In the middle of a brilliant keynote speech, a journalist once remarked, “I’ve never known the place I live the way I knew it when I worked for a city magazine.” It’s true: You’re soaking, daily, in superlatives—the coolest, the best, the best-hidden, the unmissable—and you’ve gathered all sorts of stray bits of information and opinion and researched them, compared and tested each experience. With summer travel in mind, we polled our colleagues and asked them to give us just a day’s worth of everything they know about their cities.
PG. 2: PORTLAND
PG. 3: DENVER
PG. 4: NEW ORLEANS
PG. 5: INDIANAPOLIS
PG. 6. VANCOUVER
PG. 7: PORTLAND, MAINE
PORTLAND
Insights from Portland Monthly dining editor Karen Brooks and the rest of the staff
WHAT TO DO
Portland doesn’t have monuments; it builds temples to ideas. It is, therefore, home to the world’s largest independent book store: the block-sized Powell’s City of Books (powells.com), which stands like a weathered old tome on the edge of the swanky Pearl District.
The 159-acre Washington Park (washingtonparkpdx.org) hosts a zoo, two museums, a world-class rose garden, and one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. The park is bordered by the 5,100-acre urban wilderness of Forest Park. Whereas St. Louis’ Forest Park is a lush sweep of manicured green, Portland’s feels ancient and primitive and mossy.
Few places pack in as much jaw-dropping splendor as the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (fs.usda.gov/crgnsa), a 20-minute drive from downtown Portland. Snowcapped volcanoes, expansive Douglas-fir forests, plunging waterfalls, and wind-sculpted basalt vistas offer a day’s adventure. Highlights include the Historic Columbia River Highway (hcrh.org), running parallel to Multnomah Falls (fs.usda.gov/crgnsa), which plunges 620 feet into a natural amphitheater of dark basalt crisscrossed with hiking trails.
Feeling less ambitious? Take a stroll. Each neighborhood has its own personality and style. The Pearl District (explorethepearl.com) bustles with bars, restaurants, upscale shops, art galleries, and public spaces.
Photograph courtesy of Travel Portland
WHERE TO EAT
For breakfast, Tasty n Sons (tastynsons.com) blends North African flavors, Southern American biscuits, and cast-iron skillet presentations with Portland’s passion for handmade meats and sausages. The atmosphere’s boisterous and the long lines are legendary; put your name on the list and jump-start the day a few doors down at Ristretto Roasters (ristrettoroasters.com).
For lunch, Boke Bowl (bokebowl.com) is the place for playful ramen-noodle bowls. Nothing quite matches the joyful hedonism of Boke’s signature ramen, rich with pulled pork and fried chicken.
For cocktail hour, experience Portland’s obsessive mixology scene at Clyde Common (clydecommon.com), where the barrel-aged Negroni joins a list of trendsetting cocktails.
At dinnertime, Laurelhurst Market (laurelhurstmarket.com) redefines the steakhouse as a bustling neighborhood place with affordable cuts, inventive farm-vegetable sides, trendy He-Man cocktails with monster-sized ice cubes, and a notable lack of clichéd cigar chomping. Any place that can appeal to your parents and your bandmates is doing something right.
HOW TO SHOP
Portland has its own fashion sensibility, a blend of lumberjack chic, Mad Men, hyperstylized 19th-century revival, and mix-and-match ties, sneakers, and bike helmets. In short, it’s far from the Paris runways. And the vintage shopping is premier: retro couture on a latte budget. Hot spots range from Avalon to Xtabay Vintage Clothing Boutique (shopvintageportland.com).
Spend some time at Cargo (cargoimportspdx.com), a two-story treasure chest of Asian furniture, retro toys, masks, scarves, vintage posters, Dia de los Muertos and Maoist China figurines, paper lanterns, old posters, novelties, and ephemera.
Twist (twistonline.com) is one of the country’s great jewelry stores, with small, curated collections from the most interesting craft jewelers around. Everything in this two-level store—which also sells dishware, dining-table accessories, glassware, and gifts—has been handpicked with an eye toward the beautiful, the unique, and the handcrafted.
