Tag: Summer

Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer: Being a dog owner in Portland can be tough especially if you are trying to find a place to let them run without a leash. There are some great spots around the city that allow for your friendly canine to get some exercise without the restriction of a leash. If your dog enjoys the water, a great thing to do is take your pooch to the East End Beach. Dogs can run free without a leash before 8 am or after 5 pm. While your pup is running and enjoying the water you could start your hunt for sea glass, the beach is loaded with these delightful little treasures. Another place to check out is Valley Street dog park which has been designed especially for your four legged friends. Complete with fire hydrants and bark chips your pup will love to run around in this fenced in park with his pals. Off Ocean Avenue in Portland, canine owners will find a great fenced in wooded park for their dog complete with a trail system and plenty of room to run. If you are in South Portland, Hinckley Park is a great place to take your dog with acres of space for them to run around on and ponds for them to swim in. Where ever you decide to go, there are some important things to remember when taking your dog out to one of these locations, first, make sure to always clean up after your pet and always make sure you stay in close proximity of your pet to make sure they don’t roam too far away. Having a dog in the city is possible especially with these great spot made just for your lovely pooch!

Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer: For those of you with toddlers you know that your day is full trying to keep that little one occupied and out of trouble. There are plenty of great things to do with your bundle of energy. One place to head is your library. Most local libraries have special toddler story times designed for your little one to enjoy their favorite stories and songs with other toddlers each week. If you need to release some of your little one’s energy a great thing to do with your toddler is to enroll in a parent/child swim program. This is a great way to get your child comfortable in the water and just have a blast! If you want to encourage that artistic flair in your child enroll your little Picasso in an art class at Art Play. This is a great art focused program which gives your child the chance to experience hands on art instruction while having fun of course! The Children’s Museum offers your child even more opportunity to experience hands on activities. With dress up opportunities and interactive exhibits your toddler will be able to run and play for hours while you just sit back and enjoy the fun. While the weather is still good, take your little tike outside and hit one of Portland’s great play grounds. Head to the Eastern Promenade where you will find a great play ground for your toddler along with a great view for Mom and Dad. There is plenty to do with your little one right here in Portland, so make your plans and head out today!

Winter,Spring,Summer & Fall: I have found that living in Maine my whole life I tend to take for granted the fresh seafood options that are abundant when it comes to dining out. There are plenty of restaurants out there that can definitely whip up some of the finest creations using native lobster, scallops and shrimp but, sometimes the simple things like great fried clams hit the spot and certainly have their place in the culinary world. In the Portland area there are some great seafood places that keep things simple and definitely serve up some great fried clams and lobster rolls. One of my favorite stops if you are looking for no frills but, delicious seafood is Susan’s Fish and Chips on Forest Ave. The restaurant itself is not much to write home about but, the food…deliciously simple. The fried haddock is firm, perfectly breaded and fried to perfection. The clams and shrimp are hot, fresh and very tasty. Best of all, this restaurant is extremely affordable. Another place I like to go is Gilbert’s Chowder House. Despite the name, Gilbert’s actually offers a wide menu selection of fresh seafood dishes sure to appeal to anyone searching for great seafood. From fried native shrimp to baked or broiled scallops you will leave feeling satisfied that you just had a great meal at a reasonable price. Captain Newicks is another top pick for fresh affordable seafood. This is a family style, affordable seafood restaurant has been offering diners the freshest seafood for years. During this time of year you can even find fried smelts as one of the daily specials. Newicks has been packing diners in for years now and they have definitely found their niche in the “nothing fancy, just affordable seafood” arena.

Winter,Spring,Summer & Fall: Feel like dancing? Well I sure didn’t until one of my friends convinced me that what I needed to do was to take a swing class. That’s right folks, convinced that this would be the thing to keep us entertained for the winter we signed up for the class. Half heartily, I arrived at Maine Ballroom on Congress Street in Portland. As I entered the huge dance studio I was overwhelmed by all the mirrors, seriously, do I need to see and be reminded of what a fool I was going to look like? Well, as the class was filling up and as more people came in I could feel my anxiety increasing. The instructor gave us a quick overview of the night, paired us up with a partner and cranked the music. At first it felt as though I had two left feet and the counting was throwing me off but, as the lesson and night progressed I found that I was laughing and really getting the hang of it. By the end of the night the rhythm of the music, the counting of the instructor all melded into a swing dance that was fun, fast and a little bit exhilarating. I have to say that this was probably one of the most most fun nights I had had in long time and am looking forward our next night out. With so many different dances to learn like the Foxtrot, Ballroom, Salsa and ChaCha I may be busy for a while. Another place to check out if you think this sounds like fun is Maplewood Dance Center on Warren Ave in Portland. They also offers lessons for these dances and also offers country line dancing lessons for all you Kenny Chesney fans. Why not try it, it was definitely fun to do and you get to learn something that you will always use, especially at your cousins wedding this summer.

Spring,Summer,Fall & Winter: Freeport is a hot spot for those who enjoy the idea of outlet shopping and it caters to a wide variety of people depending on what you are looking for. From designer shops for women like Jones of New York, Anne Klein and Banana Republic to specialty children’s shops like Children’s Place and Carters, you can pretty much find it all. Men love LL Bean’s Hunting & Fishing store, and the kids will love the fish tank where they can see native species in the huge tank that grace the entrance of the store. The kids will especially like standing inside the “bubble” to get a birds-eye view of the rainbow trout swimming about the tank. Maybe you are into candles; than Yankee Candle is a definite must stop and you never know what special scents they have to offers like homemade sugar cookie and pumpkin spice. Teens will love Abercrombie & Fitch, the Gap, and and J.Crew. There are some great shoe stores like Clark’s and Bass as well as, J L Coombs. Need some luggage for that upcoming trip, than visit the American Tourister outlet. How about some new dishes? The Mikasa outlet is the perfect place to find some great buys. Are you hungry? There are some great restaurants to choose from like Jameson Tavern for casual dining, The Mediterranean Grill, Café Azure and China Rose to name a few. There are even places to stay in town from Bed & Breakfast accommodations to larger hotel chains like the Comfort Inn. Visitors and natives alike will find that Freeport is worth the trip!