Poking around Portland: harboring more than lobsters and lighthouses, Maine's largest city is ready for prime time

GIVE ME A GOOD LITTLE WALKING CITY, one that's blessed with historic charm but not too cute. Throw in some uneven brick sidewalks, a few cobblestone streets, a museum or two, and I'm in heaven.

Portland, its colorful past cast in red brick, was custom-made for exploring on foot. From my base at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, I could walk two blocks to Congress Street, the heart of downtown, or trek downhill to the Old Port area, the city's tourist magnet.

Just out the door, mansions, stone churches, and vintage row-houses lined the shady streets. The window of my room provided waterfront panoramas, and I could hear squawking seagulls through the glass.

Though filled with many points of interest and plenty of ambience, Portland doesn't abound with nationally recognized landmarks. With the pressure off, that makes Portland a fun place to discover and casually soak up the flavor of coastal New England. Compact, friendly, and low-key, the city never overwhelms.

Perched on a peninsula jutting into sparkling Casco Bay, Portland has about 65,000 residents; the immediate area (230,000) accounts for one-fourth of the population of Maine, the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi. While sightseers in Maine sometimes overlook Portland in favor of picturesque resort towns like Kennebunkport, Rockport, Boothbay Harbor, and Bar Harbor, it's definitely worth a visit on your trip up the famed rocky coast. You still find lobsters, lighthouses, and the great outdoors, but the appeal of urban amenities adds an extra dimension.

Located in southern Maine, about two hours north of Boston, the city in recent years has made headlines as a hip, youthful place that claims to rank only behind San Francisco in restaurants per capita. Portland consistently makes those "most livable places" lists, boasting a strong sense of entrepreneurship and thriving cultural scene. There's definitely a buzz here.

A bit rough-hewn but surprisingly sophisticated, Portland has a distinct personality--the word "funky" is often used. The lifestyle is healthy, but, as one writer put it, "not too granola." Hard to pigeonhole, it's not comparable to any other city I can think of.

For a good overview of this seaside settlement, climb 106 steps to the top of the Portland Observatory in the Munjoy Hill neighborhood. From its open-air deck, the octagonal, red-shingled structure, built in 1807 as a maritime signal tower (not a lighthouse) and the last remaining one in America, affords vistas of the harbor and island-studded Atlantic Ocean. Exhibits shed light on Portland's early days, when ships sent timber and fish to the Caribbean and returned with molasses, sugar, rum, and coffee. Portland today is the East Coast's second largest oil port.

Visitors flock to the Old Poll, a revived warehouse district. On land sloping to the waterfront, granite-trimmed red-blick commercial buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries house one-of-a-kind shops, cutting-edge bistros, brewpubs, music clubs, and coffeehouses with couches and computers. Sections of some streets retain their thick granite cobblestones and curbs. Old-time lampposts enhance the nostalgic aura. (An 1866 fire devastated much of the Old Port, but a rebirth soon followed in grand Victorian style.)

A derelict area after World War II, the Old Port sprang to life in the late 1960s and early '70s when artists recognized its potential and set up loft studios in the aging buildings. In 1987 the Maine National Guard Armory became the 95room Portland Regency Hotel. Buildings in Portland have to be recycled because of strict preservation laws.

You can spend a leisurely afternoon poking into Old Port shops that purvey everything from antiques and books to pet supplies and fancy kitchenware. Much of the retail activity is clustered along Commercial Street, which runs along the waterfront, and streets up the hill. Some boutiques are tucked in little alleys.

For a peek into the soul of Portland, cross Commercial Street and take a stroll along the piers, dominated by marine industries rather than tourist spots. You'll encounter fishing vessels, fish markets, and stacks of lobster traps and buoys.

On the Working Waterfront Tour, a one-hour guided walk, we learned that new development must be marine-dependent or at least marine-related. The long rows of gray-shingled condos were built before waterfront zoning codes.

Our guide took us to a lobster-packing company on Union Wharf, where we learned how the prized crustaceans are processed. We also got the lobster-catching lowdown, with insights on the best bait and how the traps work, from Lucky Catch Cruises, which offers lobstering adventures in Casco Bay.

Passengers on these 90-minute cruises (Memorial Day to Columbus Day) can haul their own traps, rubber-band lobsters, and buy their catch for the wholesale price. Aprons and gloves are provided. (Maine claims almost 90 percent of America's lobster catch.)

Depending on the cruise departure, traps are hauled at various locations, including next to the granite walls of Fort Gorges and Fort Scammel, both from the Civil War; Portland Head Light, Maine's most famous lighthouse: and Seal Rocks, an island with a colony of harbor seals.