Making Ripples
Shop Indie Local this Holiday Season
(and all the time!)
By Tony Zeli
Shop Indie Local is a campaign of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) that works to increase spending at locally owned businesses. The theory goes that the simple act of buying local goods and services creates ripple effects that positively impact our neighborhoods. All it takes is to spend more of your dollars with locally owned, independent businesses.
“When we Shop Indie Local as a community, we boost independent businesses’ revenue and their ability to hire more staff,” says Jen Risely of AMIBA. “Those local business owners then have more time and resources to give back to their local community – by volunteering their talents, donating to nonprofits, and carrying out more practices that benefit their neighbors and their neighborhood.”
By some estimates, every dollar spent at a locally owned, independent business returns two to four times more dollars back into a community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. These dollars are recirculated through the local economy, building more local jobs and community wealth.
Also, shopping locally means connecting with the community. Not only is it an opportunity to enjoy lively streets, bump into friends, or learn some neighborhood news, but the studies show that places with more local businesses have stronger social ties and higher civic participation rates.
Additionally, when you shop locally you strengthen the local economy. Local businesses hire local workers and source local goods. As such, when you shop local-
-WEN file photo
ly you expand local economic opportunity. And by supporting local entrepreneurs, you invest in a more vibrant future for the community. More small businesses mean a greater variety of goods and services, more walkable streets, and a more vibrant city life.
So, join The West End News and all of our locally owned, independent advertisers in shopping local this holiday season.
Tony Zeli is publisher and editor. WEN is a Shop Indie Local Holiday Campaign partner.
ReCode Passes
First comprehensive rewrite of City’s land use code and zoning map in more than 50 years
The Portland City Council unanimously voted to approve the City’s ReCode effort at its November 4th meeting. ReCode is Portland’s first comprehensive rewrite of the city’s entire land use code and zoning map in more than fifty years. The new code is intended to be more user-friendly and advance the goals of the city’s comprehensive plan in areas such as housing, design, preservation, conservation, the working waterfront, climate change, and transportation.
“This effort began in 2017, spanning years of thoughtful work and collaboration,” said Kevin Kraft, the City’s Director of Planning and Urban Development. “This process would not have been possible without the participation of people across the city who care about Portland’s future. A huge thank you to everyone who provided comments and feedback throughout this entire process. I also want to thank City staff for their commitment to this monumental effort.”
When ReCode began in 2017, the land use code and zoning map had ballooned to nearly 1,000 pages, contained significant redundancies, and could be difficult to navigate. The ReCode process involved stakeholders across the city, beginning with a series of community conversations in 2017 and 2018.
The final, adopted code includes changes to zone structure, use permissions, and dimensional standards in residential zones to allow opportunities for new housing in these areas. ReCode focuses on opportunities for significantly more housing downtown, at key nodes, and along major corridors, ensuring that
future residents can live within easy walking or transit distance of work, school, and entertainment.
ReCode includes use and map changes that promote commercial uses that commonly serve as destinations close to and within residential areas. ReCode adds new uses in residential zones, allows for the reactivation of existing nonresidential spaces in residential zones, and expands neighborhood commercial zoning to allow for more neighborhood-scale mixed-uses near residential neighborhoods.
Also, the final zoning map includes new Transit-Oriented Development zones at seven nodes across the city. These seven nodes were selected to concentrate growth in areas that can support more efficient and robust transit services. These areas also benefit from proximity to key economic drivers and institutions such as the University of New England, University of Southern Maine, Roux Institute, Maine Medical Center, and Northern Light Mercy.
The new land use code and zoning map will become effective on December 4th, 2024.
Tony Zeli, Publisher & Editor Rick Ness, Sales
Marie Caspard, Bright Ideas
Nancy Dorrans, Travel & Adventure
Susan Hancock, CCL Column
Stephanie Miller, Book Short Ben Taylor, Best Worst Trivia Liz Trice, PelotonPosts
Layne V. Witherell, Layne's Wine Gig
WEN is a community newspaper and we need your voice! Share your submissions with: thewestendnews@gmail.com. or send to:
The West End News PO Box 10876 Portland, ME 04104.
• Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood.
• WEN also accepts short poems, cartoons, and photo submissions.
Deadline for publication in the January Edition is Friday, December 20th. Publication is not guaranteed and submissions may be edited for length.
The thoughts and opinions expressed in our pages belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to the publication.
Wes Pelletier Wins D2 City Council &
By Tony Zeli
Other Municipal Election Results
Wes Pelletier won Portland’s second district city council race. District 2 represents the neighborhoods of the West End, Parkside, St. John/Valley Street, and Oakdale/USM. Current D2 councilor Victoria Pelletier chose not to seek reelection. As such, the open seat drew a crowded field with five candidates entering the race: Atiim Boykin, Nancy English, Catherine Nekoie, Robert O’Brien, and Pelletier.
