Exploring Portland, Maine

All of us in the milesopedia community share a love of travel and look for chances to do it. That’s what brings us together.
Sometimes our getaways last a few days close to home, sometimes longer and farther when we splurge, and sometimes (oh, the dream) they go all the way to a Mini Round-the-World trip or that famous “Al Maha”. Whether we fly or not, camp, stay in a hotel, in a home swap or in an Airbnb rental (free or almost free with our points…), we travel.
We go solo, as a couple, with family or with friends, but we go. Let’s hit the road!
So I spent six days with my daughter in July, this time in Portland, Maine.

Fresh from California, where she lives with her husband, my daughter had – through her company ‘Cause We Can Events – an event-planning contract for a wedding in Portland.

We used my car, a five-and-a-half-hour drive through the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
We had several opportunities to stop for a walk or like hundreds of locals parked along Highway 3, for a free swim in the Connecticut River. Six days that were focused all at once:
- on the job, since I was becoming her assistant for the wedding preparations,
- on the pleasure of discovering Portland, especially during the American Independence Day celebrations on July 4, and also
- on trying a Marriott hotel for the first time, the Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Waterfront, since getting my Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®
Three firsts, then.

The wedding
The bride and groom were beautiful. The scene was idyllic with the lighthouse of the “Bug light Park” and the boats sailing there in the background.

Equally beautiful is their reception in a rustic concert hall nearby, “The Vinegar Hill” under the Disney theme. The bride and groom are finished fans.

So much for the wedding report.
Visiting Portland, Maine
Portland is a city of 60,000 inhabitants that lives first from tourism. The waterfront is easily accessible thanks to a lively harbour.

The tourist office is located there and both sea and land excursions leave there.
The Eastern and Western walks allow you to walk this seaside pleasantly. The second leads to the park of the same name where several summer shows and festivities take place.
Finally, the shops and restaurants staying in former warehouses on and around the commercial street are inviting.

Portland is also an active fishing port, and early risers can watch the fishing boats head out in the morning.
Sorry, I didn’t manage it.
There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy good beer. All told, there are some thirty breweries, and there’s even a guided tour of some of them.
The “Fore Street” restaurant is the talk of the town if you have the budget for it. We opted instead for “Eventide Oysters Company”, but with an hour’s wait and no reservations, we ended up going to places like “East Ender” and the Old Port Sea Grill.

We recommend both of them. In addition, the small Lois’ Natural grocery store on India Street offers a great sandwich shop. Among the tours, the boat tour of the islands of Casco Bay (no, not Costco) would have appealed to us if a storm hadn’t looked likely that day. We took the city trolley tour instead and enjoyed discovering the city’s arts and culture scene (the “Portland Museum of art” and street art) as well as its beautiful Victorian homes.

We also had the opportunity to stop a little further, to see probably the most illustrated lighthouse in the world. The “Portland Head Light at Cape Elizabeth” does indeed draw many photographers and painters. It sits along the shore at Fort Williams, where trails lead down to the water.

Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Waterfront (Maine)
The Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Waterfront hotel, booked at 35,000 points/night for a total of 140,000 points – thanks to the fifth night free – gave us a very pleasant stay.
A suite on the upper floor, kitchenette and breakfasts included, with pool and jacuzzi, a five-minute walk from the harbour and tourist office, and access to the garage roof to watch the July 4th fireworks.
Who could have done better? A value of more than $US 2000 this weekend of July 4th.




The hotel is very family-friendly and was at full capacity for the festivities. Animals are also allowed; we saw several owners with their dogs on a leash.

We were also told that Residence inn is often chosen for extended stays, the hotel offers a free grocery ordering service.
Forms to this effect are left in the rooms.

In short, it was a beautiful six days of work and mother-daughter discovery. A foretaste, indeed, since I would like to explore some aspects of the city in further detail.
I promise, next time, I’ll get up early enough to see the fishermen leave the harbour in the early morning.

Thank you milesopedia!

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