TIMING: The best time to visit is between July and October, when sunnier weather encourages exploring the city’s greatest asset: the outdoor life, found in sprawling urban parks, nature hikes, biking trails, and eye-popping gardens.
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
The Portland Monthly Best Restaurants app. And before you come, check the blogs and guides at the magazine’s website (portlandmonthlymag.com) or sign up for the free newsletter.
WHEN TO VISIT
The best time to visit Portland is between July and October, when drier, sunnier weather encourages exploring the city’s greatest asset: the outdoor life, found in sprawling urban parks, nature hikes, biking trails, and eye-popping gardens.
DENVER
Tips from 5280 magazine’s Chris Outcalt, Daliah Singer, and Lindsey R. McKissick
WHAT TO DO
The collection at the Denver Art Museum (denverartmuseum.org) is internationally recognized, and the building itself is a work of art. New last year, the neighboring Clyfford Still Museum (clyffordstillmuseum.org) is home to works by the eponymous artist, an American pioneer of abstract expressionism.
Through B-cycle (bcycle.com), rent a bike for the day at one of Denver’s 52 bicycle-on-demand stations and cruise around the city.
REI’s flagship store is next to Confluence Park (denvergov.org/parks) in LoDo (the city’s lower downtown area), and the area makes a great summer hangout. The store is always bustling with locals, and the park offers beautiful views of the city. On a warm weekend day, you’ll see kayakers paddling the park’s whitewater.
Or, if you’re around Denver on a Sunday this summer, visit the Old South Pearl Street Farmers Market (oldsouthpearlstreet.com). It has live music, handmade crafts, and nearly any fruit or veggie you can think of—all in Platt Park.
Photograph by Stevie Crecelius, courtesy of Visit Denver
WHERE TO EAT
For breakfast, hit Snooze (snoozeeatery.com). Expect to wait in line for around an hour no matter how early you get to this breakfast hot spot. Go for the flapjacks (pineapple upside down or red-eye velvet) and stay for the just-boozy-enough mimosas and bloody Marys.
For lunch, head over to Masterpiece Delicatessen (masterpiecedeli.com). Claim a spot on the small patio and people-watch as you dig into chef Justin Brunson’s crazy-good sandwiches, like the white-truffle egg salad or the smoked turkey with Brie, pears, and cranberry honey. Then go next door to Living the Sweet Life (livingthesweetlifedenver.com) for some sinful goodies. The chocolate-chip cookies are a must.
For dinner, it’s just got to be Fruition Restaurant (fruitionrestaurant.com). In 2010, Food & Wine named chef Alex Seidel one of the 10 best new chefs in America—and for good reason. His inventive, seasonal cuisine—some of it sourced from his 10-acre farm in Larkspur, Colo.—is entirely simple, but packed with flavor. Order the scallops. For another centrally located option, visit Charcoal Restaurant (charcoaldining.com), one of 5280’s best new restaurants in 2012. This Golden Triangle neighborhood bistro offers comfort food with a Scandinavian twist.
HOW TO SHOP
Highlands Square (highlands-square.com) is a small, kitschy intersection lined with independent shops. There’s an old-fashioned stationery shop, a bike shop, a cheesemonger, a photography studio, a bookstore, and of course, a jeans boutique. Also available are cupcakes, Pilates, and medical marijuana. Highlands Square is in the center of one of Denver’s hottest and fast-growing neighborhoods.
South Broadway (denver.org/metro/neighborhoods/south-broadway)—and yes, it’s been slugged SoBo—is known for its indie shopping, antiques, and thrift stores. Don’t miss Fancy Tiger (fancytiger.com), a DIY store and workroom with an online shop on Etsy. Its threads include “small and lovely brands from all over the world.” Buffalo Exchange (buffaloexchange.com) sells vintage clothing. For gifts, go to Decade (facebook.com/decadedenver), a local store reminiscent of Anthropologie. Merchandise is displayed on vintage and antique furniture that’s also for sale.
