Docked

A small boat parked at the State Pier

This is Portland not Boston

 Seen in Monument Square.

Skylined

Here are a few recent skyline shots from the USM parking garage looking towards the peninsula. I had the idea of going back up here after I mentioned in my post about the top 5 places to photograph the Portland skyline that I hadn't taken any night shots from here in a few years. Feel free to click on the photos for a larger view.

Skyline over I-295

Skyline and baseball game at Deering Oaks

Not an Entrance

Rear entrance of a building at Thompson's Point

Back side of a building that fronts York Street

Last First Friday

Here are a couple of photos of the most recent First Friday in Portland. The first photo s at Congress Square. I like the addition of arts & crafts vendors on this stretch of Congress Street and think it would be great if they came out every Friday. 

Vendors also gather in Congress Square Plaza/Park to the left of the above photo, in front of the Eastland Hotel.

A street performance a little bit further down Congress Street. Not sure if this band has a name, feel free to leave  a comment to this post if you want to name them.

For more info about First Friday, check out the official site here. The site provides event listings, maps, and a list of participating galleries/shops/restaurants/etc. See you at the next one on August 5th!

Of Bricks and Birds

Bricks on Wharf Street:

A friendly bird, likely enjoying Portland's pedestrian and bird-friendly sidewalks and public spaces:

Thompson's Point

Here are some 'before' photos of  Thompson's Point.  This piece of land sits behind the Portland Transportation Center (Amtrak and Concord Coach Lines) and adjacent to I-295. It has been an industrial site for many years and is the spot of the planned "The Forefront" development. The Forefront will involve a new arena for the Maine Red Claws basketball team, a hotel, convention center, and office space. If  you  want  to check out the area for yourself, Portland Trails has a trail around the point which also links easily to the Fore River Parkway Trail and the Stroudwater trails. 

5th of July

I feel obliged  to post a photo from last night's fireworks in Portland. The weather was terrific and the fog wasn't too much of  a hindrance to the fireworks display. I think the event was a success and a good birthday  party for the country.

4th of July

I don't think I posted this yet. I couldn't find any recent photos that specifically relate to Independence day, but this photo was from around Memorial Day and was taken across from the Regency Hotel in the Old Port.

Here is the site with all the details about the stars and stripes spectacular fireworks event in Portland tonight.

Looking into the Past: Custom House

Today's installment of this series is of the lovely Custom House on Commercial Street. The earlier photo, which appears to be from the 1960's or 70's perhaps, guessing from the automobiles, comes from the excellent Portland Maine Encyclopedia facebook group. Check out some of my other looking into the past photos in this flickr set or here on this blog. For further inspiration, check out this official looking into the past flickr group, where I picked up the idea.

Bits & Pieces

Center Street Smiley Face

The Real Congress  Street

Parkside Garage

Top 5: Places to Photograph the Portland Skyline

Here are my picks for the top 5 places from which to photograph the Portland, Maine skyline, using photos that I've taken over the years. Portland's skyline is not quite as impressive as New York's or  San Francisco's, but it gets the job done. One's initial impression of the city can depend on which angle the city is viewed. To the list, in no real particular order:

1. From the Casco Bay Bridge. If I was introducing someone to Portland for the  first time, the  view  from the bridge would be a good first impression, especially by foot or bicycle.

2. Undisclosed location. This view from the north and west of the peninsula is pretty unique. Given the terrain of the area, there aren't a lot of places where you can get a view of the city from this far away. View the below photo much larger on my flickr.

3. University of Southern Maine Campus. Just across I-295, the USM campus has  some good views from the parking garage, pictured below, or from some of the top floors of the academic buildings. The below photo is from 2006, I should try to take the photo again sometime.

4. Intermed Building, Bayside. Although taking a photo from this building means that the skyline view  doesn't include the Intermed building (not a huge loss though), it affords quite a view over Bayside.

5. Standpipe Park and/or North Street, Munjoy Hill. This is one of my favorite places to view the city's skyline. Here's an example:

I would do 5 more but I have run out of time. Maybe that will be a post next week, stay tuned!