5th Leg: Part Duex…er…Two.
The Holiday Inn Portland By the Bay was, by far, the most luxurious of the Hotels so far. I was on the 9th floor of this amazing Hotel. The view from the window was breathtaking! I could see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time… as I just stared out of the window for nearly an hour, as darkness fell upon the water.
I had made arrangements months in advance to eat at a supposedly “Authentic Irish” restaurant name RiRa right on the waterfront. It was just a little further than could be walked easily. The nice lady at the front desk directed me to the shuttle and the drivers stationed at the door awaiting; Eric and Eric. I laughed and say, “Perfect! My middle name is Eric!”
Eric dropped me off about 18 blocks along with waterfront, and gave me a number to call him back when it was time to return. Wow.. now that’s some service. I walked into the RiRa Restaurant.
It was a very beautiful place, I will grant you that. I took the “upper loft” seating overlooking the water (of course). I will say it may have advertised itself as such, but for an “Authentic” Irish restaurant, it was pretty Americanized. There was a 50-inch Big Screen television that several of the patrons were watching the Boston Red Sox game.
The bar keep was a pretty agreeable guy. I asked him what a good Irish beer that’s a little softer than a Guiness. He suggested the special (of course), a lighter Irish “Lager” called “Wheelhouse”. I agreed to try it, and indeed….it was perfect. Just enough of that hops taste…but not so weighed down as a full Pulstas. I ordered the Fillet Minong along with a good helping of “Irish Potatoes”. It was a wonderful mean, though I hardly think it could be termed “authentic”. Fifty dollars lighter, I left RiRa full and just a little tipsy.
Irish “Wheelhouse” has about 8 percent Alcohol by volume! Not to mention my “desert” which was a big shot of Jameson Whiskey. Doggone ya, Dena!!! It was YOU that introduced me to the Jameson... Good Irish Whiskey! And only like 10 dollars per shot! Grrr...
I called my faithful driver Kato… er… Eric, and in five minutes he arrived at RiRa to pick me up. He said he had one other pickup to make before we went back to the hotel. He picked up a nice elderly couple who (unless I miss the big clues) were Jewish and together forever.
They were at another restaurant on the waterfront, and were a chatty couple of folks for sure. They asked me where I was from and I said Wisconsin. They started talking about how great the snowmobile races were up Eagle River.
It was nice to chat with them. Seems like most of the people I chatted with were at least in their 60’s. Is this my elderly-bonding moment? Dude!
Eric informed me if I want to go to a cool local pub that was not so commercialized, it would be the “DogFish” just 2 blocks up from the hotel. Tonight they had open mic night and it was always packed.
Still a little tipsy from the pub, I decided I would wander up the street to the DogFish. Wow, what a place! It was packed, and okay… I did indeed sign up for open mic, and was handed an ancient guitar and told to sing into the microphone.
I gave them two songs; “Yesterday” (Which received moderate, and polite applause) and then my own “Midlife Crisis Song”…which I had people singing right along. At the end of the song the house exploded with applause! It was pretty cool that people really responded well to that song, and they requested an encore. I then sang my version of “Margaretaville” which also got raves!
It was great! I felt like I had really whacked it out of the park with the three songs. They gave me more free drinks, and by nearly closing time, I decided I should get back to the motel. I walked the two very LONG blocks back and collapsed, happy, onto the very comfortable bed.
It’s no surprised that I slept in late the next day, as I awoke to a sunny and breezy day. The sun glinting off the bay, and I lazed around the room until nearly noon that day.
The Holiday Inn Portland By the Bay was, by far, the most luxurious of the Hotels so far. I was on the 9th floor of this amazing Hotel. The view from the window was breathtaking! I could see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time… as I just stared out of the window for nearly an hour, as darkness fell upon the water.
I had made arrangements months in advance to eat at a supposedly “Authentic Irish” restaurant name RiRa right on the waterfront. It was just a little further than could be walked easily. The nice lady at the front desk directed me to the shuttle and the drivers stationed at the door awaiting; Eric and Eric. I laughed and say, “Perfect! My middle name is Eric!”
Eric dropped me off about 18 blocks along with waterfront, and gave me a number to call him back when it was time to return. Wow.. now that’s some service. I walked into the RiRa Restaurant.
It was a very beautiful place, I will grant you that. I took the “upper loft” seating overlooking the water (of course). I will say it may have advertised itself as such, but for an “Authentic” Irish restaurant, it was pretty Americanized. There was a 50-inch Big Screen television that several of the patrons were watching the Boston Red Sox game.
The bar keep was a pretty agreeable guy. I asked him what a good Irish beer that’s a little softer than a Guiness. He suggested the special (of course), a lighter Irish “Lager” called “Wheelhouse”. I agreed to try it, and indeed….it was perfect. Just enough of that hops taste…but not so weighed down as a full Pulstas. I ordered the Fillet Minong along with a good helping of “Irish Potatoes”. It was a wonderful mean, though I hardly think it could be termed “authentic”. Fifty dollars lighter, I left RiRa full and just a little tipsy.
Irish “Wheelhouse” has about 8 percent Alcohol by volume! Not to mention my “desert” which was a big shot of Jameson Whiskey. Doggone ya, Dena!!! It was YOU that introduced me to the Jameson... Good Irish Whiskey! And only like 10 dollars per shot! Grrr...
I called my faithful driver Kato… er… Eric, and in five minutes he arrived at RiRa to pick me up. He said he had one other pickup to make before we went back to the hotel. He picked up a nice elderly couple who (unless I miss the big clues) were Jewish and together forever.
They were at another restaurant on the waterfront, and were a chatty couple of folks for sure. They asked me where I was from and I said Wisconsin. They started talking about how great the snowmobile races were up Eagle River.
It was nice to chat with them. Seems like most of the people I chatted with were at least in their 60’s. Is this my elderly-bonding moment? Dude!
Eric informed me if I want to go to a cool local pub that was not so commercialized, it would be the “DogFish” just 2 blocks up from the hotel. Tonight they had open mic night and it was always packed.
Still a little tipsy from the pub, I decided I would wander up the street to the DogFish. Wow, what a place! It was packed, and okay… I did indeed sign up for open mic, and was handed an ancient guitar and told to sing into the microphone.
I gave them two songs; “Yesterday” (Which received moderate, and polite applause) and then my own “Midlife Crisis Song”…which I had people singing right along. At the end of the song the house exploded with applause! It was pretty cool that people really responded well to that song, and they requested an encore. I then sang my version of “Margaretaville” which also got raves!
It was great! I felt like I had really whacked it out of the park with the three songs. They gave me more free drinks, and by nearly closing time, I decided I should get back to the motel. I walked the two very LONG blocks back and collapsed, happy, onto the very comfortable bed.
It’s no surprised that I slept in late the next day, as I awoke to a sunny and breezy day. The sun glinting off the bay, and I lazed around the room until nearly noon that day.
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