Pretty early on in our relationship, David and I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the places we hoped to visit together. This final list included everything from Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe to Niagara Falls in our own backyard.
Over the years, we’ve been checking places off our list, but one that has persisted is Maine. We’ve talked about going several times, but it wasn’t until we were thinking about how to celebrate our tenth anniversary that we finally decided to make it happen.
Originally, we envisioned a tropical getaway, but decided against it after some medical bills snuck up on us this year. That’s no reason not to strive for romance! We just went the other way, toward an early almost-winter wonderland.
The first order of business was to find somewhere to stay. While the idea of a bed and breakfast has always piqued my interest, I’m not one for the traditional floral wallpaper or canopy beds. Enter Mercury Inn.
Self-described as modern and sustainable, it was exactly what I wanted. We opted for Room IV for the king-sized bed and extra space. David is 6’3″, and also… anniversary (wink, wink). The amenities are pretty minimal, but that’s part of the whole sustainable thing, which we fully support.
We made it into town in the early afternoon. After dropping off our bags and checking out our home for the weekend, we hit the Portland Museum of Art for FREE Friday. (Every Friday, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm admission is waived in favor of donations.)
It’s not the largest museum, but they have a great variety of pieces, and everyone is bound to find something they’re interested in.
After braving the cold and walking to and from the museum, we opted for a car service to take us to our anniversary dinner at Five Fifty-Five. Portland is known to be a foodie town, so choosing a restaurant for this special occasion was not easy. Luckily, they did not disappoint.
The service was incredible, and the tasting menu gave me the change to try several different things. I had truffle lobster mac and cheese, a tomato soup, a small cheese plate, a mushroom salad, New England scallops, and chocolate cake – phew! I couldn’t even picture everything!
The next day was for exploring!
We started our day with breakfast at “home” – a delicious selection made available every morning.
Next, we made our way to the Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park. It was still chilly out, but nothing could keep us from the Cliff Walk and gorgeous photo op.
We spent a good part of the morning there, and then headed over to the Old Port neighborhood for some shopping and lunch. There are a ton of cute stores and restaurants in the area, without giving way to feeling too tourist-y.
After a quick bite at Elevation Burger, we set out for part of David’s anniversary gift. He had gotten a few tattoos way too early in life, and it was time to get them fixed. After visiting and calling several shops, we finally found one that could see him same-day. Since it was mainly fill-in work, we weren’t as particular about the artist, but Matt at Tsunami Tattoo ended up being a great fit.
That evening, we decided on a more traditional date night: dinner and a movie!
We enjoyed an amazing dinner at David’s – David was dead set on lobster; I had the mushroom ravioli. Dinner was much faster than expected, so we killed some time playing Arkanoid and pinball at Arcadia (similar vibe to NYC’s Barcade, but sadly no food menu) before making our way to “The Nick” movie theater for Murder on the Orient Express.
We checked out of our room the next morning (after grabbing some more yummy food from the kitchen) and headed home. It was another whirlwind weekend trip, but it was a lovely way to celebrate ten years with this guy.
Here’s to the next ten!
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