Downtown in LoDo, Rockmount Ranchwear (rockmount.com) is an iconic little store that’s outfitted Bob Dylan and Robert Redford and dressed the cast of Brokeback Mountain. Rockmount introduced the world to Western shirts with snaps instead of buttons; its signature shirt is even in the Smithsonian.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Hotel Monaco (monaco-denver.com) is a boutique hotel downtown that offers a fresher and hipper vibe than The Brown Palace; 5280 especially likes the hosted evening wine hour: From 5 to 6 p.m. every day, guests can sample wines by the glass at no charge. Denver’s grande-dame lodging, The Brown Palace Hotel (brownpalace.com), is downtown—and it has been since 1892. Its afternoon tea is served with honey made by a small colony of bees that live on the rooftop. Its restaurants have served presidents and prime ministers—as well as livelier celebs.
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
Peaks (from Augmented Outdoors) identifies whatever mountain you point your phone at. It’s perfect for hikes and for driving around the Front Range. Plus, it works offline, so you don’t need to worry about cell service. MeNetwork (a Boulder, Colorado–based marketing startup) is a free app with simple, searchable databases of dining, shopping, lodging, and entertainment deals. For last-minute planning information, the 5280 website is 5280.com.
WHEN TO VISIT
September. The weather is mild—warm days, cool nights—and the leaves are changing color. Plus, Denver Beer Week is in full swing (get tickets to the biggest beer festival around, the Great American Beer Festival), and, fingers crossed, the Colorado Rockies could be making a move toward the playoffs.
NEW ORLEANS
Advice from Errol Laborde, editor-in-chief of New Orleans Magazine
WHAT TO DO
In New Orleans, you don’t cram your schedule full of museums and aquariums. You don’t take vigorous hikes. You savor. Take the steamboat cruise that leaves from the dock right by Jackson Square (steamboatnatchez.com). “Unlike St. Louis, where you look down from the city and see the river,” Laborde says, “in New Orleans, when you are on the river, you look down and see the city.”
Explore the French Quarter (frenchquarter.com). Listen to jazz—St. Louis native trumpeter Jeremy Davenport in his namesake Davenport Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans (ritzcarlton.com); bassist Ben Jaffe at Preservation Hall (preservationhall.com); St. Louis-born pianist Tom McDermott at Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub (fritzelsjazz.net)… “And if you like bawdy,” Laborde adds dryly, “there’s always Bourbon Street.”
Photograph by Chris Granger, courtesy of New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau
WHERE TO EAT
Go to Napoleon House (napoleonhouse.com) in the French Quarter. Imagine its big patio, classical music playing in the background, a Pimm’s cup cocktail in your hand… Now you’re ready to hear the history. When Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, a group of loyalists in New Orleans were determined to rescue him and bring him back—here.
On St. Peter Street, also in the Quarter, the Gumbo Shop (gumboshop.com) does a good job with classic Creole gumbos. “There’s a seafood gumbo and a chicken andouille gumbo—I personally prefer the chicken andouille,” says Laborde. “The sausage adds even more Cajun spice.”
On the other side of Jackson Square, a quick walk away, is Café Du Monde (cafedumonde.com), where “you want an order of beignets—that’s three fried beignets dripping with sugar powder—and café au lait,” brewed with chicory and softened with boiled milk. “This is real coffee—I mean, don’t go there and ask for decaffeinated.”
Dinner at a high-end restaurant? You’ve almost certainly heard of it. Antoine’s Restaurant (antoines.com) is the second-oldest in the country. It’s vintage French Creole food—and the birthplace of oysters Rockefeller. The restaurateur sucked up to the robber baron by naming this saucy, now-beloved dish after him.
HOW TO SHOP
On one side of the French Quarter, edging against the business district, you find the upscale Shops at Canal Place (theshopsatcanalplace.com). On the opposite side, toward Esplanade, there’s a scattering of not-quite-junk, not-quite-antique shops where you can find Mardi Gras masks and voodoo ephemera.
Your real quest is for art and antiques. “There’s some fairly important antique shopping in New Orleans,” Laborde says. “The best is M.S. Rau—this year’s its centennial.” M.S. Rau Antiques (rauantiques.com) sells original paintings by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and their scandalous Impressionist cohort; you can also find small objects of interesting provenance for $100. Nouvelle Lune focuses on reclaimed, repurposed, salvaged bits of the Big Easy, selling everything from rolling robots to intricate sculpture to rings with secret messages. Rodrigue Studio New Orleans (georgerodrigue.com) is worth a stop, if only because George Rodrigue created the now-famous “blue dog” paintings. “There are also places that call themselves art galleries but sell high-end posters,” Laborde warns, adding appreciatively, “They’re really cool high-end posters.” Also check out the art displayed on the fence surrounding Jackson Square—and, less known, on the fence around St. Anthony’s Garden behind St. Louis Cathedral.
