Portland: Pizza Party

for Hollywood. Each episode, I go someplace with a friend to make a travel podcast, and to really get a sense of that place, I try to get invited to someone's home for dinner. Today's destination Portland, Maine. If there was a list of cities on the most lists, Portland,

Maine would be on top. It's on Voter's Best Places to Travel in twenty twenty list, US News and World Reports Top twenty five places to Live list, Bonapati's Top Restaurant town list, and it's on my list of places I'd go if I gave up life in the Big Apple as a kid, I vacationed in nearby Cape Cod so I find the rugged new England coastline oddly soothing.

Plus the whole area feels so appealingly literary to me, and not just because it has great turtleneck weather, but because it's been home to eb White, Thurreau and Henry Longfellow. And as someone who wish to see Rote Moore and definitely like Sacca turtleneck, I dig that. So we're at this lighthouse, We're on this kind of you know, it's a it's a there's pathways and cliff walks and you know, jagged rocks meeting the ocean and waves crashing against them.

The water's bonkers today. It's really violent out there. It's really churning out there today. I'm gonna go over there because I feel like I can get a good Instagram shot over there. I mean, this is I don't know why influencers aren't coming here on mat Danielle and I are on Cape Elizabeth, an outdoor area at the entrance of Casco Bay, the body of water Portland sits on. It's blustery, drizzly, overcast, and the sky looks like an

oyster show. Portland, by the way, named after Portlandia, which is not an Old English word that means satirical sketch show about hipsters. But it is an old English word that means land across the harbor, so I'm supposed to meet him under the lighthouse. I feel like it's kind of like a detective story, like a Graham Green story. Being that the coast and literature are two of the main things that attract me to Portland. I thought we started our trip with the combination of the two. So

I invited a local poet to me this year. There. He is Steve Idea Danelle. When I first got here, I thought, Gee, this is really crowded for this time of year. But then when I saw the waves and all that, I figured out that's probably why is it not always this dramatic here. It's not like this every day. I don't know. I've been here from New York City. I'm like, oh, beautiful, Maine, it is utiful. I agree. My name is Steve Latreelle, and I present myself as

an existential entity in the early twenty first century. That's what I do. I do poetry. You're born and raised here. Why why did you stay in Portland? Well I didn't. I actually left and went out to San Francisco because there was a lot of people of my generation doing that. I traveled around and then came back to me because I couldn't find a place that I liked any better. So the lighthouse, Yeah, is that too obvious a symbol as a beacon for people to come from coming to Portland, Maine?

And yeah, I would say it's yeah, yeah. I guess the short answer as yes, you've been a line through it with Red pen Well. Yeah, you know the lighthouse, Longfellow's House, the taide House, the museum about those are probably the top four or five, you know, spots where people coming from away want to go. I wonder it seems like Portland is there's a lot of arts flour share there are for a small city. We're very fortunate to have some wonderfully talented people, not just writers, but

musicians and painters. Maybe we can have you read some of your poems. This poem is entitled coming to the four. How often I have looked to see this river in it's moving toward this harbor from a hillside down across this river's mouth, one can see the scope of it, how it opens out and curves around behind the small squad lighthouse. Wow, it's beautiful. That is beautiful. Even though you are an existential being, you're also a poet. Laureate,

I was the poet Lauria to Portland. How does that happen? What is what are the steps that do you submit yourself? Do you ask me if I would be that? And I agree, special license plate or something? No? No, But it wasn't honor, you know. I mean, to be honored by the city was nice. And you know, my teacher, my mentor was the late Robert Creeley, Bob Creeley. I always just to tell me, Steve, the only reason to make a poem is because you have to, you know

what I mean. I mean, I do this. I get up in the middle of the night and run down stairs to write three lines because it occurs to being in a moment of whatever to do so. And that's really it, I mean. And that's if you can take that from the activity, then then you're okay. But if you're looking for more than that, you could get into deep waters. I do a investion to make Portland kind of does reside as a plan by in my head because because I can't afford anything in New York in Brooklyn,

people fantasize about moving to Portland. It has become this like ideal of like, oh, just if I can make it there, my life will be calmer. We'll be able to raise my children with fresh air. Right, you talk to the people that have been here for generations in the way that comes up as gentrification because it is so beautiful and so livable that people are coming from places that are a lot more expensive to live in and you know, livable, but not to the same pace.