On Election Day, Pelletier won the first round of ranked choice voting with 2,241 votes but only obtained about 34% of the total vote. The city ran a ranked choice voting tabulation the next day at City Hall. After five rounds of counting, eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes with each round, Pelletier eventually won with 2,971 votes topping the final challenger Nancy English who had 2,620 votes.
“I’m so grateful to the constituents of District 2 for electing me and to my opponents for engaging in a positive, constructive race,” said Pelletier. “I look forward to representing our proud working-class district in City Council, and working with other councilors to make sure Portland remains a livable, safe place for all, regardless of what’s happening on the national stage.”
Other Results in Portland
Sarah Michniewicz defeated Robert
Todd Morse for the open District 1 city council seat that represents Munjoy Hill and East End. Ben Grant won the at-large city council seat which is one of three seats on the council elected by the entire city. Grant won the first round and through a ranked choice runoff that went five rounds managed to hold off the last remaining contender, Jess Falero, with a final vote of 54%-46%. Other candidates in the race were Grayson Lookner, Brandon Mazer, and Jake Viola.
Question A passed. It asked Portland voters to change the city’s emergency wage provisions so that an emergency declaration from the city council (rather than the State of Maine) would trigger the required 1.5x minimum wage increase during emergencies.
Question B to amend Portland’s short-term rental unit registration requirements won in all Portland voting districts.
Wes Pelletier. -Courtesy photo
Reiche Community Room December Activities
The West End Neighborhood Association offers a variety of events in the Reiche Community Room (enter by door 11 on the Clark Street side and proceed upstairs, ADA accessible). Please consider joining us for some of these FREE activities over the next few weeks.
Magazine Readers with Rosanne Graef
Monday, Dec. 2 - 6:30 p.m. - Plant Intelligence. Contact hello@wenamaine.org for materials.
Travelogue
Thursday, Dec. 5 - 6:00 p.m. - Camino de Santiago by bicycle with Kip & Barb DeSerres.
Classic Film: “The Five Pennies” Monday, Dec. 9 - 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6)
New! Are You Curious?
Thursday, Dec. 12 - 6:30 p.m. - Learn, make, do. Every month will be different! This month: Hanukkah with Gail Pantel, Robert Pantel & Curt Sachs. For adults and youth >12.
Join In! Community Study Circle Monday, Dec. 16 - 6:30 p.m. - Current Topic: Being a Pedestrian in Portland. Contact hello@wenamaine.org for materials.
Ukulele Basics (& Beyond) with Kip DeSerres
Thursday, Dec. 19 - 6:30 p.m. - Ukes to loan for the class.
ONGOING
A.M. Exercise (Dec. 2-20) Mon. – Fri. - 8:15-9:15 a.m. - No class December 23 - January 1.
Arts/Crafts/Games/Socializing Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. - Not on December 26.
Pickleball
Every Friday, except Dec. 27, from 6-8 p.m. - In the Reiche gym. $5 drop-in fee for residents, $10 for non-residents.
Hope to see you there. Bring your friends!
In case of inclement weather, check the Recreation dept. cancellation line (207) 7568130.
COMMUNITY EVENTS DECEMBER
Conversation: Storm Preparedness for Waterfront Communities
Tue, Dec. 3rd / 5 – 7p / Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Storms are hitting Maine’s waterfront communities harder and more often. How can we prepare and adapt? Regional conversations are being hosted in select coastal communities to enhance preparedness and response efforts. These events, organized by Maine Sea Grant, the Maine Coastal Program, the Island Institute, and UMaine MARINE, provide a space for leaders and residents to reflect on recent storm impacts, explore community responses, and discover resources.
The Portland/South Portland/Casco Bay Islands regional meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial St., Portland. For a full list of meetings up and down Maine’s coast, visit https://seagrant.umaine.edu/ workingwaterfrontstorms/.
2024 Odd Fellows Bazaar & Woodfords Weekend
Sat, Dec. 7 / 10a–3p/Odd Fellows Hall
Don’t miss Portland’s best holiday craft fair—and all the Woodfords Corner festivities—on Saturday, December 7th. Featuring 30 local artists and craftspeople, the 3rd annual Odd Fellows Holiday Ba-
zaar is the place to be to get all your holiday gifts (and maybe something for yourself, too). We’ll have food from Vina Ann’s, tours of the Odd Fellows Building, and the Friends of Woodfords Corner Year-end Open House.
The Odd Fellows Bazaar will be held on Saturday, December 7th, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall, 651 Forest Ave., 2nd Floor, Portland.
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Offers 98th
‘Pageant of the Nativity’ Sun, Dec. 15th / 5p / First Parish UU, 425 Congress St.
