World's Largest Human Lobster Meetings

From Channel 13's storm closing page...

Portland's one canceled event today is the world's largest human lobster meeting. Anyone have any idea what this is? I must have missed that memo.

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Winter Sunrise

Looking towards Munjoy Hill in the morning

Untitled

Fight Terror

This flyer is on Commercial Street. I've seen these all around town and have been meaning to get a shot of one of them. Good marketing I think.

Like a brick wall

Portland Daily Sun

The Portland Daily Sun arrived in newspaper boxes around the city this week. Pictured is Thursday's edition. I think it's a pretty good read, with mostly local items on the first couple pages then syndicated national, opinion, and comics pages followed by ads. It is published Tuesday through Saturday.

As Elliott pointed out here, the Daily Sun's website is quite ugly. I plan on doing a little review of local newspaper's online efforts sometime this weekend, so stay tuned! Spoiler: The Daily Sun and the West End News will be scraping it out for second-to-last place.

Crosstown Traffic

Traffic on Congress Street last Sunday. I think it was backed-up due to the Disney on Ice event at the ol' Civic Center.

All along the watchtower

Portland City Hall, designed by Carrere and Hastings and built in 1909. The firm is also known for designing the New York Public Library among many other fine structures. City Hall was added to the register of historic places in 1973.

Winter Hazards

Does anyone else worry a little bit about being impaled by a falling icicle while walking Portland's sidewalks in the winter? I try not to think about it.

Resurgam

Rising from the snow

Before and After #7

The Armory Building in 1898:

In 2009:

Per the Maine Memory Network:

"The Armory was built in 1895 and was used for drill purposes by the many National Guard units that were headquartered there. The building also served as a civic auditorium.

The Guard vacated the building in 1941, but it was used to house military personnel who were in Portland temporarily. The Navy used the building during World War II as a recreation center."

The building is now a fine Hotel & Spa, known as The Regency. From theregency.com:

"..the armory was nearly razed in 1962 when it was abandoned as surplus property by the National Guard and taken over by the city of Portland. Many, including the Chamber of Commerce and the City Manager, wanted to demolish the site and use the site for waterfront parking.

This "improvement plan", was opposed by the many veterans who trained here as well as the city councilmen who thought the plan was too expensive. Following a year filled with controversy the State of Maine Armory was sold for $28,000.00 to State Paper Company. The building, which had served both Maine and this country for over sixty years, was used as a warehouse until 1984 when it was purchased for its conversion into a hotel. The Portland Regency Hotel opened with 95 rooms in 1987, a complement to Portland's popular, restored Old Port."