So just one last question, so longfellow. I think his first collection was called The Seaside and the Fireside. Yeah, I think you're right. I'm not I wouldn't swear to that, but that sounds right. What is your fireside life like in Portland? Like? What do you do at the after

you're writing your poems? Because part of our our show ideas we go to these places, we meet people, but to get the real sense of place, we need to break bread with them, right right, Well, you know the weekends, I generally I got a little cabin I go to So Okay, so no we can't. We can't have a dinner party your house. See no next game though, alright, check, all right, I'll take it with bad weather in the

forecast for pretty much our whole visit. I have a feeling I'm going to leave town with a lot of uncash rain checks. I was into Steve's that we didn't get to say. He was wearing a rich mustard corduroy jacket so sweet, Doc ciders, an incredible tweet hat, a gold hoop earring, one singular, I know, just a little rock and roll, long, long gray hair, like if Bernie Sanders grew out his hair. Oh he did well in San Francisco in nineteen sixty seven. Right, don't people become

poets to get laid like in the sixties. Maybe at the sixties. You really didn't have to do much. In the sixties to get laid. They invented the pill and it was over. As we're getting ready to leave, a shiny object in the distance catches my eye. It's a vehicle with a clapboard sign out front and a crowd of people. My stomach growls, and I decided to investigate. Okay, so there's a little lunch truck and there's a bulletin

board covered in plastic. With all this praise given to this lobster stand number one lobster role in America according to BuzzFeed. Number one food truck in America according to The Daily Meal. And on the menu there are main lobster rolls and then we got main style, which is mayo and fresh chives. Connecticut style just warm butter. There's nothing more Connecticut than I've heard. There's warm butter things, no spices. Hey, how are you doing? All right? Can

we get too? I'm gonna get a main style lobster role. Also a main style lobster role please? And can is there a way to make the lobster role to go? Is that? Oh? Sure, yeah, we can pack it to go. Okay, yeah, lobster role to go. And that's how we lobster roll Oh god, yeah with you. Lighthouse lobster rolls were one stop away from a Portland, Maine hat trick, and the place we're going it also starts with the letter L. Two of them. In fact, we're eating a lobster roll

in the parking lot of ll Bean. We're a peakmane and I'm wearing boxer shorts with lobsters on them. That's a little too much about I don't have I don't wear boxer short yep. We're visiting the ll Bean factory and outlet. Mm hmm, how is it there's and short for decent. I feel like we're like degrading the lobster a little bit here, you know what I mean. It's like drinking champagne, like while watching football or something like that. It seems kind of wasteful, or maybe it's on brand.

This is like going to the Vatican for preppins here. Literally have you told me as a teenager? But I would be visiting LLL Bean in any capacity I would not fully do. I get what Daniels saying. LL Bean's preppy outdoor gear hasn't always been my style either. I could rock that fan, I think, but who knows. If I moved here, maybe I can make sensible clothing work

for me. Come like in these shoes right here. I'd fill my fanny pack with pencils and a notebook to write down my thoughts, a tobler own bar for what I'm feeling peckish, and a jaunty kerchief for when the wind picks up or if I find myself feder remote wine bar and need a flash of style. But my shopping would have to wait, because when we asked to record in the store. Lll Bean's PR team one up to us and invited us to visit their testing center. Hi,

how are you? They call it the smash lab. My mind immediately pictured a Hadron collider where monogrammed totes are slammed together at high speeds. So we decided to check it out. So we're walking into an actual lab for I just get your name and your title first, Tom Legley Research and Testing Laboratory ll BEAN or a lab coat? Is that an ll BEAN lab cut? No? This is a standard laboratory lab coat found on all around the world. Are you guys going to move into the lab code market?

Not that I know of right now? Okay, So what goes on in here? Like? Why do you have to test everything up? So the reason that we test everything is we want to meet the expectations of our customers to come out with a quality product that's going to meet their daily needs in the real world. You said that perfectly. It's almost like you said that before. Actually, I'd love to break things that would be the precursor to this. Can we can you show us a test here?

So this is a buckle for our wax canvas cotton collection. So all of our snowshoes will go in here, put a sunflower shower head over it. Our tent poles, ice skates ave into a solid black of ice. We will then bash that out with a hammer. Are you saying I get to bash it that with a hammer? Okay? Yea yeah, yeah you go get a yeah. When is your appointment with your therapist? Again? Kind of therapist I'm used to makes me line a couch and blame my parents for why I can't even commit to buying a

house plant. But here, when things get stressful, like say a moose steps in your subaru, you can just bash ice. But then what how do you unwind if you're not wound up? So tom like after you're smashing things all day like what happens pint of beer? But Danielle and I are here through Saturday, and so if we were, you know, we think the real way to get to know places maybe to like get invited into someone's home and have a meal, Like what are you what are

your plans this weekend? Oh? I'll have to get back to you. Are you just saying though, because you're press guys in the in the room and you're afraid to Oh no, I'll get back to you. Trust me. How that right? So far over two in the dinner party count. After our visit to Smash Lab, Danielle and I are ready for nap Lab, but we've got places we need to be, so we stopped for coffee at a spot everyone told us we had to try happily enough for a duo like ourselves. It's name, it's Tandem. Got is

