Funny that you took the Disney reference to mean gritty. I read it completely differently; I thought she was saying it was too touristy in a squeaky Disney way, which I found confusing. Now I want to ask her what the heck she meant!

Beyond the cheesy "hardscrabble" and "Yankee ingenuity" references, I wasn't as bothered by the piece as you seemed to be. It was a shame though, that of the places she hightlighted, so many of them are owned or operated by the same people.

Oh, and the Holly Stone reference was sort of strange, I agree. I'd hardly consider it a foodie store. They do have cute stuff, though.

Last year articles about Portland seemed to crop up once a week in the NYT. I guess it was time for another viewpoint. Speaking of which, I thought the other Portland sounded really uninteresting and I always thought it was supposed to be cool.

Altho I love living in this Portland, I don't think it can hold a candle to the other Portland, where I am lucky enough to have family. Portland, OR is just big enough to have the sophistication, shopping, street life and culture in bigger doses than we do, and it is incredibly beautiful. I am not a foodie, so am not insulted by the comparisons. I've eaten well in both cities, altho must admit Fore Street has always underwhelmed me. Instead of being insulted, be glad the NY Times is promoting our Portland in any way; we need the tourists and their money.

interesting. Yes, Portland is a tiny place, and the world is so large.

Etiquette question: is it acceptable to criticize what you are served while you are seated at the establishment, or do you complement what is good and say nothing on the rest? That is intended as an excuse for being in gracious to waiters etc. Also would you cut the tip?

It sounds to me like a slightly in-depth tourist's point of view, which is probably the best you can do not being from a town or knowing a variety of people in it.

I rarely read an article about a place that I know well and think they got it right, whether it's a restaurant or a city.

~Jes

Portland is a small city in a very small state. Portland Oregon should be compared to Boston, a city of comparable size. Portland, Maine should be compared to a city the same size. Approximately 65,000 people.

I am from New York and was much annoyed by the Times' haughty view of Portland. Disneyland? Has the author been to South Street Seaport? All the buildings were re-bricked during the renovation in 1970s and 80s, ruining 200 years of beautiful Flemish and English bond brick work.

Personally, I like the juxtaposition of the fish companies with their hardworking people and boats and the trendy restaurants and shops. It is good to remember where your food comes from and the dangerous work fishermen perform to get it. New York lost touch with its working harbor a long time ago.

My wife and I visit Maine every few years, and usually stay a few days in Portland. We have watched the transformation of a city escaping hard times into a fun, interesting and lovely place to visit. We have enjoyed some wonderful times and meals in Portland. One of our favorites is Katahdin, tucked away in what had been a tavern across the street from the long gone bus depot. Wonderful food and wine with terrific service.

We never miss Becky's. One night as we arrived for dinner, we watched a local fishmonger unload three 5-gallon buckets of scallops at Becky's back door. As we walked in, a new fried scallop special was added to the board. They were the sweetest, most succulent scallops we ever had. It doesn't get any better than that.

Peter Geiger

Chris -- the servers bring your food, they don't cook it. If you don't like the food feel free to mention it to your server or the manager, but for heaven's sake, don't lessen the tip! These poor people are making three dollars an hour to wait on you!

Portland is closer to sows ear than a silk purse. The city is sundering at the crossroads. It can step up and revitalize itself or continue the road of self apathy until it ends up obdurate and scary.

A SOWS EAR? ouch..what does that make me- I was born here? ha! Comparing Portland Maine to "that other one", is like comparing two people named john smith who have nothing in common other than their names being the same. There are no other signifigant similarities that I know of. Personally, I couldn't care less what some NY Times writer or anyone else for that matter thinks of my city. It happens to be my home and I love it.

went to caiola's in the west end. great new restuarant, abbey harmon the chef formerly of street and company owns it. It blows away most restaurant places in portland and is very fairly priced. i've had dinner there twice this week and am going back soon!