AAPRCO Trip 2014 - Day 3: Sunday, September 21

We all slept pretty well though we could hear a lot of partiers and reving motorcycles on the streets below after the bars closed. Had a yummy Holiday Inn Express Cinnamon roll and omelet. 

We then headed across the street to the North Station to depart on tha Amtrak Down Easter to Portland, Maine at 9 am. Here is Debbie loading her suitcase. Yippie they have AmtrakConnect wifi on the train!

On the way to Portland we passed lots of large abandoned manufacturing buildings ripe for redevelopment. You can see how these closings impact our employment and productivity.  

We passed over some rivers. 

We passed a seaside resort Old Orchard Beach. 

And by lots of trees turning colors and right before Portland a beautiful open wetland area. 

My friend and former classmate from Sandhills High School, Scott Benson, met us at the station, took us to the Westin which was the old Eastland Hotel sign seen here. It has been refurbished into a nice luxury hotel in the historic district of downtown Portland.

We at lunch at Gilbert's Chowder House on the docks. 

Then walked around and went to Bull Feeney's Irish Bar. He opened his first saloon in 1854 behind a grocery store. These bars became gathering places for new immigrants, get registered to vote. Selling illegal liquor during Prohibition allowed many to rise out of poverty.  We heard Irish music by Scott's Irish flute instructor. Scott's wife, Beth, plays fiddle in an Irish Fiddle orchestra called Fiddilicious. 

Then we took the ferry to Peaks Island where my sister Deb lived. 

I got to visit here there in October 1985 for a month so was trying to find the house. We didn't but think it might be this one that has a turret in the distance. 

We then returned to Portland and Scott showed us his office at SMRT an architectural firm he has been with since 1986.  They employ about 75 people and their offices are down by the water.

Scott's Office:

The office and library of architectural drawings:

The Scott drove us around the Mon? historic district which overlooks the water and has a lot of nicely restored homes.  Scott has served on the Historic Preservation board.  Here are a few of the beauties:

Then we went to South Portland to the Portland Head Light.  Longfellow walked out here to visit the light house keeper and wrote a poem about it.  Debbie has a stained glass replica of the lighthouse so we took a picture of her and Mark with the lighthouse.  Unfortunately.  It was VERY foggy so we didn't have much of a view. Here are some photos from that stop:

We finished the night by stopping at Scott & his wife, Beth Gallie's home in South Portland for wine and snacks.  What a neat house-- built at the turn of the century, lots of woodwork still in tact, spindle work, and mission style furniture.

And then Scott treated us to dinner at the Salt Water Grill on the water in South Portland.  They then took us back to the hotel via the area where the AAPRCO private cars were parked.