a line? I do wait a line for coffee? Forget that? Did it come with a hand job? Do you look nice? There's literally like a corner shop right there. Let's get coffee there. I don't know what I mean. Let's not be crazy. It wasn't Tandem's fault. They were popular. The crowds are the sort of thing we'd come here to avoid. Fortunately, like any Hiptown Worth, it's pink Himalayan ce salt. Portland has a ton of good coffee shops to choose from. All right, coffee shops. We're going to coffee by design,

double espresso, cortados, a small cappuccino. Where you guys from in New York? Your biggest nightmare is Portland. We're here, we're hearing, we're buying condos. We're here to raise around, So what are you guys hardcasting for? We visit town and then we want to learn about the place, but by avoiding the tourists spots head on and maybe getting invited into someone's home to eat dinner. So do you guys know a dinner party later? If you find out,

let me know. I'm also like, I do shaman work, so then I'm like, I do my I have pet sitter, I sling shots during the day. Whoa, it's a way to go. It's fun. Should we get your name where you work? Or like, yeah, my name full name, Brendan Thorpe. I work at Coffee by Design on Congress Street. Alternate Brendon, I'm Brendan. I'm your Brendan Doppler. This is what If I lived in Portland? Would I be a shaman? Probably not? The only spirit world I interact with involves three parts gin,

one part driver muth olives. Please, then who would I be if I lived here? My Brendan doppelgangerre exuded a sense of calm that was enviable calms in short supply Where I come from? New York, after all, is the city that never sleeps, a motto that sounds exciting in your twenties, but later sounds like a warning. A city that occasionally sleeps is what I'm looking for. Newly caffeinated Danielle and I stroll Congress Street, one of the city's

main thoroughfares. It's packed with cafes, buskers, and bookstores. This is like that bad bookstore that you use. Bookstore smells a little musty and dusty, has lots of treasures hidden in here. This is the kind of bookstoere you find thinks that you weren't intending to find where you kind of you come in and see what's here, and we will always walk out with something that you never expected to find. Let's go me, let's come. He should be whispering.

Why are we whispering. It's not a library, it's a bookstore. Why are you needed to meet you? Michelle, daniel My name is Michelle Seulier, and I own the Green Hand Bookshop in Portland, Maine. I'm looking at all these Stephen King books, which makes sense. He's one of your native authors. Yes, we've got to stock a lot of King. We're in a stew in King country. I'd nearly forgotten that the King of Horror hailed from here. Yeah, of Portland's a

great town for books. We have three used bookshops and three new bookshops, all in the downtown area, and they all do their own thing and they all do Yeah. I guess well, because we're all still open. Ye know. Chell not only sells books, she wrote one. It's called Strange Maine, and it's about all things strange in Maine. Probably could have guessed that. Why do you think there

is a conglomeration of eccentrics and in Portland? I think Maine has a tradition of encouraging individual thought and also encouraging privacy, so you're allowed to do the things you do and kind of grow and cultivate them yourself without a lot of people pushing on you if you figure out a way to do it on your own. So are you you're closing down soon? Or what time? I am? Yeah, six o'clock is closing time. Okay, get a drink with us? Are yeah? Which are we going out? Oh? We're gonna

go out the door and then we'll head to the left. Okay, so we're going to bow Bow. Where is that a relationship to your Oh, it is a hot skip and a jump. You're almost there. You can practically smell it. The sidewalks feel eerily empty for a Friday night. At the same time, every few buildings there's a restaurant filled with people. Portlanders take food seriously, and as someone who knows they're Taijin from Tartar, I have to admit it might be part of what made me want to come here.

All right, we are at bow Bow here. You say that again. We're here at Bowbow. Awesome. I'm very excited about dumplings. Food. There's I also have cocktails and beer and specialist for your guys. Excellent, thanks a lot, thank you. I know. Embarrassed, is said, I don't even I don't drink beer and Maine. Every two where we go, they're like, there's a great brewery on the corner. Yeah, they're all about do you think I could live here even if though I didn't drink beer? Would I get excluded? Okay,

you drink cocktails? Yeah, yeah, you're golden. We keep winding up on those top lists of cities, and it's there's no turning the tide. At this point, I was in my shop. It was a couple of years ago now, but I was talking to somebody and they were like, yeah, you know, I just moved here from Brooklyn recently, and so we're kind of trying to get the hang of everything, and some person who's for the rack of the shop stuck their head. I was like, oh my god, me too,

I just moved here from Brooklyn. And then somebody else and me too, Oh my god. It's like, oh no, my aunt tire shop. I'm not gonna lie. I mean, I live in Brooklyn and this has been kind of a plan B in the back of my head. The flip side is that your that funny story you're talking about your shop. It's like he's like, me too, me too, me too. But then you're as a store owner. You have three customers there that are giving you money. Can we get another order of the bulgogie? And another order

of the slaw? Another slaw, another bulgogie? So what is love and dating light here? That's a difficult question to me because I've been married for a long time. But I would say that I think it's difficult. I've always been astonished by Portland's little pockets, So Portland I kind of compare it to like a you know, a little furry rodents who have all these little warrens and dens.