WHERE TO SLEEP
In the French Quarter. And you don’t have to sleep. Laborde likes The Royal Senesta (sonesta.com/royalneworleans/), on Bourbon Street, and The Omni Royal Orleans (omnihotels.com/findahotel/neworleansroyalorleans.aspx), on St. Louis at Royal. Both have the kind of luxury that enfolds you, so you can close your eyes and imagine life’s easy—yet they’re in the heart of the Quarter, so there’s activity pulsing all around you.
For venerable tradition and famous ghosts, try the Hotel Monteleone (hotelmonteleone.com), established in 1886 at the foot of Royal Street. St. Louis’s Tennessee Williams stayed there, insisted on it; so did William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, and when Truman Capote outdid himself in the bar, he started bragging that he was born there.
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
New Orleans’ official visitor’s guide exists as an iPhone/iPad app, as does Off Beat for music, and the Historic New Orleans app is stocked with old photographs so you can stand at a particular spot and see what it looked like in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s. The New Orleans Magazine website is myneworleans.com.
WHEN TO VISIT
“People hedge their bets a bit more in the summer, because it’s hurricane season, so coming in August is actually good, because it’s going to be less crowded,” Laborde says. “There’s not always a hurricane! And Labor Day Weekend there’s a big gay celebration, Southern Decadence. You will see things you won’t even see at Mardi Gras.”
INDIANAPOLIS
Recommendations from Megan Fernandez, executive editor of Indianapolis Monthly
WHAT TO DO
The new Georgia Street pedestrian plaza (indy.gov/georgiastreet) was the center of Super Bowl Village. Modern lanterns light up the three-block stretch, and bars and restaurants line the way.
One end of Georgia Street connects to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (indyculturaltrail.org), a $60 million recreation path winding through downtown. Along the route: Indy’s monolithic war memorials, the museum campus, a tranquil canal with walkways, the funky Mass Ave (discovermassave.com) and Fountain Square (discoverfountainsquare.com) neighborhoods, and large-scale art. “Take a big sniff when the trail ducks behind the Metro bar on Mass Ave,” Fernandez says. “The air is perfumed by a scent vault hidden beneath an ornate grate. It’s one of the art installations.”
Hail a ride from Circle City Pedicabs (circlecitypedicabs.com) and ask for a tour of downtown’s Indiana War Memorial Plaza (in.gov/iwm), second only to D.C. in its number of war memorials.
Take your own Kurt Vonnegut tour. Sites that honor the famous Indy author include the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library (vonnegutlibrary.org), where you can type out a tweet for the Kurt’s Typewriter Twitter feed (twitter.com/kurtstypewriter), and the Vonnegut Room at The Rathskeller (rathskeller.com), a German restaurant in an old building designed by Vonnegut’s grandfather.
Hop microbreweries. Sun King Brewery (sunkingbrewing.com) is far and away the most popular. “When Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert came to Indy for a talk last year, they took the stage with Sun King in their hands,” Fernandez says. Not far away, Flat12 Bierwerks (flat12.me) is more of a secret, but very well-respected, and it also has a tasting room. Across the street from Flat12, The Smoking Goose (smokinggoose.com) is turning out the city’s best artisanal smoked meats.
Photograph courtesy of visitindy.com
WHERE TO EAT
For breakfast, go big with decadent red-velvet pancakes, a weekend special, at Hoaglin to Go (hoaglintogo.com).
For lunch, find a food truck. Duos (vegetarian, masterminded by Colts owner Jim Irsay’s former personal chef), Scratch (gourmet comfort food), Seoul Grill Indy, and Taco Lassi (fish tacos with an Indian kick) are the best. (The Twitter feed @IndyFoodTruck keeps tabs on the trucks’ whereabouts.)