The 98th Anniversary of the historic “Pageant of the Nativity” will take place at First Parish Unitarian Universalist on Sunday, December 15th at 5:00 p.m. at 425 Congress Street in Portland. First performed in 1926, this annual event incorporates organ and choral music, historic narrative, and over 50 actors in non-speaking roles to create a tableau of the nativity scene, inspired by the work of 15th Century artist Fra Angelico. Cast members are adorned in vibrant fabrics, some of which date back to the very first performance and were brought back from the Holy Lands by the nieces of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The event is offered free of charge to the community and is open to the public. Voluntary donations will be gratefully accepted.
& EVENTS
Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan) w/s/gs Adrienne Mack-Davis, eyenine & DJ Myth Jan 31 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Bob Marley Birthday Celebration ft. Mighty Mystic w/ Nomad I & The Slow Train Feb 8 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Postponed: Angelikah Fahray’s RNB Jazz Soirée w/project ensemble & Melvin Gradiz Apr 4 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Southern Maine New Horizons Band Concert Sun, Dec. 14th / 7p / Portland Conservatory of Music
The Southern Maine New Horizons Band invites you to join them for their December concert, Saturday evening, December 14th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal Street, Portland. The band is excited to share standard concert band fare alongside the music of Star Wars and other engaging band repertoire.
Membership consists of adults new to or returning to the concert band setting after some time (decades?) away. The fun and friendly group is looking to grow! If you’ve missed the community and fulfillment that comes with playing in a concert band, check out the concert on the 14th.
Jazz in the Old Port w/ The Marc Chillemi Quintet
Wednesdays / 7 – 9 p / Henry’s Public House, Old Port
Join us every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Henry’s Public House, 375 Fore Street, Portland for Jazz in the Old Port! Free for all ages. FMI: henrysoldport.com.
Recycle Your Cross Country Skis for a Good Cause
Do you have old or unused winter gear such as snowshoes, cross country skis, poles or shoes cluttering up your basement or garage? Consider donating your old, unused and unwanted skis and winter gear to Portland Gear Hub, the non-profit bike and gear store at 155 Washington Avenue in Portland.
Cross country skis will be cleaned and tuned up by the staff at Gear Hub. Skis, whether classic, skate, or back-country, including those with the older 3-pin bindings will be gladly taken in, refurbished, and new bindings installed when needed.
If you have old but well-loved skis that need repairs or a tune up, the staff at GearHub will clean, wax, and make any needed repairs to your cross country skis so they are ready for your winter skiing adventures.
Your donations not only keep unwanted winter gear out of landfills, but also repurpose and recycle the gear and most importantly help support Gear Hub’s mission to provide equitable access to outdoor experiences and gear.
Donations may be dropped off at Portland Gear Hub, 155 Washington Avenue, Portland, open Tuesday - Friday from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Or visit Ketcha Outdoors, 336 Black Point Road, Scarborough, open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
ROCK THIS TOWN ORCHESTRA - ROCKABILLY RIOT
WINDBORNE’S “MUSIC OF MIDWINTER”
MR SUN PLAYS ELLINGTON’S NUTCRACKER
OPEN MIC NIGHT
AN EVENING WITH TOM RUSH SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS WITH THE HEATHER PIERSON TRIO - 4PM & 7PM
THE 15th ANNUAL CICLISMO CLASSICO BIKE TRAVEL FILM FESTIVAL
LÚNASA: AN IRISH SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
ROCK MY SOUL
THE PORTLAND JAZZ ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY SHOW
THE PORTLAND JAZZ ORCHEATRA HOLIDAY SHOW
INANNA, SISTERS IN RHYTHM WINTER SOLSTICE
CONCERT
LOW LILY’S WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ELSIE GAWLER & ETHAN TISCHLER
LOVE LETTER: KATIE MATZELL & FRIENDS PLAY THE MUSIC OF BONNIE RAITT
LYLE DIVINSKY: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - 4PM & 7PM
A HAVANA NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH
The Comfort Reading List
By Stephanie Miller
In the past month, I’ve re-read a number of books that I already love, perhaps to insert a bit of controlled outcome into my life during the election season. That inspired me to share my Top 10 Comfort Reading books: old friends I can count on to be wonderful every time we meet.
1. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. Give this one a try because it’s a great love story with a delightful heroine, but also because Austen is funny She’s really very radical in her portrayals of supposedly quiet rural life in the early 19th Century. Plus, no one does snark disguised as polite conversation as well as Jane. I get something new out of her novels every time.
