Portsmouth, New Hampshire - it's way up north, at the border of Maine, on the Northern Atlantic seacoast where the winter winds blow off the ocean onto the land. Why would anyone want to go there in December?
Well, I'll tell you why.
Yes, it can get pretty cold up there this time of year, but it can also be surprisingly warm even in winter during these days of climate change. If you have mastered the art of dressing for the cold - hat, scarf, gloves and a warm coat is about all it takes - you can have a great time.
When your body is wrapped in warm clothing, the cold air of the north is clear and fresh and invigorating; a great pleasure to suck deep into your lungs. And Portsmouth is a fun, colorful town any time of year.
Portsmouth is built on a piece of land that juts out into the Pisquataqua River, which meanders all around the area and breaks the land up into many islands as it pours into the Atlantic. The aquatic world and the land embrace each other like folded hands and it's hard to draw a distinct line where the land ends and the water begins.
It creates a lovely environment in summer or winter.
Dining along the Waterfront. On Thanksgiving weekend, having survived the shopping riots of Black Friday without injury, I visited Portsmouth with some family members and we had dinner at the Surf restaurant along Bow Street along the waterfront of the Old Harbor. With views out over the water, Surf is always good.
The food, with a variety of seafood plus land fare, is tasty and original, as are the drinks. And the service is always friendly. Valet parking in front takes away any parking problems you might have on a busy night.
Walking around the waterfront. Just walking around town near the waterfront is an enjoyable experience, with buildings that have so much history it can make you feel as if you've been transported back to colonial America. There are many shops and restaurants, locally owned, creative and imaginative stores that you can tell are home-grown, not imported by big franchises.The area around Market Street and High Street is particularly rich in both history and current and trendy shops and restaurants.
Shopping, Dining and Walking in the Market Square Area. Market Square has been the center of commerce in Portsmouth since the mid-1700s. It was the first part of Portsmouth to be paved, and in recent times as waterfront areas are rejuvenated, Market Square, only a block from the waterfront, is all spruced up with colorful shops and restaurants. As a centerpiece of the downtown area is the is North Church, stands over the square, with its tall white steeple dating back to 1854.
The Strawberry Banke Museum at 14 Hancock Street shows what life was like in the past during the four-century history of Portsmouth. A little farther south than the Market Street area, the Strawberry Banke Museum started with an effort to preserve the historic buildings in an area that was breaking down into a slum and being torn down piece by piece.
A librarian named Dorothy Vaughn took it upon herself to initiate a preservation movement and addressed the Rotary Club about how the city was losing its history as the old buildings were wiped out. The speech kickstarted a movement to save the city's historical treasures and today the Strawberry Banke Museum is a 9.5-acre outdoor museum showing the Portsmouth of the past.
Discover Portsmouth. While you're walking around the downtown area, building up an appetite and exploring the area, you can stop in at Discover Portsmouth, the home of the Portsmouth Historical Society. It's only a few scenic blocks' walk from Market Square and the waterfront to Discover Portsmouth at the corner of Islington and Middle streets. It shows information on all of Portsmouth's historic houses, museums, performance venues and landmarks retraicing the city's 400-year history.
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