Maine, to be exact.
A sunny winter’s day was spent wandering the Old Port district in Portland, culminating in an informative visit to Shipyard Brewing Company, Maine’s largest craft brewer.
We enjoyed pastries and espresso in a coffee house the size of a closet, perched atop one of Portland’s hills in an ordinary neighborhood, and relished conversation that would be considered inflammatory to the point of “Communist” in the less sophisticated lexicons of Sodrel Land.
Lunch at Gritty McDuff’s, Portland’s original brewpub, included fresh clam chowder and excellent English-style bitter.
Browsing at the independent bookseller Books, Etc. took longer than expected because Radiohead's masterful “OK Computer” was playing on the sound system. An investment in travel futures was made with the purchase of a book on bicycling in Maine.
More coffee shook away afternoon cobwebs, followed by a harbor walk that revealed wharves alternating between spanking new condominiums and venerable warehouses.
Plenty of snow remains from last week’s latest winter storm, but the streets and sidewalks are clean and filled with people. Barrels of sand are situated near slopes, providing pedestrians with self-help traction.
Our Shipyard brewer/tour guide was hip and Carry-out, barely comprehensible Thai from the Vientiane Grocery sufficed well for dinner.
From lighthouses to lobster boats to snowmobiles, and from the Shed Happens builder’s headquarters to Condom Sense, there are all the things new and unique that makes travel such an enriching experience.
Fresh Portland salt air in – stressed New Albanian air out.
Repeat … with ubiquitous craft beer.
City of Portland, Maine
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3 comments:
I hope your would be eating Alaskan lobster. The north atlantic is so polluted that lobsters are now being infected with Vibrio bacteria. Usually found in clams and oysters.
Happy eating ;-}
All your good wishes are appreciated.
Lobster happens tonight or not at all. I'm meeting an old friend who's been living in Maine for a decade, and doing so at one of the best beer bars in America, the Great Lost Bear. The Bear's kitchen is reputedly wonderful, so we'll see what happens.
Tim, can you explain the principle behind the conservation easements?
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