Maine Is An Underrated State
When you think of the United States of America, what states come up in your head? New York? California? Texas? Illinois? Maryland and maybe two other states. All of these states have wonderful scenery and various places to explore inside them. California is a state I would love to explore in the near future.
There’s still plenty to explore in the other mention states as well. Places I haven't been to yet in those states. What triggered this topic was me reminiscing on when I used to work on this ship the American Constitution from May 2018 to August 2018. I got to see amazing places that I didn’t know existed up around some of the northeast parts of America.
Places like George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Cambridge, Maryland, Norfork, Virginia, and Newport, Rhode Island will make you want to stay in those places as long as possible especially when the weather is sunny and you see blue skies dominate the sky.
While the work could be overwhelming at times, the adventures more than made up for the days where you had to get rooms ready for the next group of passengers that would board on in Boston, Massachusetts, or deal with difficult passengers during Cocktail Hour. There is one state that I didn’t expect to love or remember so much during those days and that state is one of the greats (to me now) called Maine.
When the cruise ship arrived in Maine the first time we tour there during my time working, it was early in the morning. I had to check my area around 6 am in the morning. Every steward/housekeeper had to for thirty minutes before it was breakfast time at 6:30 am. So I’m half-sleep still trying to get my thoughts together heading up to the main deck of the ship.
Portland
The main goal was to check for trash and make sure the pillows on the blue couches looked neat. When I went outside, the image I saw around me was breathtaking! I’ve never seen a burst of sunshine so bright and so close as I did at that moment. There was so much water around us with lots of ships that I got lost looking at the view all around me.
Of course, I had to take some pictures on my phone to savor this moment. I look around to make sure none of my superiors isn't around with the strong phone policy we had while working. After a few clicks, I finally head to the kitchen to get breakfast, but I knew I wanted to explore this place.
This was one of the great things about working on a cruise ship, is that when you were allowed to, you could get off the ship and explore wherever you were at the time and I definitely wanted to explore this area I soon found out was Portland, Maine.
So fast forward seven hours later after cleaning and checking the passenger rooms, I was assigned to, Us stewards wait to see if we’re allowed to go on break. When our supervisor Catie tells us to go on break, we’re all excited and immediately run to our rooms to changed our clothes and get a taste of Portland, Maine.
It doesn’t take me too long to get out of my blue shirt that had my name on it with American Cruise Lines on it with my black khaki pants to put on some shorts with one of the colorful shirts I had in my suitcase. Soon after, I head to the exit where you have a co-worker watching who comes in and out of the ship.
Tyler was the guy who was on watch. He tells me to enjoy myself in Portland, Maine, and enjoy myself I do! Seeing the port with the seagulls flying back and forth with the breeze hitting my face feels so freeing. I walk to this entrance that lets you go into Portland. Once I’m allowed to go into the city, the journey begins!
I see a place with a lot of buildings that look ancient but feel new at the same time, it’s hard to explain. As I walk among the Portland citizens, I feel an energy in this city that feels alive. I see a man who’s playing the saxophone while I continue to walk. As I walk further, I catch another person playing the violin with such passion that I can’t stop watching until I realize I only have two hours to explore before I have to head back to the ship.
I discovered the food place Five Guys in Portland, Maine. I’m not sure what caused me to eat there, but I’m glad I did, their burger I got and french fries were AMAZING! After eating there, I walk further into Portland, I see what looks like a concert. I'm not sure who’s performing, but I see four guys on stage jamming to a decent size crowd with me behind the audience.
I’m really loving this place! The weather is beautiful outside. I end up finding a CVS Pharmacy! I’m so glad! I go there to get some snacks and supplies that I’m familiar with since I was working on that ship for four months. It was hard to find places I was familiar with at times in Maine, but when I did, I relish the opportunity.
I would come back to Portland Maine a few more times before my time on the cruise ship would end and I would head back to Texas. Portland is just one area of Maine that’s amazing to look at.
Bar Harbor/Bucksport
Another area of Maine that’s awesome to explore is Bar Harbor, Maine. I’m ashamed it took me so long to go there. Every time I heard we would be there, I would skip the chance to go because we didn’t have enough time to enjoy it. Bar Harbor is one of those places where we would have to get on a small boat to get there.
The scenery alone around the water is breathtaking! The blue water sparkles looking out of the window. When I finally did decide to go to Bar Harbor, the trip was so worth it. The boat ride to it was so much fun! Like Portland, Bar Harbor has an energy to it when you arrived and walk among the people. It’s a small but cool place surrounded by water and boats. It’s a good place to check out if you ever head to Maine.
Bucksport was my favorite place in Maine when we used to dock there. It has a historical feel to it. Plus the scenery is beautiful in the daytime when the weather is nice. I had some great pizza there in that town, I just wish I remembered the name of that place. I saw a Saint Bernard there in this couple’s ride. That dog was HUGE!
I had never seen a dog that huge before. That memory also stands out to me. Plus there’s a Friar’s Brewhouse there also. I and another co-worker that worked on the ship saw a Friar leaving that place at night. While the co-worker was being a chatterbox with the Friar, I was just in awe that these people still exist!
Bucksport also has a Veterans Memorial Area that has several flags up that’s really cool to see.
The other cruise ship workers didn’t like Bucksport, but I LOVED the down-to-earth feeling that it had.
Overall, Maine is an amazing state with a lot of beautiful landmarks that can rival any of the other great landmarks in America. I ish I could have got to know the people better, but it’s tough to do when you have an hour or two to enjoy these places. There were other places I went to in Maine that escapes me at the moment but the state is worth a look and should get more shine than it should.