2. “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White (PT Maine Author!). I checked this book out so many times in the fourth grade, the librarian awarded me the worn copy she was retiring (I still have it). This is still my favorite book of all time. It’s spare, beautiful, and inspiring. The last line makes me cry every time, “It’s not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
3. “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” by Agatha Christie. I often read Christie’s classic mysteries as a palate cleanser when I’ve finished a book, but the characters haven’t finished with me. I can count on Dame Agatha whenever I need a familiar friend to lift my spirits and challenge my little grey cells to figure out whodunnit. (Full disclosure: despite having read them all, I never do get it right). This is a great intro to her extensive canon and has a wonderful twist at the end.
4. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles. This is my favorite of his works because the characters are so tightly drawn and a truly fantastic situation is rendered with such skill it is almost believable. Bonus: The super clever stylistic techniques.
5. “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote. This novella, and its companion, “The Thanksgiving Visitor,” are so touchingly composed they practically float. They are the perfect one-sitting reads when my heart is sore.
6. “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” by Winifred Watson. I recommend this as an intro to Persephone Books, a publisher of work by forgotten writers (mostly women) of the 20th Century. This is a rollicking and fun adventure and defies every stereotype. Miss Pettigrew doesn’t just live, she emerges from her life-long cocoon wholly formed for high-style living.
7. “Eleannor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman. The first time I read this, I finished and then opened page one immediately to read it again. I dare you to resist falling in love with Eleanor. This treasure is an uplifting and heart-breaking coming of age story of an outsider whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit will keep you alternately laughing and crying.
8. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. These are not always very likable characters, but they are so perfectly drawn and exposed, it is like a blinding sun emanating from every page.
9. “Let the Great World Spin” by Colum McCann. Ordinary lives become extraordinary during a time of mighty social change in this sweeping novel of a family’s impact on America. It’s not a fast read, but one to savor.
10. “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens. Social reform never inspires us so well as in a Dickens novel. Never preachy, always honest, and still relevant today, the characters Pip encounters are so rich with eccentricities they almost overshadow his path to self-discovery.
Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and local bibliophile. Find her online @StephanieSAM.
Tom Nosal
We know how to make streets safe. Let’s do it!
Every month Liz Trice interviews a community member for The West End News. This month Liz caught up with Tom Nosal, a transportation engineer with Toole Design.
Why aren’t our roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists?
For a long time, street design has prioritized speed and travel time for cars over safety. A typical engineering approach to a transportation study might start with today’s traffic volumes, estimate how much traffic will grow, model how many lanes would be needed to move that traffic during peak hours, and then allocate whatever space is left to people walking and biking. The result is wide, multi-lane arterials cutting through our neighborhoods that are often empty. Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) found that in Greater Portland, four-lane streets are nearly twelve times more likely to have fatal or serious injury crashes.
Why don’t we start with, “People should be safe walking and biking...” and then decide how fast the traffic should be?
Making streets safer often means reallocating space from cars. Our current
system forces most people to rely on their cars, so decision-makers worry it will be unpopular and economically damaging to increase driving times. We don’t have a societal consensus that those trade-offs are worth it.
The exciting thing is that it isn’t a mystery: we know how to make safe streets. Safer streets have huge economic benefits. It’s a calmer, more enjoyable experience, and kids can have autonomy, people don’t mind hanging out outside talking to their neighbors.
Why don’t we just narrow lanes to be appropriate to the speed limit?
Reducing painted lane widths can help. Restriping the same street from 13 feet to 10 feet can have an impact, but may not get you from 35 mph to 25 mph. Vertical elements like a curb or flex bollard may have a bigger effect, but the city hasn’t prioritized doing that.
Slower streets are safer and quieter, but MaineDOT resists local towns slowing speed limits. How about slowing speed limits at night?
Right, 20 mph is much safer for pedestrians and bikes, and much quieter for people living there. DOT’s approach to setting speed limits is evolving, but it remains to be seen what that will mean in practice. Posting lower speed limits are typically only effective when you’re enforcing them. We all drive too fast on roads that allow us to do so, so safer design is the real solution. There is an important equity consideration – poorer people tend to live in places where the infrastructure is conducive to speeding. We should revisit automated ticketing for speeding.
What positives are happening right now?
So much! Portland’s city council just voted to support restoring two-way traffic on State and High Streets. A road diet [reducing number or width of lanes] on Forest Avenue is on the table, which could make it much safer for everyone and add bike lanes. The City and MaineDOT are advancing the redesign of Franklin Street. The Libbytown Safety and Accessibility Project has been a great collaboration between Portland and MaineDOT, and will convert Congress Street and Park Avenue to two-way, two-lane streets with separated bike infrastructure. MaineDOT’s Village Partnership Initiative is funding transportation studies for safer village centers across Maine.
More people are calling for safer, more complete streets. Much of the public response to the Maine Turnpike Authority’s Gorham Connector project centered on saving Smiling Hill Farm, but I heard a lot of people saying we have enough roads,
we need more options for walking, biking, and using transit.