For happy hour, no place is hotter than The Libertine (libertineindy.com): “Jimmy Fallon and The Roots became regulars during the Super Bowl, and Katy Perry DJ’d there.”
While Sensu (sensuindy.com) might look like a Vegas nightclub, the dinner menu holds its own, Fernandez says: “It’s one of the magazine’s best new restaurants this year, as is The Libertine. Sit in a swanky semiprivate banquette upstairs, overlooking the action below, and share roasted shishito peppers drizzled with ginger-infused yuzu vinaigrette, caramelized black cod with a mouthwatering miso sauce, and maki rolls.”
HOW TO SHOP
Bells jangle against the glass door as shoppers come and go at Mass Ave Toys (massavetoys.com), a bright, kinetic place with none of the commercial clutter of the average toy store. In business for more than 30 years, it imports some of Europe’s best toys. “Adults always find something they want,” Fernandez says, “like the goofy slingshot monkey.”
The Broad Ripple, neighborhood brims with indie boutiques. For of-the-moment designers like Rag & Bone and Brochu Walker, hit up 8 Fifteen (8fifteen.com). For clever giftables and Chinatown kitsch, go to Panda(ology). And for a selection of vintage and local goods, check out IndySwank (indyswank.com).
WHERE TO SLEEP
The city’s newest hotel, the JW Marriott (jwindy.com) is also the largest JW in the world. The design, 34 stories of shimmering blue glass, gives each room floor-to-ceiling windows. “Even the second-floor fitness room is wrapped in glass,” Fernandez says, “creating a sundrenched space with none of the afterthought feeling common to hotel gyms. The posh indoor pool and hot tub are the best in the city.”
Locals know The Columbia Club (columbia-club.org) as a distinguished private club started by supporters of President Benjamin Harrison in 1889—and it’s a best-kept secret that anyone can reserve a hotel room there. Located right on Monument Circle, the historic quarters accommodate visitors in elegant rooms with sunny yellow walls. Indy history fills the mahogany lobby, and the cabaret club attracts top local and regional crooners.
Nestled in the historic Old Northside, a healthy stroll from Monument Circle, The Villa Inn (thevillainn.com) occupies a turn-of-the-century mansion designed like a Florentine villa. One of Indy’s better spas is on-site, and the ambience is a little nicer than The Columbia Club, but you can’t beat the Columbia’s location.
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
“The official app, Visit Indy, is pretty good, and you can get the Walk Indianapolis audio tour through it,” Fernandez says. “Parkmobile lets you feed our new and confusing and hardly-ever-free downtown parking-meter kiosks from your phone.” The magazine’s website: indianapolismonthly.com.
WHEN TO VISIT
Race weekends at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (late July for Nascar’s Brickyard 400, and late August for the Red Bull Moto GP) may raise hotel rates, but there’s extra excitement in the air. The Red Bull Moto GP includes ancillary events downtown, like Motorcycles on Meridian, when the street is closed off and lined with flashy bikes at night. If you don’t like crowds, avoid race weekends.
The Dig-IN food festival, August 26, is amazing. Premier chefs team up with an Indiana farm to create a dish, and the set-up, outdoors in White River State Park downtown, is like a Top Chef episode where you visit each station. More than enough food, great wine and beer, terrific setting. Tickets are $20 in advance, $30 at the entrance.
VANCOUVER
Picks from Vancouver Magazine senior editor Rebecca Philps
WHAT TO DO
You can start with the obvious—the Vancouver Art Gallery (vanartgallery.bc.ca) or Vancouver Aquarium (vanaqua.org). But Philps also suggests a trip to the Granville Island Public Market (granvilleisland.com), “a top tourist location (trap?) that I find myself at almost every weekend.” Must-visit stalls: Oyama Sausage Co. (fresh and smoked sausages, pâté, terrines, cheeses), South China Seas Trading Company (rare condiments, spices, herbs), and The Lobster Man, teeming with fresh local seafood. Take the little False Creek Ferry back to downtown.
Just make sure that by sunset, you’re at Third Beach. It’s accessible only by biking around the seawall or cutting through Stanley Park, and that makes it quieter. “There’s a boho vibe—you may see a topless tanner or two,” Philps says, “and the view is the open ocean and the sea-to-sky highway heading up to Whistler.”
