And so it begins, the final stretch of summer packed with travel. On Friday, Roomie and I headed up to Portland, ME to visit his family. Portland is a pretty “hot” city right now that is changing every day. From the plethora of small batch breweries to the amazing foodie scene, its appeal has dramatically increased and it shows on the streets.
On Friday, I ran 7.5 miles as part of my New Balance Falmouth Road Race training program. I opt to do my long runs on Friday in the summer so I can spend more time with the boy on Saturday. It wasn’t too hot for once but with all the water stops along the Charles River, it wasn’t bad.
I am obsessed with these NB shorts. They have a wide waist band and no chaffing thanks to the 3″ inseam. They have a 5″ inseam running short similar that I equally love with a 4″ pair of boy shorts underneath.
Afterwards, we drove the 2 hour trip up to Portland, Maine. We arrived just in time for a little rain storm that made for a beautiful picture.
Saturday morning I woke up, had two slices of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekial bread with peanut butter and went for a recovery walk/run around Peaks Island. I was bummed to see that there was actually a 5 mile road race taking place at 10:30am on the island! I would have totally signed up (and not run on Friday so hard) had I known in advance.
We spent the rest of the day in Portland eating and drinking. Lunch first was at Boone’s where I had a delicious lobster salad on a bed of greens followed by some fun shopping. If you love anchors, you need to visit Portland. They have everything you could think of with an anchor on it.
Most importantly, I never leave Portland without buying myself some blueberry jam and mustard from Stonewall Kitchen. You can buy it at most grocery stores in Boston but I just like to buy it in the actual store because they have tons of samples that I love to try and feel guilty leaving empty-handed.
We stopped by a couple of breweries along the way after we were shopped out. The brewery scene is relatively new to Portland. The beer is cheaper than it is in the bars and you get to try smaller glasses giving you the chance to sample multiple brews while supporting small local companies.
A bunch of the breweries however are a drive apart and not exactly a walk so there are plenty of tour companies that will shuttle you around for a safer afternoon. We saw plenty of bachelorette and bachelor parties taking advantage.Book these in advance.
The only ask I had for the trip was to do dinner at Eventide, which is a seafood restaurant that is very popular and does not take reservations.
We arrived around 5:30 and were sat around 6:30pm. Two of the stand out items we ordered were the lobster roll which was warm and buttered in an Asian style-bun and these broiled oysters with BBQ sauce and coleslaw. I thought we ordered a ton of food but was still hungry at the end. Portions are very small and most dishes are meant to be ordered family style. The lobster roll is $14 but it’s small. I finished my half in three bites.
It was really good but don’t go starving unless you’re ready for an expensive dinner.
I took the bus home to Boston early on Sunday so that I would have enough time to pack for my next adventure. After the Saturday I had, Sunday night was dedicated to a dairy and gluten free custom salad from Sweetgreen. I know it’s not the most appetizing picture but it was made with beets, sweet potatoes, chicken, broccoli and avocado plus balsamic vinaigrette.It was delicious.
This morning I woke up early for a flight to LA. I’m here on the west coast for 10 days for work and play. First up in work, then a wedding in Santa Barbara before I head to Puerto Vallarta for another Fit In Paradise visit. Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my adventures.
Have you ever been to Portland?