If you had a magic wand, what would you do to make our roads safer and quieter?
The amount we spend to support walking, biking, and using transit is still a tiny percentage of what we spend on car infrastructure. Last time I looked, METRO had a roughly $15 million operating budget. That’s tiny compared to what we spend on roads. The Maine Turnpike Authority is ready to spend over $330 million on the Gorham Connector spur –that would fund METRO for decades.
What can people do to make roads quieter, slower, and safer?
The Maine Climate Action Plan says that by 2025 we need to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by 25%, yet we’re still building for stable traffic or growth. We should say, “How can we plan to reduce the traffic on this road from 20,000 cars a day to 15,000?”
Everyone can tell their city councilor and representatives that they want to see more money and priority going to pedestrian and bike safety, and that you’re ok with cars being slower. You can read the state and local plans and show up at meetings.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
PelotonPosts is produced by PelotonLabs founder Liz Trice.
Fresh Approach
By Layne V. Witherell
“Great wine makes you feel like a genius.” -Matt Kramer
Sometimes you look for the great ones, and sometimes they simply find you.
I have some thoughts - as opposed to rules - on price, quality, and availability. Wine should deliver on a promise that you will be pleased after that check has been passed and the last sip taken. It is as much a cerebral experience as anything. And an adventure. Look to expand on what you know.
We rolled into Bread and Olive, 935 Congress Street, for a little evening, postFirst Friday Art Walk bite when I noticed an $18 featured Nebbiolo by the glass on their specials board. This is a bit ambitious. After a taste, we immediately ordered a bottle.
PIANTAGROSSA 396 NEBBIOLO
From the tiny Valle D’Aosta region of Northern Italy, it was sensational. Named after an ancient chestnut tree in front of their family home. Nebbiolo as a red grape is usually tough, tannic, and can be unpredictable. Its most famous growing region is Barol, where it is described as “tar and roses.” Tar and roses? That’s rough. Kind of like Guns N’ Roses as a grape.
This was “lifted, aromatic, and fresh” and was a velvet accompaniment to their house special of seared tuna. With a 500-
FOOD & DRINK
case total production, it is a miracle to wind up as a feature in a tiny local wine bar in Portland. At $58.00 per bottle on a restaurant list, it should run locally around $40.00 a bottle retail. National Distributing handles it, and Gwendoline Willis imports it. Let’s hear it for hardworking importers who search the countryside for gems like this. Our wine discovery of the year. Willis will be hosting a tasting at Bread and Olive on January 22nd at 6:00 p.m., complete with tapas.
DOMAINE DE PETIT COLEAU
SPARKLING VOUVRAY, $20.00
We were at one of our favorite little places in this part of the world - SoPo Seafood, 171 Ocean Street, South Portlandwhen they featured a tasting by the wine negociant Mary Taylor. Mostly okay stuff with a Bordeaux Blanc yawner next to this. It has been forever since I have seen a sparkling Vouvray, much less tasted one. Grown on the banks of the Loire Valley, France, it is 100% Chenin Blanc grapes (it’s the law).
Even though the method is the same as Champagne, the grapes and soil are different. There is an absolute burst of pear like Chenin Blanc grape flavor. Unlike Prosecco, there are real bubbles here. Unlike Spanish Cava, whose grapes taste like they were planted on the moon, there is identifiable fruit. And unlike Champagne, you didn’t have to call your banker before tasting the stuff. Look for sparkling Vouvray. It
is a treat.
On to the food... Live raw scallops, a.k.a. “butter of the sea,” is a seasonal offering at SoPo Seafood. If you have the chance, do yourself a favor and try it. All their stuff is authentic. This is delirious with the sparkling Vouvray. The bubbles and the scallops were made for each other, with a hint of sweetness in both.
FLOWERS ROSE, SONOMA COAST, 2023, $35.00
Famous for their Camp Meeting Ridge Pinot Noir and Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, this was our wine of choice during the summer at the Portland Lobster Compa-
When you look up “wines with lobster” in the books and websites, they usually bombard you with Chardonnay dressed up as butter. You can do that, and it works. This is far from “riding the bandwagon” rose like we experience everywhere. It has texture, verve, and depth. The grapes are grown specifically to make rose, with subtle fruit and crisp acidity.
I am thrilled that Portland Lobster Company features a small selection of great wines at not outrageous prices. This wine magically appeared on their list this season, and I hope it stays.
Cont'd on Next Page
ny, 180 Commercial Street, Portland.
396 Nebbiolo at Bread and Olive and Flowers Rose at Portland Lobster Company. -Photos courtesy of Layne Witherell
LAYNE’S WINE GIG PRESENTS
GREAT WINES, GREAT MOMENTS
Cont'd from Previous Page
We were asked by a tourist (after spotting us in our local garb - Judy’s The End sweatshirt and my recently deceased Foulmouthed Brewery sweatshirt) why do we come to a tourist place? Why? Because we love it.
