A Great Way to See Portland

Gorham Bike And Ski located at 693 Congress Street is a convenient location to the Pomegranate Inn and a terrific resource for a new way to experience Portland's downtown and beyond.

I had a visit by one of their employees the other day on a very fun and retro Comfort Bike to let me know about their rental services.

Here's just a sampling of what they offer:

Comfort Bikes

Pro Road Bikes

Tandem Bikes (What fun!)

Car Racks

I love the fact that all their bike rentals include a helmet, lock, waterbottleholder and platform pedals.

Consider a bike tour during your next trip to the Pomegranate Inn!

Ten Great Reasons to Visit Portland, Maine and Pomegranate Inn in March

1) First Friday Artwalk March 6, 2009 Downtown Portland.
(more to be posted on this soon.)

2) Restaurant Week Maine
Sunday March 1 through Tuesday March 10.
The concept is simple...A price fixe menu, three course meals at special pricing, featuring wonderful local restaurants. A great opportunity to try something new, and support local businesses.

3) Maine Maritime Museum Exhibition: The Sea Within Us This is an exhibit of Inconically Maritime Fashion and Design.

4) Out of Sterno at the Portland Stage Company
March 3-22. "Wide eyed innocence and perfect pedicures collide in this zany new comedy about life, self-image and the pursuit of a hunky man to call your own."...see website for the entire description and show times.

5) Portland Symphony Orchestra presenting: Revel, Schubert and Poulenc March 15, 2009 at 2:30 pm., and Pathetique March 24 at 7:30

6) Moonlight Madness in Bath March 13, 6-9 p.m.
Celebrate the end of winter with music, entertainment, art exhibits, and stores staying open late with lots of fun sales. This kicks off a weekend of events in the historical city of Bath, Maine. 207-442-7291

7) Maine Boatbuilders Show
March 20-22. 207-774-1067. This is the finest fiberglass and wooden custom boats builders show on the East Coast. You will find sail, power,canoe, and kayak boats here. Peter Spectre of Wooden Boat Magazine says, "The word on the waterfront was that this show was different, and it sure was...the exhibits were real boats, and the parts for real boats. and service for real people, and the folks in attendance were real boat enthusiasts.

8) St Patrick's Day Celebration March 14th in Ogunquit, Maine 207-646-6170
Sponsored by the Ogunquit Performing Arts, there will be Irish step-dancers and Irish Music with Traditional Instruments.

9) Spring Fling Shawnee Peak
The 24th annual Spring Fling is a celebration of Spring with soft snow, live entertainment, great bbq, and the annual Slush Cup!

The Slush Cup (starts at 1:30pm) pits skiers and snowboarders against A 60-foot-long man-made pond of ice cold water. Skim along as far as you can go, before falling victim to the laws of gravity! Register (for free) in the Base Lodge from 10am-11:30am

The Pomegranate Inn has a number of return guests that love to make us part of the ski weekend. Some like to come before, and some like to come after, but all agree that the Pomegranate is a great way to add some romance to a ski weekend!

10) Maine Maple Sunday March 22
Always the fourth Sunday In March, sugar makers around the state open their Sugar Shack doors to the public for a great opportunity to experience Maple Syrup and Sugar in the making. Most also offer free tastings and other products for sale featuring Maple Syrup. Interestingly enough...I always associate Maine Maple Sunday with a headache. Maine Maple Sunday follows a previous night in "the old days" with lots of fun loving people crammed into Gary Pitcher's sugar house enjoying a pot luck and Gary's famous Rock Maple Splinters...delicious, but deadly. A more safe and equally delicious early spring treat is freshly made syrup over shaved ice (or snow to be true to its roots)!

Snow Storms=Cookies

I'm not sure why, but as soon as I hear about a pending snow storm, besides worrying about Portand Parking Bans, I immediately have an overwhelming need to bake cookies. I knew we would get a snow storm on Sunday, and sure enough, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about.....cookies...what kind of cookies shall I make while the snow is swirling around outside tomorrow? Awhile ago I started working on an oreo of the homemade variety and got it pretty close...but not quite there. Somehow along the way, I let this little project slip into the background until the promise (or threat) of 6-10 inches of snow brought it back to mind. Thanks to Smitten Kitchen I realized why I wasn't quite happy with my version. Although yummy...not quite right. The actual cookie portion of an oreo is a little salty and not very sweet....and voila...that was where I missed the mark. I took my former recipe and removed a good deal of the sugar. I put them to the ultimate test, my king of sweets, my guru of oreos! His comments were few but he did say that they were very "oreolike" and the worst problem with them was not eating the whole bag in one sitting!

