Portsmouth, New Hampshire -- a very hip place!

[moonstar]

Hey!

I am up here on a temporary assignment for two months from the DC area. I was so excited to be assigned to the area -- I try to get up here whenever I can for vacations, etc. So I jumped at the chance...

We are working a lot -- but there is some free time. I have been here for a week and have had a chance to check some things out. The town of Portsmouth is so pretty. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies - Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. I have walked by the storefront where Alissa wanted to open her restaurant. All I can say is that I hope that somebody can run with the idea -- I have a feeling it would do very well here! With all that she is doing, it would be a lot more work -- but hopefully she can channel her ideas through another soul :-)

This town just oozes Alissa! :-) I love areas like this and love unique, non-commercialized shops and friendly people who are into health, art, etc. (ok-- there is a Starbucks, Gap, and Banana Republic in town -- but that has not taken away from the overall charm). The Portsmouth Health Food shop is also very cool...lots of neat things and nice people...

So -- since I will be here for a while and from what I have described above --does anyone have suggestions for ideas for things to do, see, artists / unique shops, etc, within a 1 hour radius? I am trying to stay away from Boston while I am here -- but hope to get down to explore towards the end.

It is a really beautiful place. As Alissa expands her mission, I will be interested in coming up to go on a retreat, etc.

[NYbutterfly]

Hello, welcome to Portsmouth!

I live in Hampton, just south of the town, but nanny in Portsmouth. My boyfriend and I moved here after living in places like San Francisco, NYC, Sun Valley, Boulder, and lastly Miami. Now we are here and we found it soooo painful to miss that funky downtown city vibe we loved so much in the other cities we came from. Also, compared to our other homes, this place had, well, not much to do. Granted, we worship the beach during our 2 months of good weather, but the 10 months of not so good weather really beat us up mentally and physically (I mean, we came from MIAMI!)

We call Portsmouth our saving grace. If it weren't for that town, we'd have bolted back down south. The health food store (which Alissa frequents) is awesome. The Juicery offers a wonderful selection of fresh juices and smoothies and offers some raw selections on their menu. A woman in Kittery, Maine (one minute north of NH, where Alissa lives) makes and sells raw vegan food every wednesday (crackers, desserts, zuchinni hummus, etc). You can get on her mailing list for more info.

In Beverly, MA (about an hour away) is Organic Garden Cafe, a raw vegan restaurant, the only one nearby. Go to their website and check out the menu... you'll drool! They also have foods to go.

The Music Hall in downtown Portsmouth shows foreign independent films throughout the summer and the picks are always excellent.

If you havn't taken a nice bike ride up and down the coast, its so refreshing. You can rent a bike or surf board at several loactions on the seacoast. You are here at a great time of year. I'm still homesick for the warmth and relaxation I had in Florida and still adjusting to the New England climate, but Porstmouth truly is a great place. Enjoy!

By the way, what do you do for work?

[KatK]

I like walking at Ogunquit beach, just over in ME. If you like rocks/tidepools, it's a nice place.

[moonstar]

Thanks for the great info...

I can imagine that the winters can be pretty brutal here. But, it is clean and pretty -- which garners major points for me...

Do you know the maiking address / name of this woman who sells raw on Wednesdays? Would love to check it out...

I do HR work normally -- but I am here helping out with some other paperwork for a while...

[NYbutterfly]

The name of the woman is Aimee and every week she sends out an email flyer for "Green Wednesdays". The next email I get from her I will copy the email address and post it here for you ( I don't know it off hand). All you have to do is email her and she'll add you to the list. She also hosts a monthly raw potluck dinner at her house. I havn't attended yet but would like to for sure.

Anyway, I'll add to this thread as soon as I get her next email.

[soulstar]

Enjoy the best time in New England- summer! How fortunate you are here this time of year.

If you are thinking of going to the casual and cozy Organic Garden Cafe in Beverly, which is very tasty, I also highly recommend calling Chianti Cafe (which is across the street from the Organic Garden Cafe). Ask for Richard.
Richard (the chef there) will prepare gourmet raw food when given notice in advance. The ambience is lovely and Richard has been raw for over 2 years and is a friend of Alissa's from what I hear.

The whole coast in that region is lovely to explore by bicycle or stopping here and there. Gloucester is another pretty town, too, as well as Ogunquit (spelling?).

All the best

Soulstar

[moonstar]

...I checked out that website on the place in Beverly -- really cool. I want to go there and will. "Rawbert" has done some amazing things -- I would like to talk to him...

Even though we are here working, I believe that I have been sent to this particular place for a reason -- as I am trying to figure out the next steps in my life. I have been following this forum for a couple of years. I think that I joined in 2003 or 2004 -- it was earlier than what it says on my profile. I also have been raw on and off during that time.

[NYbutterfly]

Okay, just got her weekly email... the address is Aimeeslivinmagic@ aol.com

Just send her an email to get on her list. Every wednesday is "Green Wednesday" where you can shop for raw treats at her place... you can special order anything for her to make as well. Due to the nature of my job I havn't been able to attend a green wednesday. If you go, tell me how the food is!

[monkeyboy]

Yo Moon,

Go to the Dolphin Striker....one of the best wine lists in town.


Peace,

M.B.

[Aurelie48]

Hi
Thank you for providing us with that information about the woman in Kittery, ME. I tried the address and was not successful with it. The AOL message came back saying there were too many letters. What did I go wrong with this?