A few years back there was a rumor that it would be torn down for yet another cheesy condo or hotel. So, we go nearly every Sunday and support our locals. To hear Gina Alibrio sing Stevie Nicks, while savoring their divine lobster roll and sipping from a plastic cup (yeah, a plastic cup!) Flowers Pinot Noir Rose - this is our Sunday.
Michael Terrien Sonoma Chardonnay, 2018, $18.00
While contemplating my next bite of their wood grilled marinated squid, our waitperson Sarah Bartlett - who in my opinion is the greatest waitperson on the planet, with 26 years at Fore Street, 288 Fore Street, Portland - recommended that I try a newly featured wine by the glass: Michael Terrien Sonoma Chardonnay.
There are Ahhh moments, and then there are Ahhhhhhh moments. And this was one. Sure, I like chardonnay and have waded through oceans of it from the awful to the sublime. This was different. The au currant style of today’s chardonnay features the flavor of gobs of butter (mostly courtesy of CY3079, a test-tube created
yeast that magnifies the flavor out of all recognition).
This was balanced, elegant, and sublime with a lingering farewell, known as the finish, that lasted for days. I had to find it and chase down some more.
SEAWEED WEEK
We love Portland Seaweed Week and celebrate it every year. We need to look at hanging garlands of seaweed from our front door every year to simply announce its arrival. And there it was again, Michael Terrien Chardonnay, Sonoma, $16/glass, $64/bottle at Central Provisions, 414 Fore Street, Portland.
Bone Marrow toast, barbeque eel nigiri, seaweed salad, and Bluefin Tuna Crudo. And that was lunch. Michael Terrien would be so proud.
UNICORN WINE
Every other wine mentioned (and many of the dishes) should be available. This one - to the best of my knowledge - is not.
EDOUARDO VALENTINI TREBBIANO d’ ABRUZZO, 2012
I have been chasing a bottle of this wine for several decades. It is mentioned in Burton Anderson’s “Vino” and Matt Kramer’s “Making Sense of Italian Wines,” but never seems to appear. The Abruz-
Tuesday - 14 to choose from Wednesday - Fat Tire Thursday - Long Trail Weekends - 20oz. PBR & High Life $3.25 Mimosas $3.95 (Noon - 7pm)
FORE | 336 FORE STREET | 207-772-8619
zo region in Italy is hot stuff now, which doesn’t help us locate in the least bit a rare cult wine from the region.
Valentini was a self-proclaimed eccentric. Trained as a lawyer, he abandoned the law and settled on the family farm where he read the works of the ancient Roman wine writer Columella. He set out to replicate his wine. This is as close to drinking the wines of the ancient Romans as you will get sans time travel. Their greatest wines were white - not red.
We tracked it down in R’Evolution Restaurant, 777 Bienville Street, New Orleans earlier this year.
Their list is massive with the rare Italian whites as an afterthought. Death by Gumbo (their signature dish) was delicious, but the wine stole the show. Yes, “great wine does make you feel like a genius,” and transports you back to ancient Rome. You get to spend an hour with a glass in a state of ecstasy.
Gladis House Cleaning
We
LAYNE’S WINE GIGS
I will be adding private, group, or individual tastings to my schedule in 2025. Wine author, journalist, historian, fun guy. You pick the subject, time, and place, and I will provide the knowledge and entertainment. You can e-mail me at lvwitherell@ gmail.com for thoughts and details.
Layne V. Witherell has been a professional in the wine business for many decades and was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.
Undiscovered Catalonia
By Nancy Dorrans
As promised here’s how our Catalonian Women, Walking, and Wine adventure continued through the Priorat wine region to the stunning coves of Costa Brava.
The views were amazing as we headed from Barcelona west to Gratallops, one of 26 charming hilltop Priorat villages in the surrounds of Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant (Monsant Natural Park).
Our tour operator, Meritxell of El Brogit Wine Tours warmly greeted us upon arrival. We were treated to our first taste of Priorat wine, soaking in the mountain views from the terrace of our hotel Cal Llop. While most of the group opted to unwind, Meritxell led a small group of us on a golden hour walk through terraced vineyards and olive groves.
Priorat wines paired with fresh, seasonal cuisine at the family-run Slate Wine Bar made for a most delicious cap to this day… We were now deep in the heart of Catalan wine country. This is the Catalonia that I wanted to share.
Our first full day of walking was on an unseasonably hot day. Luckily we were able to reset with an organic olive oil tasting paired with a fabulous farm to table lunch in at Arrels de Cavaloca in Scaladei before heading onward to our Hotel Balco del Priorat.
