Last weekend’s short snap of spring weather was a godsend at my East End apartment. Just a couple blocks up from the waterfront, I’ve had the placed shuttered up pretty tight for the last five months to protect against the chilling winds that whip off the ocean.
So I tore the plastic wrap off the windows, broke out the mop and dustpan, and proceeded to engage in the lamest and yet oddly fulfilling activity known to man: spring cleaning.
After five hours, six trash bags, and two pruned hands, and barley a dent in the mess, I was ready for a break.
Maybe it was my overwhelming sense of accomplishment on my usually lazy weekend, but sitting on my porch with leftover pasta and a cold beer, not even the oppressive malt fumes of the Shipyard Brewery could dampen my spirit.
On this day, on this porch, overlooking the harbor (albeit, through the growing obstruction of office buildings) I felt like I could finally start to enjoy this city again.
Any member of the USM marketing staff will share one universal truth with you; Portland is a great city, and a big draw for USM. The school’s 30-second television commercials, debuted a few months back as part of the school’s new marketing efforts, are a jazzy romp around the city, full of smiling students who seem to be enjoying themselves all up and down the streets of Portland.
There is no denying the unique atmosphere of the city, and it’s not only weathered, grizzled Mainers who will tell you this.
Last week, Portland was picked by Forbes.com as “America’s most livable city”. Just a few days before, The Washington Post ran a travel article on Portland’s Munjoy Hill area.
Funny, considering a couple months back, trudging across Franklin Arterial to catch a bus as feeling my face freeze into a stinging mask of pain, I didn’t feel like I was inhabiting a particularly “livable” city.
Looking a little deeper into the article however, I started to understand the moniker a little better. Low unemployment and crime rates, coupled with high income growth and a unique arts and dining scene, paints Portland as something of an sea-side, flannel-tinged oasis.
The great thing about Portland is that is has little competition in being the arts and culture center of the state. Maine has its abundance of natural wonders to admire, from the western mountains to M.D.I.’s Sand Beach, but when it comes to man-made fun, it’s all here.
This might seem a bold assertion for any objective newsman to make, but where else in the state could I walk along a beach, do some tasting at a brewery, and hungrily eye high-end foodie hideouts in one ten minute walk?
I would be reluctant to judge a city based solely on it’s culinary treats and top-class microbrews, but there is something more to Portland than tapas and taps.
The independent spirit that runs through this city is probably what I am most proud of. Just try finding an urban area of comparable size anywhere in the country that has so wholly rejected Starbucks, and other such big name corporations in favor of supporting local businesses – a move that builds a sense of community while keeping the profits in the community.
Try finding an art community so vibrant and welcoming. Just take The First Friday Art Walk, where hordes of wine-thirsty denizens will trudge through deep freeze conditions to sample the work of new and emerging artists at businesses eager to promote the art scene.
From East End to West End, Deering Oaks to the State Pier, there is something special about this city, an eclectic sort of place with a little something for everyone just waiting to be explored.