Photograph by Albert Normandin, courtesy of Tourism Vancouver
WHERE TO EAT
Have breakfast at Medina (medinacafe.com): excellent coffee, Belgian waffles with decadent syrups, or bistro classics with North African spice. There’s an excellent deli next door, The Dirty Apron (dirtyapron.com), if you’re buying a picnic lunch before you hike. Or if you’re in the mood for a diner, order the pulled-pork pancakes with Jack Daniel’s maple syrup (really!) at The Red Wagon (redwagoncafe.com).
For lunch, “It’s gotta be the porchetta sandwich at Meat & Bread” (meatandbread.ca), Philps says. “Simple and so good.”
For dinner, go to Vij’s (vijs.ca), “rightly considered the world’s best Indian restaurant. There’s a staunch no-reservations policy, so be prepared to wait.”
Or, for casual share plates, try Guu Garden Izakaya (guu-izakaya.com/garden). Philps recommends this location for its “high-energy rooms, dishes like black cod with miso mayo, tuna tataki, barbecue beef short ribs, and eclectic drink menu.”
For cocktails, go to the Hawksworth Bar & Lounge (hawksworthrestaurant.com/bar) at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia “for an uptown experience. Brad Stanton is one of the city’s best bartenders.”
For beer, the Alibi Room (alibi.ca) is a well-regarded modern tavern: It’s got the best beer program, casual communal tables, locally sourced food, “and if you get hungry, great burgers!”
HOW TO SHOP
Just head to Gastown (gastown.org). It’s the city’s oldest neighborhood, “once only tacky tourist shops and kinda seedy,” now home to the hottest restaurants, bars, and shops. Standout shops include Old Faithful Shop (oldfaithfulshop.com), an artful general store that stocks finely crafted items from all over the world; menswear shop Roden Gray (rodengray.com), which carries the cool Vancouver label Wings + Horns (wingsandhorns.com); Neighbour (shopneighbour.com), another great men’s shop; Oak +Fort (oakandfort.com), a local women’s label so drapey, elegant, and occasionally gossamer-sheer that it conjures classical ballet; the Inform Interiors showrooms (informinteriors.com) for clean, high-design furniture and home accessories; and The Block (theblock.ca), with a deftly chosen mix of shoes, clothing, and accessories.
WHERE TO SLEEP
“The Shangri-La has the best service I’ve ever experienced,” Philps says (Shangri-la.com/Vancouver/shangrila). Its staff are famous for accommodating any request. And outside the glass doors, on Alberni Street, are Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Tiffany, Hermès. After you shop, drop into a chair at Shangri-La’s Market by Jean-Georges restaurant, then melt in the city’s most luxurious spa, Chi. “Dreamy floral scent wafts through the lobby,” Philps adds. “I bought their signature candles to try and replicate at home! A true escape.”
Downtown, in the Coal Harbour neighborhood, most rooms at the Fairmont Pacific Rim (Fairmont.com/pacificrim) have a beautiful view of the waterfront and the North Shore mountains. There’s a piano bar in the grand lobby live music—and sometimes impromptu concerts—at night, and the Fairmont has the best hotel pool in the city. Not to mention a Bella Gelateria in the lobby.
If your budget’s tight, Philps suggests The St. Regis Hotel (stregishotel.com). It’s a historic (but downmarket) hotel in the heart of downtown. “It underwent serious reno in last couple of years,” she says, “and the rooms are fairly small but have nice period details.”
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
The Eat St. app pinpoints the exact location, at any point in time, of Vancouver’s roaming food carts.
WHEN TO VISIT
Vancouver’s big summer festivals are Jazz Fest, June 22–July 1 (coastaljazz.ca); Celebration of Light, July 28–August 4 (vancouverfireworks.ca); and Pride Week, which has become a city-wide party, August 5 (vancouverpride.ca). Take your pick, or if you’re feeling quiet, plan around them.
THE OTHER PORTLAND
Down East magazine’s Will Bleakley and Ginny Wright compared notes on Maine’s best.