After a hearty breakfast the next day we were driven up the winding roads to the hilltop village of Siurana, our second Priorat village. A former Moorish Kingdom, Siurana was “a fortress perched almost halfway to heaven with impenetrable walls.” During the 11th Century, all of Catalonia had been returned to Christian rule with the exception of Siurana. Legend has it that after the Christian soldiers stormed the castle, the beautiful and heroic Arab Queen Abdelazia road her white horse off the cliff to avoid being captured. You can still see the horse’s hoofmark that sank into the rock before he took the jump… Or so they say...
From Siurana we hiked down ancient cobblestone trails to Cornudella de Montsant our third Priorat village and yet another farm to table lunch at Restaurant Intim followed by a wine tasting at Gritelles Winery.
That night, the dinner menu at La Morera Del Montsant read: Enjoy a vermouth and then for starters try Truita amb suc... a unique omelet made up of three parts: tomatoes, garlic, ground almonds, flour, paprika, and parsley sauce; an egg omelet, filled with spinach, beans, or both; and pieces of potatoes and cod.” And that was just the beginning…
We moved on from Priorat and boarded the Tren dels Llacs, an histor-
Hiking Catalonia with views of the Pyrenees and friendly local dog.
-Photos courtesy Nancy Dorrans
ic train that winds its way through the mountains, bridges, tunnels, and spectacular gorges to the village of La Pobla de Segur.
Next was Peramea, “a medieval hilltop enclosed village where the walls of the houses work as a protective external wall.” I’d like to spend more time here in Peramea, walking about and exploring this quiet historic village. It deserves its own column.
From Peramea our hike covered over nine miles. With horses grazing and vultures soaring, we ate our picnic lunch in a cattle pasture gazing north to the stunning views of the majestic Pyrenees. We had been followed and herded by a sweet dog from the Casa in Peramea. After we reached our next village, Senterada, the guide and his girlfriend drove the pup back home.
laughed with a few of the regulars that I recognized from five years ago, still sitting in the same places drinking coffee together as they do almost every day. This is community!
We moved onward towards the coast with a stop in the city of Figueres and on to the famed artist Salvador Dali’s museum. And I thought Gaudi was unique! Dali was a surrealist, and his works are surreal. I can’t wrap my head around it. Perhaps he said it best, “The fact that I myself, at the moment of painting, do not understand my own pictures, does not mean that these pictures have no meaning; on the contrary, their meaning is so profound, complex, coherent, and involuntary that it escapes the most simple analysis of logical intuition.”
Our journey ended with a couple days relaxing in the seaside village of Calella overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We took a guided coastal walk past Iberian ruins and the colorful, wild, and unspoiled small coves along Costa Brava. A few even took a dip in the Mediterranean!
Adios, Catalonia. I hope to see you again someday…
Sometimes time stands still. And so it seems in Senterada. I was there in 2019, and Casa Leonardo was as I remembered, the hosts were warm and welcoming, and the croissants were huge, warm, and delicious. After breakfast, I reconnected and
Overlooking a small cove along Costa Brava.
Nancy Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.
CLIMATE JUSTICE
Cultivate Hope
By Marie Caspard
Trump’s election win last month has serious implications for climate action at the federal and international level. Trump has stated his intent to:
1. Roll back clean energy investment. For example, by “rescind[ing] all unspent funds under the ‘misnamed’ Inflation Reduction Act.”
2. Withdraw US support for international climate diplomacy. For example, by yet again withdrawing from the Paris Accord on Climate Change.
3. Loosen emissions reductions rules.
Many climate-focused friends and I found ourselves feeling pretty desperate and discouraged in the weeks after the election. It can be difficult to continue feeling hopeful when faced with a climate crisis and a President-elect who has made skeptical, ambiguous, contradictory statements about the scientific validity of climate change. But it turns out, hope is not just a feeling, but something that can be cultivated even in the face of adversity – and psychologists have been studying it for decades.
In the 1990’s psychologist Rick Snyder developed a framework for hopeful thinking, built on three core elements: goals, pathways, and agency. Goal setting provides direction and meaning to our efforts. Pathways thinking generates multiple routes to desired goals, making us re-
silient and flexible.Agency thinking enables us to initiate and sustain movement along a pathway. Starting with smaller, more easily achievable goals and surrounding yourself with friends to celebrate and keep you accountable can help build momentum.
Many folks I speak to say that a shared mission and sense of community is a great source of hope. Others find hope to be naïve – even irresponsible – given the scale of the climate crisis we’re dealing with. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson shared this sentiment in a 2022 interview with Krista Tippett: “I’m not a fan of hope as a guiding principle, because it by definition assumes that the outcome will be good, which I know is not a given, I am completely enamored with the amount of possibility that’s available to us.”
