By Sunny

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To celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, Jimmy and I spent a weekend in Portland, Maine.

Yes, it was the other Portland that was on our 2016 travel list.

And yes, last year we went to the unforgettable Rockhouse Hotel in Jamaica to celebrate our first decade together.

So how did we end up in Maine?

There are no nonstop flights to Maine from our local airport, but the very short layover in BWI was practically nonexistent.  We are always up for trying something new and neither of us had been to any of the states of New England. It was early November, 80 degrees at home, and we wanted it to feel and look like fall. We got what we were looking for in Portland, Maine.

We missed the peak fall foliage by a week or two, but some of leaves were still clinging to the branches.  The combination of the brisk sea air off the bay, the stone and brick sidewalks, and the historic buildings all contributed the perfect New England experience for us.  We shopped many of the local shops in the downtown area including at least 3 bookstores – one named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that was directly across from his childhood home.  While tours of the house were closed during our visit, we did get to stroll the grounds.  Strolling about was one of our favorite things that weekend.  The charm and the just cool enough air seems to be made for it.

We chose Allagash Brewery as our token brewery tour, but we were pleasantly surprised with the informative tour, knowledgeable but down-to-earth tour guides, and generous samples!  We got to try 4 different beers during the tour.  All of them unique, and many with surprising flavors.  At the end of the tour, the guides offered up some of their favorite Maine restaurants, and chatted us up about the Bourbon Trail near our hometown.

We tried Duckfat for dinner that night, and even though seafood reigns supreme in Portland, this was my favorite meal of the trip.  Their specialty is fries that have been deep-fried in duck fat.  (Let that sink in for a minute.) These fries are so good they named the whole restaurant after the oil in which they fry them.  Jimmy and I split a large order and chose two homemade dipping sauces that were fantastic. By far, a meal in itself.  We also had panini sandwiches and more good ol’ Maine beer.  My final word on Duckfat is that it is a good thing that this restaurant in 1,000 miles away from me because I would be not be able to get enough!

The fries! Oh, the fries!

We stayed at the Portland Regency Hotel, an historic hotel that was previously an armory.  The rooms were comfy, the spa was wonderful, and the Armory bar was cozy. The location was in walking distance of nearly everything in downtown Portland.

The Portland Regency Hotel

So during our weekend trip we ate and strolled and strolled and ate and had just an all-around great first experience with New England.  It has definitely inspired us to put another New England trip on our radar,  I think a road trip with MJ will be our next New England adventure.

What else should be on our list of things to see in New England?  Share them with me!