A Weekend in Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth...a real find.

Drove up from CT early Friday morning, cloudy and mild--great driving. About 3 hours--straight I-95 through Mass and into NH. Stopped at the NH Welcome Center -- there's a nice information center with tons of info. Picked up maps and brochures on things to do in and around Portsmouth.

EAsy off of 95 into downtown Portsmouth. Didn't know it would be as small a city, really a town. But so pretty and immediately a real surprise. Here;s a quaint, but bustling little New England harbor town. Couldn't check into our hotel until between 4 and 5 so we parked a couple blocks off the main center of town and kept coming back to feed the meter. The meter readers are rigid here! During peak tourist season they ask that you only stay in a space for 2 hours and then must move your vehicle...wah?! to WHERE? This town would get stuffed with tourists really quickly. Anyway, not a prob for us this weekend.

Walked around and shopped for a bit. Hit a fantastic little CD shop right off the bat-- Bull Moose Music. (a few locations peppered along the Maine and NH coastal areas). Picked up a continuation of road trip mood music- Thievery Corporation's Bossa Nova

Checked into our room at the Alehouse Inn at 4. D. was really looking forward to this--she'd booked it and was excited and paid a pretty penny. Alehouse Inn is a converted brewery that's been remade into 10 private "stylish" rooms. Our impression: there is no official front desk. You go up onto the 2nd floor of this building and in a small office are the concierge-attendant. It was a nice couple, clearly not the owners of this inn and not very knowledgeable about the local eateries--I was aksing for dinner recommendations. The room--for a cool $170+ / night-- was TINY and I don't need much space; bathroom TINIER. Clearly the moolah was for the accessories: big flat screen hi-def TV, fresh orchids, real drinking glasses, wine glasses with opener, a Keurig coffee maker (!), and amazing bed. But compared to a couple Kimpton hotels we've experienced in Memphis and Seattle, with comparable pricing--this was really subpar for the price, even with all the upscale accessories. And without a view. And without proprietary parking OR a valet to park it for you. We slept really well, but...In their favor, the room is very clean, very fresh.

Dinner we walked the few blocks to The Green Monkey. The reservations were all gone, but we got there early enough to sit at the bar and dine, along with almost everyone else. I: goat-stuffed half a roasted chicken with mashed yams and asparagus, D: espresso marinated filet with sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes. Red Spanish wine. Delish. and two thumbs up. Waiting in line behind us when we finally left.

Rainy Sat night.

Sunday a.m. --overslept! Nearly 11 a.m. when we woke up. Packed our stuff and headed out. Raining and chilly. We stoped for breakfast at Popovers--yes, fresh baked popovers. I hadn't had one in years. I had mine plain with honey-butter. But you can order them stuffed and accessorized with fruit, eggs, etc. Great breakfast spot.

Then we headed back to CT. Already making plans to return. This was a great little town with a lot of flavor.