A hopeful thinking framework does not necessarily assume the good outcome will be a given. Rather it assumes the good outcome is possible and achievable with pathways, goals, and agency. Under a hopeful thinking framework, this “amount of possibility” represents goals and pathways to climate solutions.
Now, more than ever, is the time for local climate action. Can you think of one goal, pathway, and source of agency to cultivate climate hope? If you’re seeking a community to cultivate that hope, join our next PCAT meeting, the fourth Tuesday of the month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. FMI email Portlandclimate@gmail.com.
COP29
By Dr. Susana Hancock
In the final meeting with ministers at COP29, the UN Climate Change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, I was numb. I didn’t know how to comprehend what I had just witnessed. Evans Njewa, Malawi’s Chief Environmental Officer, had just announced that the presidency failed to consult constituencies comprising 89 of the most climate vulnerable countries before presenting a decision that was dreadfully inadequate. The countries walked. As a COP veteran, I’ve seen this before. While I was grateful Njewa finally drew the necessary red line, I was outraged by the process.
This was hardly the first such incident in Baku. One constituency stalled an entire negotiation stream from the evening opening. Later, a petrostate negotiator laughed at another’s tears. For 13 days, I was stuck in the firing zone of raw emotions between negotiators and ministers fighting for their lives and those fighting for their lifestyles.
Under the Paris Agreement, COP meetings operate on consensus. Theoretically, each country, whether the United States, Fiji, or Ghana, is equal. Texts only get adopted with 100% approval: no majority rule. While this can work with honest actors and is still the best international system we have, it provides significant latitude for self-interest.
As a climate scientist, my invitation to the UN meetings is foremost to advise
ministers and negotiators. What processes are at play in sea level rise? When will High Mountain Asia run out of water? However, with the US election just before COP29, I was keenly attuned to the socalled wrecking ball diplomacy of certain countries whose economies are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and pondered the future involvement of my own country.
As the largest historical emitter, the US is highly influential in COP processes. While the US delegation, led by climate envoy John Podesta, aimed to enshrine the country’s transition away from fossil fuels, the reality is that states will assume more responsibility under the forthcoming administration.
In the waning days of COP29, the Maine Climate Council released its updated Maine Won’t Wait plan. As part of the governors’ US Climate Alliance, with both representatives on environmental caucuses, and as the only state with both US senators in the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, Maine can have a strong influence in the country’s direction. It’s not just Maine that Won’t Wait, the rest of the world can’t wait.
Dr. Susana Hancock is an internationally recognized climate activist and scientist. When not traveling around the world (by train), she spends time in mid-coast Maine.
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Classic Literature Trivia
1. Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s best known work, but her first book was what 1811 novel with a similarly alliterative title?
2. Stephen Dedalus is the literary alter ego of what early 20th century Irish writer?
3. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four gave us what phrase for a totalitarian, mass surveillance state that was borrowed by a popular reality TV show?
4. What Hemingway book about an American in the Spanish Civil War takes its name from a John Donne poem, just like the Metallica song of the same name? Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!
HILLTOP SUPERETTE’s
DECEMBER EDITION
SLICE FROM THE PIE
TOSSING UP TASTY NEWS TIDBITS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT…
Christmas Eve 2015
www.instagram.com/ohnocafe
OhNo Café closes after 15 years in the heart of the West End… Portland Public Schools administrator Dr. Grace Valenzuela receives Lifetime Recognition Award for her contributions to bilingual education and language immersion in Maine… Apartment hunting site RentCafe names Portland the #1 Most Livable Metro for fitness enthusiasts and foodies… Maine is the 4th Most Charitable State for 2025 according to a WalletHub report due in part to high volunteer hours per capita… Oscar Mayer Wienermobile visits Portland to collect non-perishable food donations for Wayside Food Programs Friends of Woodfords Corner celebrate 10 years of service to Woodfords neighborhood… The City recognizes Portland Community Squash as Small Business of the Year for growing to serve 200 students yearly and a new $6M expansion adding more courts and café… Wild turkeys have returned to visit the Western Prom this fall…..........................
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Too sick to attend the service, I stayed home on Christmas Eve. I cannot hear, but still, I listen. Somewhere, kings are riding, Angels are flying, Shepherds are kneeling. Alone in my apartment, far from any preaching; far from any singing; I can still hear, above the labored ticking of the clock; the gentle rush of angel’s wings, baby’s cry, and the promise ever ancient, ever new, of “peace on earth, goodwill to all.”
-Rick Huleatt
SUBMISSIONS
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Learning to Play Playing to Learn
Let’s Make Music ! Do you play a brass instrument? Woodwind or percussion? SMNHB wants YOU!
Begin Anytime
St. Luke’s Cathedral, Lower Hall 136 Park St., Portland, ME
Concert
December 14, 7 pm
Portland Conservatory of Music
SouthernMaineNewHorizonsBand.org
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