Like the back of my hand: Portland, Maine

I'm just planning a July 4th getaway at the moment and it's bringing back wonderful memories of the  trip my boyfriend and I took to Portland, Maine last year. We whizzed up in the car - it took us about 5 hours from NYC in total - taking in all the scenery along the way and listening to one of my favorite records of 2010, The National - High Violet.

The Pomegranate Inn, living room

We stayed at The Pomegranate Inn in the Western Promenade neighborhood of the town. The Inn was so adorable and beautifully decorated with antique furniture and art by local artists.  We stayed in Room 7 in the Carriage House which had its own private terrace - it was the perfect place to relax after long days of exploring. The area itself is lovely - I partly felt like I was in Hampstead, London, and partly like I was in Savannah, Georgia! 

Coffee by Design

We ate a LOT but here are the standouts. Fore Street in the Old Port, was where we had dinner on our first night. The space (nestled above the Standard Baking Co.) is industrial-looking with exposed brick and concrete floors, but it is welcoming and warm - the focal point of the restaurant is the hearth. The food was incredible! Like a lot of Portland restaurants, the ingredients are sourced from local farmers, fishermen and suppliers - I had the turnspit roasted pork loin, not knowing it was one of their classics but soon understanding why! We fell in love with Coffee by Design after popping into the India Street location (East Bayside seems to be the Brooklyn of Portland!) where I had the best ice coffee ever. We still order their coffee beans to be delivered to us in NYC!  Of course you can't go to Maine without having lobster...  we went to Portland Lobster Co. in the Old Port right on the water and had DEEElicious steamers and lobsters washed down with local Allagash beer.  We also had a great brunch at a Portland classic, Bintliff's.

July 4th Fireworks

It sounds like all we did was eat (which isn't far off!) but we did take in the July 4th fireworks on the Eastern Promenade - the Portland Symphony Orchestra provided the sonic backdrop - which was spectacular.  In pursuit of culture, I dragged my boyfriend to the Portland Museum of Art which had a fantastic exhibition of American Moderns. And I was very proud of myself for finding the coolest fashion boutique in Portland: Black Parrot which had an excellent collection of clothes and home stuff.

Very sad to leave this lovely town, we took a detour and stopped off in idyllic Ogunquit where a lot of my new 'friends' from the American Moderns had lived and worked.  We had yummy lobster rolls at MC Perkins Cove and continued on our merry way home listening to a classic record, The Cure - Disintegration, and thinking that bands never make song intros that long any more!