Bike Sharrow

Local readers may have been seeing some fresh new symbols painted on the roads around town. These markings are bike sharrows and they raise awareness among motorists that bicycles are entitled to share the road. Instead of bike lanes, which require more paint and lead the the false assumption that bicycles have to stay within the bike lane at all times, the bike sharrows seem to be more appropriate and get the message across concisely.

Weekend Stuff

The weekend is usually a good time to post random photos such as these

Wild West End

Victoria Mansion:

A charming house:

Brick triple-decker, minus the decks

Bayside Trail - August 2010

The Bayside Trail looks better each time I see it. The grand opening is August 19th from 4-6pm at the Elm Street Plaza off Marginal Way. Here's some shots from last weekend:

Baseball at Deering Oaks

Around the Cove

A couple of exquisite houses lining Back Cove:

A section of Baxter Boulevard was closed to auto traffic on Sunday for the Back Cove Block Party:

Looking back across the Cove:

The Streets Don't Change but Maybe the Name

West End Deli - after dark:

House on Newbury Street - I liked the cardboard Elvis in the 2nd floor window

The Triple-Deckers

The Parkside Neighborhood has some good examples of a variety of triple-deckers. Sometimes these are referred to as three-deckers. Posted below are two examples of pretty traditional looking ones. Wikipedia has some good info about triple deckers, if you want to learn more about them and their New England origins. To sum it up, this type of building is:

"...a three-story apartment building, typically of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment; although two apartments per floor is not uncommon."

And not far away from Parkside, here is a one-decker (similar to a bridge), designed for use by trains:

Eastern Cemetery /Spirits Alive

Spirits Alive formed in 2006 and is a group dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the Eastern Cemetery .Check out the Spirits Alive website here. 

A photo of just two of the headstones:

Per Spirits Alive:

"The incredible Eastern Cemetery, Portland’s oldest historic landscape, was officially founded almost several hundred years ago and offers a deep connection to our shared past. Within its six acres are buried over 4,000 citizens including many of the area’s first English settlers, renowned military heroes, politicians, and even Portland’s first bank robber. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1973)."

Miss Portland Diner

Miss Portland Diner has been at its current location on Marginal Way, in Bayside, since 2008 (check out its illustrious history on their website). It's not my top choice for local diners, but it's not a bad place either. Here is the urbanspoon page for the place. This is more of a snapshot that a photo, but I liked the colors in it:

Around the Peninsula - August 2, 2010

I haven't done one of these little posts in a long while. Here we go...

• Keen observers and geography nerds such as myself may have noticed that Google released updated satellite views of Portland and the surrounding areas. Based on the half-demolished Jordan's factory and the first stages of the Jetport expansion in the imagery, I estimate the images to be a couple months old. Check it out on Google Maps or Google Earth before they get old.

• Unseen Portland has taken off since my last "Around the Peninsula" posting. This site posts photographs taken around town by many different photographers, and anyone (even you!) can submit your shots. As the author describes the site: "My goal is simply to show Portland in it’s most raw and beautiful state." You might even spy one of my photos in the archives. 

• Live Work Portland has an up-and-coming blog, called Portland Now. They are always looking  for  contributors, too. Also check out their Creative Portland People.org site: 

• Hillytown.com was redesigned not long ago, look sharp! Still the go-to site  for music happenings around town and the place to go for info about the remaining music festivals around the state taking place this summer.

• Portland Food Coma goes on a Maine BBQ Pilgrimage

• "Top 10 Under $10" cheap eats list by Broke 207. This will come in handy.

• And as always, be sure to check out the blogs listed on the right-hand column. Want your blog added? Just let me know.

Street Ends / Kill Your Television

Out in Bayside: