Visitors often come to Portland, Maine, for the first time because they want to spend a summer weekend in a quaint city by the water, or because they’ve heard about the city’s superlative seafood (80 percent of the United States’ lobster comes from Maine). Seduced by the easy access to nature and relative affordability, many return for longer stays or even for good. Between 2020 and 2022, Maine’s population had the highest percentage increase of any New England state.
But Maine’s desirability is nothing new. Artists, artisans and writers have long gravitated to the state; they established an art colony with two schools of painting in Ogunquit, on Maine’s southern coast, in the first half of the 20th century, and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle, which was founded in 1950, continues to draw instructors and students from around the world. More recently, the state’s creative spirit has resulted in a dynamic food scene. Turn down any one of one of Portland’s cobblestone streets and you’ll find more quality restaurants and bakeries (of both the old- and new-guard varieties) than you might expect in a place with just 68,000 year-round residents. The same is true just northeast of the city, in the mid-coast region, especially in the town of Rockland — an easy and scenic 90-minute drive away — which has a burgeoning food and art scene on track to rival Portland’s.
Kazeem Lawal, the owner of the clothing and accessories store Portland Trading Co., moved from New Jersey to Portland 14 years ago, and has witnessed its stratospheric growth from a small port town to a destination city. “It’s a bit like the Brooklyn of 20 years ago, with old and new coexisting,” he says. “and it’s continuing to grow and evolve, as all cities should and do.”
Here, Lawal and three other Mainers share their favorite spots in and around the state’s largest city.
, a co-owner of Death & Co. cocktail bars (with locations in New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and Washington, D.C.), moved to Portland in 2019.
, the novelist, has lived in Portland since 2002.
, the creative director of the clothing and accessories store Portland Trading Co., moved to Maine in 2009.
, the architect and principal at Toshiko Mori Architect, divides her time between New York City and a home on an island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay.
“Before my husband and I moved to Maine, we tested out all the lodging options in Portland. I like the AirBnBs in Munjoy Hill, but if going the hotel route, is my favorite spot — comfortable, centrally located, tastefully curated, and the home of one of Portland’s coziest restaurants, .” —
“ is a contemporary guesthouse at the top of Munjoy Hill with six warm, lovely rooms and rotating works of art by
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On Saturday, violence erupted across Israel and Gaza in one of the worst conflicts the region has seen in decades, according to The New York Times. After Hamas militants began launching thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli towns early Saturday morning, the conflict has continued to escalate, with Israel’s military responding with massive air strikes. The violence has left thousands dead, according to CNN. Thousands more are injured on both sides.
The largest country in Central America - dubbed the land of lakes and volcanoes - Nicaragua has retained its off-the-beaten-path feel, and much of it has been preserved rather than developed.
It will come as zero surprise that Las Vegas, Nevada, is considered the best party city in the US, according to a survey by U.S. News & World Report. What’s even less surprising is that Salt Lake City, Utah, did not make this top-10 list. Truth be told, it might not even crack the top 20. But it’s on the rise. With a boost from COVID and a number of other factors working in its favor, the Salt Lake City party scene is becoming a true nightlife ecosystem with its own unique style, sound and vibe. This is your guide to going out in the capital city of the Beehive State.
According to the popular Noah Kahan song, Stick Season is named for a term that was used by some of the older folks in the town he grew up in to describe this really miserable time of year when it's just kind of gray and cold, and there's no snow yet and the beauty of the foliage is done.
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While Boston is no stranger to charming neighborhoods packed full of historic landmarks, few districts can match the splendor of Back Bay. Established in the mid-1800s, this storied section of the city was constructed on reclaimed land, imbuing the area with an easily-navigable grid system that’s a far cry from the chaotic maze of streets found across downtown Boston—and as an added bonus, Back Bay is renowned for its gorgeous Victorian brownstone homes, offering ample attractions for architecture aficionados to enjoy.
Now that the summer is officially behind us, the airline industry is already looking ahead to next summer, when scores of Americans are expected to jet off to popular destinations across the world.
Within minutes of meeting Rodney Hines, the founder of Seattle’s Metier Brewing Company, I learn he’s accomplished more in a few decades than most would dream of doing in a lifetime. After attending Bates College in Maine, Philadelphia-born Hines scoped out potential new locations across the country for City Year, the nonprofit supporting students and schools in under-resourced communities.
North Carolina is home to famed landscapes ranging from craggy peaks in the west – popular with advanced hikers – to coastal plains in the east – a popular destination for families. But no matter your skill level, the Tar Heel state is filled with pathways, marshes and densely packed forests to tramp.