Portland, ME

*Thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families effected by the Aurora, CO theater shooting. Aurora is about 40 minutes away from us and it's crazy to think something so horrific happened so close to home. The whole thing is incredibly sad and disturbing. 

I travel for work and the majority of the places that I travel to aren't very interesting (e.g. Woonsocket, RI or New Britain, CT), but every once in awhile I get a really cool place to visit (e.g. Napa, CA or Chicago, IL). One of my favorite places that I've traveled to for work is Portland, Maine. The best part is that it's a regular client, so I get to go up there a few times a year. The first time I visited Portland was in June 2010 and I fell in love with the place! I completely understand why people vacation up in Maine year after year. During the summer the weather is absolutely beautiful (70s-80s, low humidity), amazing restaurants, plenty of fresh seafood, quaint downtown area and a relaxing/laidback atmosphere. I love coming up here even during the cold months. Craig has never been to Maine, so it's definitely one of our top destinations to visit in the U.S.

Here's a link from Travel + Leisure that highlights Maine.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Maine again and I made sure to get my fill of fresh seafood. I'm seafood deprived in the landlocked state of Colorado!

Running by Casco Bay

Dog beach...Laney would love it!

Blue Point Oysters at David's Restaurant...this place has amazing food!

Caesar salad with fried anchovies

Grilled shrimp and scallops on a bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables...delicious!

The next night I had dinner at Eventide Oyster Co., which is a new oyster bar that just opened this summer. The inside is small and the seating is bar style. It was pretty crowded, but definitely worth the wait. Food, drinks and service were amazing!

Daily Specials menu board at Eventide

Fresh oysters

Sipping a cocktail called Afternoon Delight while waiting for a seat

An assortment of local Maine oysters...the green stuff is frozen gazpacho

Mini lobster roll

Clam chowder and a mini biscuit...The plating and presentation is so cute

Strawberry pie and buttermilk ice cream to end the meal. The strawberry pie was a little on the tart side, but the crust was delicious. The buttermilk ice cream was the best part!

I can't wait to go back to Maine and hopefully Craig will be able to come along next time too! I highly recommend checking out Maine for low key, food-filled vacation. If you have any questions about places to stay, eat or sight see feel free to reach out!