In “5 Things,” I’ll ask some of my favorite bloggers in cities all over the country to share insider travel tips on where to eat, shop, stay, and play in their neighborhoods (plus, what to pack to make the adventure complete). This week, Meredith Perdue and Michael Cain of Map & Menu take us on a tour of scenic Portland, Maine.
5 Things: Portland, Maine Meredith Perdue and Michael Cain of Map & Menu
There are so many things about Portland that drew us to this city six years ago. The ocean, the historic downtown, the people, the food (oh, the food!), and just the simpler pace of life in Maine’s largest city were enough to make us fall in love. (“Large,” of course, is a relative term—the population of Portland proper is only 66,000, a far cry from Boston just two hours south of us.) Still, there’s so much that this small town has to offer just about everyone, from natural beauty to tasty cuisine—and just about everything in between.
EAT:
People plan entire vacations to Portland around their meals, and limiting our selections to just a handful is nearly impossible. But if you’re only here for a short time, here are some of our favorite stops:
Funny thing. I wished Hither & Thither a happy sixth birthday last year, but I got ahead of myself somehow—a few years back, in fact! Someone finally corrected me. This year marks six years. The first post was a picture-less entry written by Aron, on January 19, 2009.
What I didn’t get wrong is that every year on here is worth celebrating. And it never ceases to surprise me—even as its demands ebb and flow—how much of a role Hither & Thither plays in my life now. I’m so grateful for all of the readers whom it engages—those who have come along since the start (when Aron and I were writing it together in New York) and those who just recently started reading. For me, it’s so rewarding to have such a supportive space in which to grow as a writer and a photographer, and to build a career of my own vision. But of course it’s often the conversations, the friendships made, the back & forth, that’s best of all.
Thank you, as ever, for reading. With a trademark lack of brevity, I’ve compiled a look back at this year’s highlights. I so enjoyed looking back through some of my favorite posts again; I hope you will enjoy this, too:
My favorite moment from this year’s Golden Globes came behind the scenes (so to speak), when our friend Meredith did a Q&A with Hudson on the red carpet (it was, indeed, at our friend’s house on a red carpet). To Hudson: “Who are you wearing?” “I don’t know,” he replied as he lifted his shirt and looked toward his belly button. “Who made your pants?” And with that, he turns around, drops his trousers, and reveals his bum in his underoos: “A Dragon!”
Otherwise, I’m a fan of anyone who wears that gorgeous canary yellow color. Though the all-time winner continues to be, for me, Michelle Williams in that stunning yellow Vera Wang gown at the 2006 Oscars.
Any plans for the long weekend? We’re headed to Tahoe with friends and hoping for some snow. And perhaps I’ll make a half-birthday cake for Hudson, who turns 3-1/2. (Time to take that photo!)
