You clearly have a lot of animosity towards any New England city that isn't Portland. I'm not trying to say Portland sucks. FARRRR from it. Portland does anything but suck. It's a great little city. While I don't love it, and don't plan to stay in Portland, it doesn't mean I think it's a bad city... I simply think it gets a bit more hype than it deserves in some ways because comparisons by many Portlanders to other cities are far from being in perspective.
Portland is one of the better cities ITS SIZE (those being the key words there) in the U.S. but that hardly makes other cities dumps. There's a lot to do in Manchester. Manchester is a nice city and one that's redeveloping very well. There's a lot to do in Lowell, New Bedford, etc besides "looking at mills." Portland certainly has advantages over those cities right now (particularly in terms of crime), but I doubt as many as you think. While many New England cities have problems there are a lot of redeeming qualities in almost every one of them (I can think of a few that I have a hard time finding redeeming qualities for... namely Fall River and Brockton).
Furthermore, Newport RI has better nightlife and dining than Portland hands down and it's about 1/3 the size of Portland. Porstmouth's nightlife is almost identical with Portland's and it's about 1/3 the size of Portland. While you argue that Burlington is a "town" it offers a LOT for the tourists to do in terms of nightlife and dining as well as other activities.
It's also funny what people like you in Portland consider to be a city, "their size." I really get the impression that many Portlanders (but not all, people like grittys457 and Corey seem to get it as do many others) feel Portland is much larger than it is as long as its convenient and favorable to Portland in comparison. If it's not, then they'll quickly say, "oh but it's so much bigger so you can't compare it." This is particularly noticeable when people throw out stuff like, "Portland is great at _______ for a city it's size." What they don't realize is just how small it is. Are you aware that only 3 states don't have a city larger than Portland (Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming).
I think Portland performs as expected for its size in almost every way (which again makes it a nice city). It's arts scene is good, but not better than a typical city of under 100,000 (satellite cities of major cities excluded since their cultural needs are fulfilled nearby but outside the city... see Pawtucket, Lynn, etc). I'm not trying to put down Portland's achievements which are fantastic and deserve praise, especially since it was a ghost town only about 15 years ago. It deserves credit for a revitalization and it IS getting credit for that revitalization (and then some). It's a model for success in that regard, but a model that many places are currently successfully following.
The reason I say the dining scene is overhyped is because everyone in Portland is quick to say that Portland, "has restaurants that can rival any city's restaurants" but then they're quick to add, "don't compare it to Boston, Providence [etc] because it can't compete" To put it bluntly, the BEST restaurant in Portland wouldn't be one of the top in Boston or Providence (and some other New England cities). Heck, the best restaurant (in terms of "accolades") is about 30 miles down the coast from Portland in York Beach (Lydia Shire's Blue Sky on York Beach). Maybe it's just me, but when people say it can compete with, "any city" in some regard, I don't think it's wrong to compare it with any city (Boston, Providence, etc are cites and therefore included in "any city"). The fact of the matter is, Portland's scene is good for a city of its size (i.e. 63,000- 250,000 metro), but it still isn't as good as most of the larger cites and when people say it is, that's "over-hyping" it.
Portland has some good restaurants given its small stature, but they do get more attention than they deserve. For example, "Hugo's" head chef Rob has connections all over the food world in the U.S. many professional chefs that (in Portland and elsewhere) I know say that he is single-handedly responsible for putting the spotlight on Portland. He is also part of the reason Andrew Zimmerman visited Portland (that and his father lives there) for the travel channel.
Dining is all about nepotism and connections... because of Rob and a few others, Portland has positioned itself well. What you don't see is that many cities (yes, even the "dumps" you mentioned) are right on Portland's heels. Lowell has places like Cobblestones and La Boniche that are as good as anything you'll find in Portland (no, no exceptions) yet the head chef may not have the connections that garner the national attention that Portland does. New Bedford has the Waterfront Grill (Best seafood I've had outside of Boston or New York City), Adega, Cafe Balena and others that are in the same boat as Fore Street, Hugo's, Back Bay Grille, etc. Portsmouth and Newport have places that could rival anything you'll find in the Old Port. Again, the big difference is that 1) these cities don't have the connections that a certain few do in Portland and 2) They have a poor reputation in other regards (that many of them have earned in certain ways) and lie in the shadows of Boston (and Providence if they're close enough), though Fall River caught a break when it was shown and mentioned for its excellent Portuguese food on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show on the Travel Channel (it's worth noting that Bourdain started his career as a chef in the area, so it's another example of nepotism). If you don't believe me, get out and experience them (I doubt you will because you clearly have preconceived notions) for yourself.
I'm not saying Portland isn't better off than Lowell or New Bedford because, overall, it is. Probably not by nearly as much as you think though and CERTAINLY not in the culinary or entertainment worlds. Long standing reputations and locations closer to other, more significant cities make it seem like these cities are "dumps" but they're MUCH closer to Portland in many ways than you think. They just don't get the press yet.
Portland is no longer the "hidden gem" that it used to be. It's well known nationwide and other "hidden gem" cities are catching up. It's not a bad city at all, in fact it's a nice, impressive one. I do, however, think that some aspects of Portland get more hype than they deserve while other cities in this region don't get enough. Like I said, Portland is certainly better than many (if not most) of the struggling secondary cities in New England, but that doesn't mean that it stands out, to the degree many want to give it credit for, as much nationally. It's a great city, not a perfect one and it seems that while many natives won't SAY it, that's how they feel.
Last edited:
