Portland, Maine

When you get invited to a wedding in Maine (and have been meaning to plan a trip to Portland) on a weekend you're both off, you pack up your bags and make a mini vacation out of it. 

One of my best friends married the love of her life and it was so wonderful to be part of their special day. Weddings do something funny to me. During vows, or the first kiss, or the first dance, or the father-daughter dance... there's always a point where I feel like I could cry. Not a bad cry... one of those cries that comes about because you're so overwhelmed... so happy that someone you care about found another someone that makes them feel like the most important person in the world. I can't think of a someone more deserving of this feeling than my friend Kate. 

 

Since I wear scrubs most days and never dress up, it felt good to wear fancy clothes, high heels, and sip fancy peach martinis all night. 

The morning after the wedding, Ben and I woke up early and headed to Portland... a city we've been meaning to explore for quite some time. Everyone we've talked to has raved about this place... filled with donuts, breweries for days, waterfront and cobblestone streets - with that description, I'm not sure why we hadn't made it there sooner. But the city did not disappoint. 

We arrived Sunday morning and, since we were too early to check into our hotel, went straight to The Holy Donut. Even getting there early, there were still so many people inside we were shoulder to shoulder... then when we left, a line had formed up the street! But the donuts were made from potatoes... which means they're technically made from a vegetable... which means they're healthy donuts... and buying a half dozen for two people (and eating almost all of them) is basically like getting in all your vegetable servings for the day... right? 

After stuffing our faces with donuts... we wandered around the cobblestone streets for a while then got cold and decided to hop in the car for more exploring. All the while, waiting until 11am so breweries opened and we could really get the day started off correctly (because we were on vacation and ate vegetables for breakfast when we really should be splurging). 

The first brewery we visited was Allagash which ended up being my favorite. Not only was the atmosphere and beer the best, but we walked up and were handed two chips, each getting us a flight of beer... for free! Our plan was to split a flight at each brewery but it was free... and it just wouldn't be right to waste beer. 

After Allagash, we drove around the corner to a builder where there were probably three or four smaller breweries... ate yummy food truck pizza and drank some more.

Next stop was Bissell Brothers which was massive... We love IPAs so our flight consisted of one of each of their IPAs... only problem was, they all seemed to taste alike to me. Maybe it was the fact that I was a little buzzed at this point, or maybe they poured us four of the same beers, or maybe they just make beers that taste the same and name them something different... either way, the beer was good and we washed it down with fried chicken and french fries.

Our last stop was Shipyard. Honestly, I was not very impressed with their setup. They had a large selection of beers to try but I felt like we were in a dungeon while we were drinking them... No windows, no outdoor seating. In my opinion, visit the smaller breweries! 

So then it was around 4pm and we desperately needed a nap... which we took. And woke up to finish our day with dinner at Dilmillo's - a floating seafood restaurant on Portland Harbor. Because, when you're in Portland, it's perfectly acceptable to eat donuts for breakfast, beer for lunch, and seafood for dinner. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

We both woke up the next morning with tummy aches (I can't imagine why). So breakfast consisted of egg whites and coffee black on a rainy Maine morning. 

Pit stop at Portland Head Lighthouse and we headed home. 

Thanks for having us Portland... hope to see you again soon.