A Sunday Morning Walk at the Waterfront of Old Portland, Maine

Gear: Diminutive Panasonic GM5 plus 12-32 kit zoom.

I was visiting my daughter in the Portland area a couple of weekends ago, and we decided that it was a nice morning for a long walk in the city. I’d not yet seen the Waterfront area of Old Portland so we headed in that direction to have breakfast at Becky’s diner on Hobson Wharf. 

It was a Sunday morning and my daughter tells me there is not a lot going on in winter even in this high-interest area until 10:00 when stores open for business. The result of this is that during our walk after breakfast we saw surprisingly few people. This is quite obvious in the photos below. 

There were several large groups of joggers, however.  And we did see a group of people waiting to board one of the ferries that goes out to the islands.  I wonder how many people live on the islands and commute to Portland to work?  What a great way to commute.

Without people to look at, the highlight for me was the architecture.  The building at “121 Middle Street” was the showpiece in my opinion. I have a photo below.

What I have learned online after the visit is that it was constructed in 1867, after Portland’s 1866 fire. The building is now on the National Register of Historic Places (as of 1973).  It is called Thompson Block and occupies several addresses: 119, 121, 123 and 125 Middle Street. I’m looking forward to returning and spending more time photographing the area in more detail.

A few more: