Monday, March 31, 2008

Mathew's

I have yet to find anything verifying that Mathew's Pub on Free Street is the oldest pub in Portland, but until I hear otherwise I will assume that their sign is true.



Site Updates!
  • I've tweaked the blog layout a little bit and and am working on making new header images every few weeks or for special events.
  • I also changed from the traditional blogger label system to a 'label cloud,' which I think works very well as it takes up much less space and is easy on the eyes.
  • Please feel free to comment about any aspect of the new look! Both good and bad reviews are appreciated. I want this blog to be as reader-friendly as possible (without spending any money of course!).

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Spring


Spring has sprung on the sidewalk in front of my apartment, a welcome sight.

Friday, March 28, 2008

78

Click to view full-size. Taken from the Washington Ave off-ramp.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Graffiti Box

I missed last month's theme day, but here's a graffiti shot anyhow. It didn't look that bad originally, but I like the new, more unique, look.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Warm Welcome

A warm welcome to the Peninsula, via the Washington Avenue exit while heading south of I-295.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Lancaster Block


The Lancaster Block, at 474 Congress Street is a real beauty in my eyes.

From the Portland Landmarks website...

Curvilinear terra cotta panels and rondels, features of the sculptural
Queen Anne style, enliven the well-ordered facade of this commercial building.
The original four stories were designed by the firm of Fassett and Stevens for
J. B. Brown in 1881. Brown was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire in 1805; hence
the name of the building.

The upper two stories, distinguished by the slightly lighter colored
brick and the Colonial Revival detail, were added before 1924. Additional
stories are fairly common on Congress Street buildings, the two on the Lancaster
Block blend unusually well with the original structure.



I'm a big fan of this terra cotta look. It adds a little extra to a city dominated by brick.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Angela Adams

The Angela Adams storefront on Congress Street. A very neat looking building. I imagine the upper floors are very cool apartments.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wage Peace

A positive message from a local church. Most church websites have limited information on the history of the building, but their site is well done.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Vespa

I believe this is one of those Vespa things I've been hearing about. Certainly a fun way to get around town. Spotted in the West End.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Postcards from Portland #1

Portland's largest public park is named so because of the abundance of Oak trees on the premises. It has a large pond (also used in the winter as skating rink), an amphitheater, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, tennis courts, and things of that sort.

Some Wikipedia info on Portland's Deering Oaks Park....


The area was the site of a September 1869 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans. The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. The pond in Deering Oaks at one time filled and drained with the ocean tides; it was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th Century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. .


Good to know!


Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Park Ave.

An impromptu shot of the Portland Exposition Building (The Expo) and a portion of Hadlock Field, home to the AA Boston Red Sox affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs. Also prominent in the picture are a lot of power lines which would look better underground.

The expo is 'the 2nd oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States,' and opened in 1915 according to their website. Pretty neat stuff. They have a lot of high school basketball games and things like that there now, as most bigger events need the space of the civic center.

Monday, March 17, 2008

17th of March

Happy St. Patricks Day
and now for something completely unrelated...
A Casco Bay Lines ferry passes behind Ft. Gorges on the way to Peak's Island. From PeaksIsland.com...

Peaks Island is one of over 211 islands in Casco Bay and is home to
1,000 or more year round residents. During the summer months, the population
grows several times as people flock to the island to enjoy the island charm and
beauty of Casco Bay.





Sunday, March 16, 2008

One Headlight


A pretty standard side-mirror shot taken while driving on Congress Street, towards Munjoy Hill this evening. I wasn't going quite as fast as it may appear.
Most streets in the area are 25mph zones (4o kpm for the metric system folks).


Site News 3/16/2008

My blog was recently mentioned in a Press Herald blog by Justin Ellis. (which I happen to check out pretty often) I'm down near the bottom here. Very neat!

I have separated my links to the left side of the page into one section for local blogs and another for 'other local sites.' If you have something that fits into one of these categories, just let me know and I will probably add it. Thanks to the other local bloggers who have added my link also!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

HodgePodge

A cluster of brick buildings on Congress Street. The spire of the State Street church is seen in the middle, dating back to some time in the in 1800's.

I've never been there but I like the looks of the little barber shop on the right. I wonder if they do flat-tops?

Friday, March 14, 2008

Ice House

Not sure why I put this in black and white, but I enjoy the slightly tacky touch of a plane flying into the tavern. What'll they think of next?

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Read About It


This picture is from the archives, taken about a year go. It is the backside of the Portland Press Herald's downtown office building. The fact that someone sprayed 'read about it' on a newspaper's building still makes me wonder what they were trying to say. Oh well!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Don't Walk


A pedestrian quietly waits to cross State Street on a chilly evening.


Brrr.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Full House?

From The Northern tip of Munjoy Hill.
And from a Hill on the other coast...

Monday, March 10, 2008

Soaring

Work continues on the Intermed building and the Bayside Student Housing building on Marginal Way. A favorite site for keeping up with local projects is the Archboston forum, here's the thread for the Intermed project. A quick hello to the fine visitors from that site.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Sunday Sunset #1

Tonight's sunset looking West across Back Cove. Perhaps every few Sundays I'll do this sunset (or maybe sunrise) theme because "Sunday Sunset" sounds catchy.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Before and After #1

The Portland U.S. Custom House from last century and last Sunday:

1880 - From Commercial Street
(From Mainememory.net)

2008, from the other side. The building looks about the same from both front and back, and I think the view I chose looks better due to the elevation.
From wikipedia...
Although the city lost to redevelopment the 1868 Greek Revival Portland Post Office by Isaiah Rogers, it retains the equally monumental 1873 Italianate Portland Custom House by Alfred B. Mullett.
Such a fine building. I wish they still build them like this! Thank for viewing and have a nice Friday.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Remember when?


A few postcards from last summer. (Click for larger versions)

I went in and updated my photomap, link in upper-right corner, the other day. I had been slacking awhile due to not being able to remember how to use the application. But it's all set now.

Just a quick hello to members of the City Daily Photo community, whose members are a majority of my visitors here. I am still trying to 'get out' more and visit all of your blogs as often as possible, there is some great talent out there!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

March 5


Part of the Maine Court System, the Edward T. Gignoux courthouse has a prominent location in Portland. To the immediate right of the building is a similary historic court building. From the Maine.Gov site....


The District of Maine was one of the original thirteen district courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. A district court was created in each of the eleven states that had ratified the Constitution by September, 1789, as well as in Maine (then part of Massachusetts) and Kentucky (then still part of Virginia)
Thus concludees today's brief history lesson.



Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Monday, March 3, 2008

Room with a View

I bet that little room in the center of the picture has quite a view. Certainly a good deck for entertaining.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Observe


Portland Observatory is one of the city's most unique landmarks and became a certified national landmark two years ago. It was built in 1807 and is the only remaining (seized operations in 1923 though) maritime signal station in the United States. High atop Munjoy Hill, it is visible from sea and as boats approached harbor, the people running the tower would (for a fee) fly a flag indicating what boat and what goods were coming into town as to help speed up the shipping process. Pretty neat stuff. FMI.

I had the pleasure of going to the top of the structure last summer for the first time, which would be a preferable time to do so!






(click these images for bigger versions)