A Day Trip to Portland Maine

My mom is a travel writer. Like the real-life kind of travel writer who writes books that people actually buy. So whenever one of my friends wants to go somewhere (anywhere!) in New England, I always whack out one of my mom's (many) books and get to planning (which you can buy here, by the way).

When fellow-blogger/bestie Hayley told me she wanted to go to Maine during her latest visit to my home, I knew exactly what to do. Portland seemed like the most obvious choice out of all of the (equally charming) cities in Maine. Mostly because it was the closest in driving distance. I'm a wimp when it comes to driving. We'll discuss this later.

So back to Portland. No, it's not the hipster-haven that you know of on the West Coast (Oregon's got that one). But it's the original Portland and it's pretty great. Portland is just what it sounds like- a Port city. Nestled along the Atlantic coast, Portland strikes a happy medium between quintessential New England and just a little bit industrial. You'll likely see quaint, nautical houses next to industrial new-builds. And the best part? It's a bang-on two-hour drive from Boston. So it makes the perfect day trip.

Getting to Portland is an easy drive. It's a straight shot on I-95. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Well, at least if you're like me and you become a nervous wreck the second you get on the highway. I know what you're thinking- get over it, Leda. You're 21 years old! And you know what? I did get over it. But it wasn't without a few stress-dreams the night before. And I'm happy to say that now I'm pretty much completely beyond that fear of driving on the highway. So friends, if you're reading this, I can the squad to the beach next time we're all back.

We went straight to Portland after a leisurely breakfast. You could easily turn it into a mini road-trip though, should you have the time. Why not stop at Kittery to hit the outlet shops? Or you can even take a pit-stop at Kennebunkport- the famed summer destination of the Bush family. If Hayley and I had been on a romantic holiday together, we definitely would have made those visits (next time, bae).

So after two hours of catching up while on the road, we made it to Portland, just in time for lunch. Once we had figured out where to park (what's with all the 1-hour parking spots in Portland?), we made our way to a practically-famous lunch spot in the center of town. Duckfat is known for not only its fantastic food but also it's ridiculous, "I can't believe I waited that long for a table" wait-times. When I told my friends who go to college in Maine that we went there, they gasped "You got in?" But trust me, it's worth it.

Mill around town while you wait for a table, or even head for coffee at Coffee By Design. We only waited for a mere 30 minutes before being seated on some barstools facing a wall of magnetic words. Entertainment for days. Mixing around the words to make funny, non-sensical sentences was half the fun of being there. Of course, Duckfat is known for its duck fat fried french fries, so we were obliged to order a large portion of those. These crispy, warm sticks of potatoe-y goodness were as good on their own as they were with the garlic aioli and truffle ketchup. They really are a bucket-list food.

For a main (although the fries were definitely the star of the show) I had a goats cheese, tomato and bacon panini. Duckfat is the kind of casual lunch spot that really only does sandwiches and soups, but what they lack in variety, they make up for in craft. Each sandwich has a unique combination of flavours that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else (like the duck confit and kohlrabi combo). And let's not forget about the housemade sodas! Though there is a beer and wine list, I'd suggest not skipping over these one-of-a-kind drinks. I had a lemon, honey and thyme spritzer while Hayley had a wild cherry phosphate soda.

Filled up on fries, we headed out to wander around town before our meter ran out, hitting up some local gift shops along the way. We did a little bit of shopping at the always-cozy Black Dog clothing store. Stuffed to the brim with sweatshirts, t-shirts, and dog accessories stamped with their famous black labrador logo, this place is a must for any true New England lover. Although we didn't have time to do so, Portland is known for having a bunch of A+ breweries, if craft beer is your thing (it's not really mine, but you don't have to drag me to any alcohol-related activities).

Since we didn't have any dessert at Duckfat, we headed over to Two Fat Cats bakery for something sweet. This old-fashioned bakery housed in, well, a house, is exactly the kind of bakery I like. No frills, no flower walls, and not an insta-worthy marble table in sight. Just good baking, full stop. Hayley picked up a slice of millionaires shortbread (which was a shocking thing to see in an American bake shop- so British!) while I grabbed a box of Maine's official state dessert. Whoopie pies, that is. These fluffy chocolate cakes with a good helping of frosting in the middle are the stuff dreams are made of. And they're a must when you come to Maine. I'll take 4 please!

After our little dessert run, we milled around a bit longer, admiring the murals of Portland. It was proper bloggy of us, but the town was pretty dead on this grey day, so we thought we'd make the most of it (even if we were making fools of ourselves a bit!).

Our next stop was just outside of the city. The Portland Head Light is an iconic New England sight. The wild, rocky Atlantic coastline sets a dramatic backdrop for this beautiful lighthouse. It makes the perfect photo op, even on the dreariest of days. Plus, there's plenty of parking in the area, and even a little museum you can wander into.

While our afternoon in Portland was coming to a close, we spent the evening up in Brunswick, Maine- a lesser known town that's perhaps most famous for being the college-town home to Bowdoin college. And that's exactly why we went there. Two of my closest friends from childhood (and beyond) go to Bowdoin, so I took this as an opportunity to pay them a visit. I actually know like half the graduating class of 2018 there, because for some reason loads of Bowdoin students study abroad in Edinburgh. Who would've thought? Anyway, we caught up in the dorms before heading to Little Tokyo for dinner (it was actually my second visit!) Would highly recommend the noodles 10/10.

Portland, Maine really is definitely one of the underdogs of New England's cities. It may not have the major-city feel of Boston or the college-town character of New Haven, but for such a small city, it really packs a punch. Whether you're a self-proclaimed foodie, a lover of all things nautical, or a craft beer connoisseur, Portland should really be on your travel bucket-list the next time you make your way North.