Day trip to Portland, Maine: Treasures and lobster rolls

Hey there, folks! I’ll be honest, since getting home two weeks from our three-week road trip, I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I miss road travel. I miss the daily adventure. I miss exploring. I miss seeing a slice of the world through the windshield and my lens. For some reason, I don’t experience these same feelings when I’m home, and the older I get, the more and more I feel called to a life of wandering…But, every once in a while, I’ll travel to a place not-so-far-away and feel that familiar leap in my heart and an urge to let my camera do its thing while I become filled with curiosity and wonder. A recent day trip to Portland Architectural Salvage in Portland, Maine, did all of that for me; in short, it was one of those good-for-the-soul days.

One of my closest friends (and fellow Fuji camera shooter) had suggested that we take our cameras out for a day, and we decided on a drive up the coast of New Hampshire and into Maine, landing in Portland, just an hour and change from my home. Portland is such a cool (dare I say “hip”?) city—home to a fabulous art museum, one of my favorite places to eat oysters, a ton of shops and restaurants, a quintessential Maine waterfront, and some iconic lighthouses.

We meandered up Route One, through all the quaint coastal towns. We had planned to stop along the way if anything caught our eye, but the harsh daylight sun wasn’t lending itself to good light for photos. Without a plan in mind once we arrived in Portland, I suggested going to Portland Architectural Salvage, which G and I had visited earlier this year. I knew my friend would love it—what I didn’t know is that it would become our “photo shoot” for the day. Yeah, it’s that kind of place.

So, let’s set the scene. cue up that Disney classic “Part of Your World,” and imagine Ariel wondrously singing about “gadgets and gizmos aplenty,” “whozits and whatzits galore,” and, of course, “thingamabobs.” (Full disclosure: I love Disney movies, and I’m particularly fond of the ones from the 90s that shaped my late teen years—The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin/Lion King quartet). Seriously, the salvage store had me waxing nostalgic over gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs and wondering how I might possibly put each to use (read: create a plan for rationalizing a purchase of said gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs).

I’m a sucker for old stuff. I love the damp smell of basements, the mysteries within “junk drawers” (sidetone: since I am married to a neat freak, we do not have a junk drawer. He’s missing out.), albums filled with yellowed photographs, and used bookstores. Some of my most prized possessions are old cooking tools that were once my grandmother’s and great-aunt’s, two Italian women who lived next door to us growing up and whose homemade pastas, pizzas, and soups (and oh, the fried dough!!!) were part of our daily diets (yes, I was a lucky, lucky girl). The garlic press, pizza pans, and colander I now constantly use in my own kitchen must all be close to 75 years old at this point, if not older.

Needless to say, for me, being in a place like this salvage store is like being the proverbial kid in a candy store. This place has just about everything you might imagine: doors, hooks, knobs, stained glass windows, glassware, wall signs (and highway signs, too!), bathtubs and basins, bicycles hanging from ceilings—and even church pews. You name it, it’s here.

Vintage L.L. Bean Bean boots? Yup, you can get them here.

Old suitcases? Yup! And, forgive me, but when I shot photos of the suitcases, all I could think of George Bailey and that great old leather suitcase Old Man Gower bought him. “I—I want a BIG one!” (Fun Fact: It’s a Wonderful Life is my all-time favorite movie).

And since just about everything in this store made my mind spin in all different directions (squirrel!), I couldn’t help but think of my all-time favorite book—A Prayer for Owen Meany— when I spied a dressmaker’s torso mannequin (and which I had to talk myself out of buying!). I mean, my own dressmaker’s dummy to keep at the foot of the bed! If you have not read A Prayer for Owen Meany, please stop reading this blog now and buy yourself a copy. NOW. Then read it. And read it again, and again, and again. Seriously, it’s that good.

Honestly, everything in the store seemed placed just-so, as if perfectly curated and staged, with fantastic lighting to boot!

In a city filled with some pretty great places to visit, Portland Architectural Salvage might just be one of my favorites. Its website heralds “everything old is new again,” and this about sums up the place: it’s got that grandfather’s garage kind of feel, mixed with a DIY/HGTV/shabby chic vibe. It’s the kind of place that makes me want to buy an old farmhouse and restore/renovate/redecorate. And any place that makes me nostalgic for favorite movies, favorite books, and loved ones long passed is worth the stop.

And since no day is complete without a great meal, we were off to grab a late lunch of lobster rolls—my first since the road trip! We stopped at Bite Into Maine in nearby Scarborough, a place that serves up one of my favorite (if not THE favorite) lobster rolls in Maine. Now, if you’ve been a reader of the blog, you’ll know that I’m a fan of lobster rolls. I prefer mine filled with cold lobster mixed with a little mayo. Bite Into Maine offers that—what it calls the Maine style—as well as the warm buttered style (“Connecticut style”—sorry, home state!). BUT wait, there’s more! There’s also the “Picnic” style (coleslaw, warm butter, and celery salt) and a few other styles. So, I channeled my inner Sally Albright and asked if I could mix two styles: I wanted the Maine but with the coleslaw on the bottom like the Picnic— but no warm butter (chives and celery salt were okay). The kind young woman at the counter informed that not only was that possible but they also have a name for it—the “Maine-iac” (I’m not sure how they spell it!). So, count me in! We ordered two of those, two bags of chips, and two Maine Root root beers. Ah, perfection.

If you go:
Portland Architectural Salvage
131 Preble Street - Portland, Maine 04101 - (207) 780-0634
Open Tuesday through Friday, 10a-5p; Saturday 10a-4p; closed Sundays, Mondays, and all bank holidays
Bite Into Maine
Locations: Fort Williams Park (100 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth), Allagash Brewing Co. (50 Industrial Way, Portland) and in Scarborough at The Commissary (185 US Route One #2). Note: the Cape Elizabeth and Portland locations are seasonal. The Commissary is open year-round.