WHAT TO DO
The Eastern Promenade (easternpromenade.org) is a park that slopes down to Casco Bay, with amazing views of the islands and bay. Bleakley’s never found a better picnic spot.
Take the Casco Bay Lines mailboat tour (cascobaylines.com) around the islands. You can really pick any island as a great attraction, but the mailboat run gives you a nice tour of all of them. And the 20-minute stop at Cliff Island gives you time for ice cream at the island’s only store. Visit—with your digital SLR—Portland Head Light (portlandheadlight.com). Set on Maine’s rocky coast, it’s supposedly the most-photographed lighthouse in the States. There are great World War II forts nearby as well, throughout Fort Williams Park.
Portland Observatory (portlandlandmarks.org/observatory) is the nation’s last surviving maritime signal tower. “An 86-foot-tall tower at the top of Munjoy Hill, it’s Portland’s most visible landmark, yet many Portlanders have never been inside,” says Wright. “It’s a unique and fascinating building, and the views from the lantern are spectacular.”
And for an offbeat excursion, there’s The International Cryptozoology Museum (cryptozoologymuseum.com)—which claims to be the world’s only cryptozoology museum. Where else can you find hair samples from Bigfoot and an Abominable Snowman?
Photograph courtesy of The Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau
WHERE TO EAT
For breakfast, Bleakley suggests Arabica Coffee House: “My favorite coffee of any of Portland’s independent coffee shops. They also take their toast quite seriously.” Wright counters with Becky’s on Hobson’s Wharf (beckysdiner.com), because “it’s a local favorite, and it’s on the waterfront.” If you’re in the East End, have an American comfort-food breakfast at The Front Room (hardingleesmith.com).
An insider lunch is a Sicilian pizza slab bought at the small bakery in the back of Italian grocery Micucci (micucci.com). “During lunch, the baker puts out these perfect slabs of pizza on this bread that tastes like a wonderful cloud,” Bleakley says. “That’s the only description one can give.” A more obvious option is Duckfat (duckfat.com), “with great Belgian fries, various dipping options, and really good gourmet sandwiches.”
For dinner, go to Fore Street (forestreet.biz). “So many great restaurants have popped up in Portland, but still nothing beats this farm-to-table restaurant,” Bleakley says. “It’s often nominated for best restaurant in the country at the James Beard Awards.”
HOW TO SHOP
If you want to walk an entire shopping district, go to Old Port. “It’s a combo of really nice boutique clothing stores, touristy gift shops, cobblestone streets, and redbrick three-story buildings that makes you feel like you’re in Portland during the 1800s,” Bleakley says.
A necessary pilgrimage, for men’s clothing: Portland Dry Goods Co. (portlanddrygoods.com). It shares space with Barbour (barbourbydw.com) and was just included in GQ’s list of the best men’s stores in America.
For women, try Black Parrot (blackparrotmaine.blogspot.com), with clothes and accessories from haute but unsnobbish lines, avant-garde and well-edited.
WHERE TO SLEEP
The Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (theregency.com) is a boutique hotel in Old Port. Its neoclassical building was constructed in 1895, on the waterfront, as a home for Maine’s National Guard. Today’s guests enjoy a softer stay.
Also on the historic waterfront, The Danforth (danforthmaine.com) is a luxury inn as intimate, charming, and unpredictable as a European mistress.
Eastland Park Hotel (eastlandparkhotel.com): “It’s not the fanciest hotel,” Wright says, “and it’s a little dated, but for those on a budget who want to be in town, it’s great. You can park your car and forget about it and walk everywhere. Also, the view from the Top of the East is hard to beat.”
Pomegranate Inn (pomegranateinn.com) is lovely, if you want to go the B&B route. The innkeeper, Dana Moos, wrote The Art of Breakfast, a cookbook so gorgeous, Down East published it.
WHAT TO DOWNLOAD
Chimani has a very good app for Acadia National Park.
WHEN TO VISIT
Portland’s at its best in September, when the summer crowds have died down. But whenever you come, try to overlap with the first Friday of the month. All the galleries stay open for the Art Walk, there’s free admission to the Portland Museum of Art, bands perform outside, and galleries along Congress Street offer food and drink.
