Portland Maine

If your local, than most likely you already know this. If your from out of town you definitely need to know this. Maples makes the best ice cream in the city, if not the whole east coast. So they call it gelato, it’s still ice cream to me and it’s likely the best ice cream you’ll ever taste. You’d never believe it but it’s even low in fat (that’s the gelato part).Many of us were saddened last fall when Maples moved their retail shop to Portland’s Old Port. Sure they’d have more business there but it wasn’t as convenient for those of us wanting to pick up a pint on our way home from work. For the summer at least the 796 Forest Ave is open for walk-in business. You can still find them at 151 Middle St for the ice cream cafe experience. Their web site http://www.maplesorganics.com is under construction but will be finished soon. Run, don’t walk to either Maples location and enjoy a wonderfully delicious cone or cup.

Tues 7/1
The Lenny Breau Project @ One Longfellow Sq.

A tribute to the music of guitar legend Lenny Breau featuring former collaborator Steve Grover and friends Brad Terry, Tony Gaboury, Bob Thompson, and Fitz Jenkins. ($5/$3 students & seniors, 8pm)

Wed 7/2
Rupa & the April Fishes @ One Longfellow Sq.

While the music of Rupa & the April Fishes defies categorization, their intimate sound and broad appeal has earned them comparisons to Manu Chao, Pink Martini & Lhasa to Beirut, Dengue Fever, Gogol Bordello and Keren Ann. ($10 adv/$12 door, 8pm)

Thurs 7/3
Malinky @ One Longfellow Sq.

Ranked among today’s foremost young exponents of Scottish song, Malinky combine an array of vocal talent with a highly distinctive instrumental palette. ($10 adv/$12 door, 8pm)

Thurs 7/3
First Friday Art Walk @ Downtown Portland

A free self-guided tour of local art galleries, art studios, museums, and alternative art venues on the First Friday of every month from 5-8 pm. Experience great fine art and get snacks and wine to boot. Get a schedule and map here

Fri 7/4
Water Music: The American Wind Symphony Orchestra @ Portland Yacht Services off the Eastern Prom

Experience live classical music performed from a self contained concert shell on a converted barge. Check out the WSO’s story here (7:30 pm)

FRI 7/4
Annual 4^th of July Festival @ The Eastern Prom

Bring the family, chairs and blankets, and enjoy the fireworks display at the Eastern Prom. Fireworks start after dusk. Food vendors on site. Please park off Munjoy Hill and walk up. Please leave pets at home.

Sat 7/6
Arts and Cultural Fest Fund raiser for the new city skatepark @ Lincoln Park (between Federal Street and Congress St in front of the courthouse)

Enjoy live music, food and drink, skateboard demonstrations, and local art exhibits (12-6pm)

TUES 6.24.2008
One Longfellow Square
Portland Jazz Orchestra
8:00 pm
Maine’s premier concert Jazz ensemble, featuring a big band sound under the direction of Chris Oberholtzer.

WEDS 6.25.2008
The Space Gallery
Gallery Opening: Patrick Corrigan
5:00 - 8:00pm, free, all ages
Artist Patrick Corrigan is a local renaissance man, working out of his Bayside studio Fort Awesome on a variety of music projects, paintings, mixed media pieces, silk-screened prints, illustrations and hand-painted custom guitar pedals. Patrick’s art is compelling, playful, and delightfully bizarre.

WEDS 6.25/26.2008
One Longfellow Square
The Golem w/ Tipton Chamber Players
8:00 pm
Enjoy a screening of the 1920 horror classic, The Golem, accompanied by an original score composed by Mark Tipton and performed by the Tipton Chamber Players

THURS 6.25/26/27.2008
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Grounds
The Greek Heritage Festival
11AM-10PM

This spectacular three-day Greek Festival is a wonderful family event that each year draws more than 10,000 visitors from around the greater Portland area. Along with the exquisite Greek cuisine, there will be live music and traditional dancing.

Picture taken a few days back when the sun had emerged after a period of rain and cloudiness.

So you are visiting Portland and the one day you have in town it’s pouring rain. Fortunately, there are a ton of fun things to do spending time inside. This list is in no particular order.

#1 The Portland Museum of Art: You can easily blow a few hours in Maine’s largest art museum. This great museum features everything from realism to cubism, paintings, sculpture and photographs from local artists and the from the masters. Currently the main exhibit features 60 photographs of Georgia O’Keeffe and 18 works by the artist. The exhibit will address the relationship between her art and photographs made of her over the course of a long career. Not only is the art great, but you can grab lunch in the cafe.