I am sure we will be seeing these on the intermezzo display here at the Pomegranate more often now. Yet another reason to visit during a snow storm!

It's "Almost" Spring In Portland

Many of you do not get to see the Inn decked out in all her winter garb, so after the latest storm I thought a few pictures would be a nice way to celebrate what is "hopefully" one of our very last winter storms.

I agree it is still beautiful, but admittedly, my mind is more tuned into spring planting than spring shoveling!

Here's to a fast melt off....

Aspiring Innkeeper Seminars: GET INNSPIRED

Do you think you would like to run an Inn? Is the concept of owning a business that can also serve as your residence sound attractive in today's economic climate? Innkeeping is a very attractive business and lifestyle to many people who want to be in charge of their own destiny.

To be successful you need to have the tools to apply today's methods and to realize that this is truly a lifestyle, a job, a home and an investment.

This two day seminar will explore these topics and more. You will see if innkeeping is the right fit for you.

Join us and decide if innkeeping is in YOUR future. Our next seminar will be hosted by the eclectic Pomegranate Inn on Portland's beautiful West End. Dates are May 3-5th, 2009. Rates are $525/couple and $275/single. This reasonable rate includes everything! Sunday and Monday nights at the Inn, Monday and Tuesday breakfasts, Monday lunch, Sunday and Monday dinners and all the seminar materials.

For more information email: getinspired@swanagency.com

There will be a fall session hosted by the Brunswick Inn on Park Row, September 14-16.

There's Plenty to do Inn Portland this week!

Our very own Ellen Domingos is starring in a one woman cabaret-style show, "Is There Fat in That?" at the St. Lawrence Arts and community Center in Portland, presented by the Good Theater, starting February 18, and running through the 22. Ellen developed this biographical show with Brian Allen, the good Theater's artistic director. It is all about her experiences as an actress and model in New York City, but has it's beginnings with Ellen as an 8-year-old prodigy making her stage debut with the Maine State Theatre in Brunswick.
Through the keeping of journals throughout her experiences in New York, both on the stage and as a model for Levi Strass, Sears and other retailers, she compiled a number of stories that are about real life in an industry that is demanding and unforgiving. Allen says, "Ellen took the gloves off, and this is no-holds-barred. It's the truth, and the truth is funny."
Ellen has been accepted into NYU's master's program for theater education and plans to return to New York. She states that she didn't do this show with any particular agenda, that she had a story and wanted to share it. Tickets are available at 207-885-5883.

Maine Maritime Museum opens its latest exhibit, "The Sea Within Us: Iconically Maritime in Fashion & Design" and is on view athrough April 19th . This exhibition explores our long standing love affair with anything related to the maritime world and the role of maritime icon in our culture. It takes us through how these nautical artifacts serve as symbols in our daily lives, even if we have never had a personal connection with the item itself. Also included is a display of apparel from naval uniforms and the 19th century women and children's clothing that was inspired from those uniforms to our present day fashion trends that can trace their look back to the maritime world. Midcoast residents have submitted images of their own versions of the classic mariner's motif, the tattoo. Iconic maritime figures from popular culture such as movies and books are also part of the display.

Elsewhere in Portland this week:
Peter Gynt Portland Stage Company, Portland.
Portland String Quartet: Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland 761-1522. 2 p.m. Feb.22
Boris Garcia: One Longfellow Square, Portland. 761-1757. 8 p.m. Feb. 22
Nature Walks: Wolfe's Neck Farm, Freeport. 10-11 am Thursday, $10.
An Evening with Renee Fleming: Merrill Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Happy Valentine's Day from Pomegranate Inn

Guests arriving today at the Pomegranate Inn are being treated to handmade truffles in their rooms.

Our very talented breakfast chef, (Darcey) created delightful (and beautiful) brownies for our afternoon intermezzo. Intermezzo is served every afternoon from 4-6 p.m., and is frequently a time when guests find themselves sitting around the fire, enjoying new friends and great conversation.

Wherever today finds you, I hope you are with some special people, dear to your heart, sharing some loving moments.

Pomegranate Inn Named as:

One Of Five Romantic Getaways you can drive to from Boston, by Travel New England. From New York City to Montreal, this article highlights some magnificent destinations for finding Amour. Even though our focus is on Valentine's Day right now, romantic getaways are fabulous any time of the year. We frequently hear from our guests that it is amazing how just quickly you can feel your batteries recharge. Even just a night or two away in a beautiful setting can give you some of the same benefits that a longer stay in an exotic setting can bring. With our European feel, warm fireplaces, elegant but whimsical rooms, and delicious breakfasts, we have all the ingredients necessary for a special romantic weekend.
From all of us at the Pomegranate Inn....Happy Valentine's Day