The "Other" Portland


View from a hotel in Portland

A few weeks ago, a buddy texted me and asked if I wanted to do a road trip to Boston. I replied that I had been to Boston a lot in the last 15 years and would he consider Portland, Maine, instead. About three more hours up the road but a new place to explore.

He was all in and we began  to plan for a visit. I dig when something goes from and idea to an experience in quick fashion. Get out of my head and onto the road. I had tried to get to Portland last summer and it just wasn't in the cards. Portland has a thriving craft beer scene and I also know people who live there, so it was a win on both the beer and relationship counts. We had a wonderful time and I may blog about it more next week with the details.  

When I went to search for lodging, I couldn't find anything that seemed affordable. Corporations own the search results and there were no bargains to be had. On top of it, putting in Portland without the Maine typically always brought up Portland, Oregon. It made me think if people in Portland, Maine, were bothered about being the "other" Portland. Does it create a complex, a resentment, to not being Portland Numero Uno?

Portland, Maine, is a thriving mid-sized city with great architecture, food, and beer. Oh yeah, it is on the ocean! "Lancaster by the sea" is what one of my buddies called it who now lives up there. I tend to favor smaller cities to visit like Charlottesville (Virginia), Missoula (Montana), Asheville (North Carolina), as they are accessible--offering some big city amenities without the excessive costs. I feel like I can get a good sense of the town during the stay and truly absorb the vibe. There are "skyscraper" experiences only available in the biggest of cities. Yet, give me the smaller city any day most of the time.

When I retire, I am planning to stay here in Columbia, Pa. I have learned that place is important to some degree but that many people chase the idea of an ideal and think moving is going to fill some part of themselves that is empty. So, they move and find that they brought that ache with them. Using Columbia as a home base, I intend to travel, write, and meet new people in new places.

   

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