).

Saturday we had brunch at the hotel, then headed down to the harbor for a tour of the lighthouses in Portland Harbor. The fog was pea-soup thick in some areas, bright and sunny in others. We saw equal amounts (few!) of lighthouses and seals, and were entertained throughout the ride by a very peculiar couple who were....several sandwiches shy of a picnic?

Back in Portland, we poked around and shopped for a bit (I made my annual stop at Lovell Designs), making our way across town to a restaurant that Tom had been talking about for months: DuckFat. And yes, never fear, he was right on the money. Who wouldn't like french fries cooked in duckfat and delicious paninis? We found a very neat culinary bookstore just around the corner from it -- the selection was incredible, but we couldn't help poking around and thinking how we might get a better deal online. Must be so difficult in this day to be an independent bookseller.

Saturday night, we went for round 2 of Tom's incredible culinary tour and had dinner at Cinque Terre, which was awesome. The boys befriended a wonderful gentleman at the bar who surprised us later on by sending a bottle of champagne up to our dinner table. Food was great, wine was great...I was full and buzzed by the end! Dancing followed at a local club, but I can't say I remember much there!

Sunday morning we lazed around, then headed across town to a restaurant recommended by one of Tom's managers, Caiolas. More awesome food and a real off-the-beaten path find! Tom, in fact, is still talking about his burger. We decided to walk back to the hotel and burn off some of the calories we "collected" throughout the weekend. Beautiful afternoon, followed by a very quiet (zzzzzzzzz.......) ride back on the train.

Love the city of Portland -- great restaurants, very walkable, some good shopping (can be a little hit or miss, depending on whether you pick the right shops). This is the second time we've spent a weekend there and will definitely go back.