Style You Can Feel Good About

Salty Portland, Maine (Photo: mattie b)

Last week, I decided that it was time to get out of the mountains for a day, so I packed an overnight bag and visited my brother, Sean, in Portland, Maine. It’s a city with a colorful past and is Maine’s cultural capital today.

A few years back, a resident of Portland told me a fantastic story about some wayward local shipbuilders during the Revolutionary War. It was a tale of conflict between a wealthy sea captain and some stubborn hard working locals. The Sea Captain commissioned the Portland shipbuilders to make a bunch of 60 foot long ship masts from the wood of the native pine trees. The masts were built and ready for delivery, but when the Captain didn’t deliver his payment as promised, things went sour. The shipbuilders, not keen on being taken advantage of, hid the masts in the dead of night and claimed to have no knowledge of them. The enraged Sea Captain, intent on getting his masts, threatened to light the city on fire. The local shipbuilders refused. Then the Sea Captain returned to his ship, fired cannons at the peninsula which ignited the flames that burned the city to the ground.

I’m not sure how much of this story is true. Having spent a fair amount of time in Portland over the years, I wouldn’t be surprised if the folks there descended from a clan of salty shipbuilders. In a good way. They’d have to possess a certain degree of irreverent determination, like their fore-founders, just to survive the climate.

I was fortunate to have a day of ‘good’ weather for my visit. Cool air with just enough saltiness and drizzly precipitation to remind you that you are right by the ocean. Wanting to take advantage of weather warm enough to walk around the city, I started my day at a coffee shop downtown.

My Portland coffee shop of choice is Arabica. They have excellent cappuccinos. And cappuccinos are something I take very seriously.

I spent the rest of the morning at the shops down in the Old Port. There are lots of boutiques and neat things to look at. I’m always looking for organic cotton clothing and any new and exciting eco fashion. Nothing really special this trip, but always worth a look.

Patchwork Dress by Lynne Drexler

After a quick lunch at Marcy’s, I headed to the Portland Museum of Art to check out the exhibit on rock and roll photography. Upon arriving at the museum, I got the VIP treatment from a friend working in the cafe and was allowed to go right in. After looking at the Rock and Roll photos, I wandered through the other collections. On the second level, I came across an exhibit with selected works by Maine artist Lynne Drexler. I was blown away. The large colorful hodge-podgey works are phenomenal. The visual language she constructs with her brightly colored shapes of color is compelling and oddly uplifting. This show is a must-see for everyone within driving distance who appreciates contemporary art.

Book Cover

After feeding my artistic side, and exiting the museum, day began to turn to evening. I met up with my brother who was in search of dinner. Portland is a great place for foodies. It is home to many respectable restaurants and gourmet food shops. We opted for a small food shop in the West End called the Fresh Approach for provisions. Their in-house butcher shop and local produce didn’t disappoint.

It seems like everyone in Portland is either an artist, in a band, or both. So, after the evening turned into night, we headed over to a dive bar called Genos where my brother’s band, the Phantom Buffalo, played a gig.

All in all, it was a nice short trip. Just what I needed to help stave off the winter doldrums.