#2 The Victoria Mansion: Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse-Libby House, is the finest example of residential design from the pre-Civil War era in America. With superb architecture and well-preserved original interiors that were among the most lavish and sophisticated in their day, it is an unparalleled document of America’s highest aspirations in architecture, interior design, and the decorative arts. Basically, check this place out and prepare to have your jaws drop at the antique coolness of high design of the 1850’s. 99% of the original furnished dwellings from this era are now strip malls or Walmarts. Cool in the summer, ultra cool in the winter when it is decorated in authentic Victorian splendor.

#3 The Wadsworth Longfellow House: Within its walls lived three generations of one remarkable family that made significant contributions to the political, literary, and cultural life of New England and the United States. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, grew up in the house and went on to become one of the most famous men of his time. More austere than the Victoria Mansion, but no less impressive. The oldest standing structure on the Portland Peninsula and the first brick building in Maine.

#4 The Patriot Cinemas Nickelodeon: Sometimes mindless escapism is exactly what the doctor ordered. Here you can view six screens of Hollywood’s latest and greatest. If your feeling more highbrow you can the latest foreign and independent films at The Movies on Exchange St.

#5 The Portland Public Library: When all else fails, nothing can suck up some free time like a library. Surf the net, read a magazine, watch a dvd, get some summer reading done, check out the fabulous collection of antique maps and more. NOTE: the library will be closed for two weeks from June 30th to July 15th for some sort of system upgrade.

#6 The Four Seasons Flea Market: Located off rte. 302 at Pride’s Corner in Westbrook, the Four Seasons Flea Market is the only remaining indoor flea market in the Greater Portland area. Open Sat and Sun 8am until 3:30 pm. There you can find all sorts of goodies including antiques, books, collectibles, coins, sports cards, records, video games and more!

#7 The Maine Mall: If all else fails, there is southern Maine’s largest indoor shopping experience, The Maine Mall. Located in South Portland, the mall offers free parking and acres of shopping pleasure under one roof.

Where the Presumscot River crosses route 302 at the Portland-Westbrook line, lies a small jewel of a wooded park. Walking paths criss-cross the property. Looking at it today one can scarcely imagine the bustling developed vacation trolley park the area was 100 years ago. Fortunately, history has left us photos and postcards of a time long gone. Riverton Park opened for business in the summer of 1896. The park was owned and operated by the Portland Street Railroad Company and consisted of about 40 acres on the banks of the Presumpscot River. The thing that bought the city people to the park in droves was the Casino. This significant building featured parlors, a dining hall, a reception room as well as smoking, reading, and game rooms. In the game rooms, visitors played chess, checkers and dominos. The park also featured a zoo, a boat launch, pony rides, and open air theater and more. The trolley park was a popular destination until it closed in 1930, a victim of both a series of fires and the economic collapse.

Maine’s Spring and early Summer are usually notoriously wet. Every low pressure front from the northern hemisphere usually shows up our doorstep from March till late June. This year, however, has been very dry. Of course we’ve been loving it and the early tourists have been happy. Today has been the first fully rainy day in at least a month and a half. The fire danger has been very high, so a day or two of rain is just fine. Portland is Maine’s largest and most metropolitan city. You don’t have to travel very far though to get back to nature. My Dad lives in Gray, a rural Portland suburb about 14 miles northwest of the city. It’s snapping turtle laying season and these prehistoric behemoths (up to 70lbs of turtle) come crawling out of the swamps to lay their eggs.

No summer in Maine would be complete with catching a game or three at Portland’s Hadlock Field to see the Sea Dog’s compete for another title. Hadlock field is small and intimate, not a bad seat in the house. With seats starting at $4 it’s easy on the wallet as well. Being the AAA Boston Red Sox affiliate means you’ll never know who you might see. For seats and schedule see www.portlandseadogs.com

Thanks to Jenn Gerow for the nice pic!

The rain stayed away on Sunday, but the crowds didn’t. Portland’s 35th annual Old Port Festival, Maine’s largest one-day event, was a great success. People flocked to Portland’s Old Port by the thousands to enjoy a days worth of live music, parades and great food.

Outside the Porthole Restaurant at the Custom House Wharf