People Take Pictures of Each Other

People take pictures of each other

Just to prove that they really existed

-The Kinks

Random warning of the day....

Corporate Ladder

I purchased a new lens this weekend from Photo Market. I think it will inspire me to take more pictures. That and the extra daylight and warm weather will help, too.

Sometimes it Rains

Port City Friday

Looks like the Bay House project is still in the pipeline, slated to open next year per the website. They still have their model unit open in the Old Port so that's a good sign I'd guess.

Fire Lion

Fire!

Out like a lion...

Portland vs. Albany

For people interested in this sort of stuff, the rumors still swirl about the Pirates moving to Albany, NY. According to this article published yesterday in the Albany Times Union, they are optimistic that a team will be playing in Albany next year (their current team AHL team is moving to Charlotte). The Buffalo News reports that the Pirates owner has denied any deals made yet with the Albany folk. Locally, WMTW has a surprisingly detailed article (considering they aren't a newspaper) about the situation overall.

Here's a picture from a random home game against said Albany team

And Today is the last day of 2010 Restaurant Week. Today's pick is Old Port Sea Grill & Raw Bar. It's on the long list of fancy (meals costing more than $15 per person) Portland restaurants that I've never been to, but it looks classy.

Flashback: March 08/09

Here's one from way back in March 2008, when we used to have snow on the ground this time of year.

And a couple from March 2009....

The full month by month archives can be found by using the widget on the right side of the site, I think it's the last thing over there.

Junk

It's Friday again, what a fast week.

Street Patterns

In today's post about things that only interest me, here is some stuff on the street.

Before & After: Atherton's Furniture

For this installment of Before & After, here is the building at the corner of Free and Center Streets which used to be a home furnishings store. This photo is from 1938 and comes from MaineMemory.net.

If I knew I was going to use this for a before and after post I would have lined this up better but you get the idea. The building is pretty much identical in appearance and has been offices for quite some time. This is the building that has the blueprint mural on the side of it (The Phoenix has a picture here).

And to answer yesterday's question, that was indeed the weather vane at the top of City Hall. I was expecting more comments, but good work Kate from Blueberry Files!

Where is this? #3

Feel free to leave a guess or two in the form of a comment.

And today's pick for Maine Restaurant Week is The Grill Room on Exchange Street. Check out their special menu here.

Maine Restaurant Week 2010

Today marks the beginning of the 2nd annual Maine Restaurant Week. Check out the event's website for a full list of participating restaurants. The deal is:

"Participating restaurants will once again showcase their signature dishes on specially priced, prix fixe menus. For 2010, restaurants will serve three-course meals priced at 20.10, 30.10 or 40.10. Also some restaurants are serving $15.10 lunches."

Here is a poster for the event:

Here's my pick for today, Five Fifty-Five on Congress Street. Here is the"dish."

Pretentious Artsyness

Happy Friday! Here's a few random shots around town.

Ships Ahoy

This is a close up view of the Algobay (tanker?) ship that is parked in Portland for the winter. Usually this space is used for cruise ships in the summer, so the city made a smart move and rented the spot out to this ship for the winter.



Today's reader photo, below, is from Michael Sosnowski of Maine Real Estate News and Maine Home Connection. I hear that now is the right time to buy! I like how this tanker, unloading at Spring Point in South Portland, has "protect the environment" written on it. Aside from any cynical remarks I can make about that, it's more inspiring than the standard "no smoking" that is usually put up in that spot (that's also a good message for sailors and the general public!)

Local News by professionals:

Press Herald reports (that's what they do) about the State Theater. Is it actually going to re-open?!?

Channel 6 can't tell us whether the Pirates are moving to Albany or not. The civic center needs replacing, but even if the Pirates leave there is a good shot at getting another AHL or ECHL or Quebec Major Junior team in there.

Mayo Street

Mayo Street Arts had a grand opening recently. You should check out their site (they are also on my constantly updated list of blogs in the right-hand column of this site) for future events. The place is conveniently located on Mayo Street, just off of Cumberland Avenue.

And the sign of the day:

Portland Daily Photo Weather Report: From looking out my windows, I would guess it's going to rain today.

B&M Baked Beans

From Foodreference.com:

In 1876 B&M baked beans were the first baked beans to be sold in cans. The Burnham & Morill Company canned baked beans for use by fishermen who worked their fishing fleet out of Portland, Maine.

This first photo is several months old, notice the sign is up. Apparently it was removed over the summer and was supposed to be replaced.

From this week... still no sign!

And this is in the same area and was worth a photo...

3 Miles

A few more from the Saturday walk around the Cove.

Morning on the Cove

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a walk around the Back Cove. Almost felt like spring.

First Portland Winter Market

You can check it out each Saturday until April 24th at 85 Free Street, from 10am-1pm.

Custom House from the Ocean

Another photo with one of my favorite buildings, the good old Custom House on Commercial Street. An interesting read about the building can be found here.

"Located near Portland's waterfront, the U.S. Custom House is a testament to the city's maritime history. It was built to accommodate the city's growing customs business, which, by 1866, was collecting $900,000 annually in customs duties - making Portland one of the most significant seaports in the country."

Other news:

I'm sure everyone has seen the new pressherald.com by now. According to the Press Herald, the new site has received "...almost 100 percent positive feedback." I wonder what the actual percent of positive feedback is? Sounds like biased reporting. (I think the site is a great improvement).

2 Signs

Just two signs...

Portland Maine Winter Market

I've been hearing some buzz about the new 'winter market' opening on Free Street soon, so here is a picture so people can find it. It's opening on Feb. 20 at 85 Free Street (Next to MECA and across from the Civic Center) and will be open each Saturday in the winter from 10am-1pm.

Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I'll get some photos of the event this weekend.

Middle of February