September 28, 2016 by NJPainter
We headed to Portland, Maine this past weekend for a wedding of two very special friends.
The wedding, as all weddings are, was a spectacular celebration and combination of all the random things a couple loves that harmonize beautifully when you insert them into a wedding. In this case it was 100+ guests from New Jersey, fresh oysters and a playlist that bounced between 90s hip hop and classic Spanish ballads that kept us all dancing for hours on end.
Their place; Portland, was a place I’d never been to before.
And wow! There was so much to love about it.
I always tell people: the Midwest doesn’t look like this.
New England is so influenced by the water; it dictates the smell in the air, the landscape, the need for constant coffee and flannel. We saw more cobblestone streets than paved ones, more clapboard houses than high rises and the prevailing sound over the city was that of seagulls and boats. Portland, while looking like you are walking onto a sea side movie set, puts forth a pretty simple lifestyle: lobster on paper plates, insulated vests and good beer.
What I loved most about the weekend, was the way a destination wedding takes over a town. Where you run into someone you know but haven’t seen in awhile around every corner, non-existent plans take shape at a moments notice and you can make a whole afternoon out of going to get coffee.
Here are some recommendations, if you ever find yourself in Portland!
TO EAT
Central Provisions
Duck Fat
Hot Suppa
Tandem Coffee
TO STAY
West End Airbnb