And so everybody's burrowing in and creating these little warrens and doing all their little projects in their different little dens. And it's not until like something happens accidentally, like somebody busts through all of their den and it's like, hey, what are you doing in here? Then you find out like there's people right next to you doing really similar and interesting things that you didn't know about at all.

You're a bunch of Nerdsland. Yeah, yeah, Portland is packed up with nerds, nerds and metal heads and artists, and yeah, we all like to do our own things. But what if one's own thing was learning about other people's things. Nerds by definition, are single minded people obsessed with the non social pursuit, whereas I am single mindedly obsessed with the social pursuit dinner parties. Well, Michel, thank you so much for meeting up with us. I'm sharing your knowledge

of Horland. That's my pleasure. We're here for like two more days. And one of my strategies for getting you no place is trying to like not just go to the Taurus spots and like maybe even like get into someone's world and so what what what do you guys? What are you doing tomorrownight? Like what's going on? Well, um, Saturday day is kind of wide open. One never knows. Can we stay in touch with you and maybe we could begin to hang out again and maybe break bread

with some of your cohorn Yeah? Absolutely, really that would be amazing. Okay, so we'll check in with you in the morning, Thank you so much. With our dinner party plans set in motion, we said bye bye to Booboo and drove drove back to our lodgings. Back in our rented den, I thought about what Michelle said about Brooklyn Knight's cropping up in her shop. Did the B in my plan B stand for basic? Was my attraction to Portland the result of a true yearning for quieter life?

Was I just another Brooklyn Knight checking out the next buzzy thing? These questions ping ponged in my mind until finally I went night night. The next morning, I woke up for Danielle to meet with someone who definitely didn't move to Portland because it was trendy. Her name Decca Dlac Brendan nice to meet you. Decca is this mind refugee who came to me in ten years ago and recently became the first black woman in Muslim elected to the South Portland City Council. We met up outside an

old maritime signal tower that overlooks the city. She said, we can pretember on top because we're outside. In their birds, Decca were her job the color of autumn orange, yellow, red. It was almost as bright as her constant smile. How was it when you first arrived here that first winter? How did you adapt? It was really scary. It was very scary. It was very very white. Everything was white. Yeah, and even my children had a cultural shock because they

were born and raised in this country. But yet they get used to the South. In the South the world, they have you know, African American friends. Yeah, and when they came here, actually we lived in Lewiston, where has a large number of Somali community. And my oldest who was twenty six now, said Mom, what are the old black people? And I said, look around, you know, just how all African. He's like, no, no, those are your people.

I'm talking about the African American people sometimes go to Boston so that they can see other folks who are African Americans. I'm just feeling better that way. So so when you say white, you mean not just the snow that's everywhere you're talking. This is like an we kind of go back and forward. Vermont, Okay, So who is the wyest estate? Wow? So it's ninety seven? Yeah, Well, how have you been here? There's another conversation that happens

in Portland itself. We're seeing where people are coming from from New York City, from other cities, and they're coming here and they're moving, and they're changing the nature of the town. They're making rent higher, they're changing the culture. How does that does that, if at all, intersect with

your your community or Europe? It is, it is, and it's just a lot of if you will, gentrification that is happening in Portland especially, And you know, as much as Portland mixed into the national news, there are more people who are interested in any coming here and want to buy this condo or get rid of this lo income housing and make it a bigger condos condos and

things like that. And as maners, we had a great state older people, older people populations exactly how very old and we talk about how we need young people, and when you look at that, the immigrants are the youngest people that are here that can make a difference for this city. Even young white people who want to stay here and have their families raced here cannot afford it, let alone an immigrant person who you know already struggling. So how can we retain young people in this city

if we are making a studio for seventeen hundred dollars. Yeah, so I live in New York. I'm from Philadelphia originally, and I had an MPR show for years and now I'm working on this. But I'm at a point in my life where I live in New York so long, I'm never gonna be able to afford to buy anything in New York. And I feel I don't party as much as I used to, Like I don't need that that thriving nightlife, And so when I dream of other places to go, I have to meet Portland is a

plan B for me? Even better? It is even better. How is that a bit cheaper than Portland? You're saying like, maybe not go directly in the city but go adjacent to it. Yes, yes, okay, but you would you would? I be welcomed or would you be like, oh my god, here's another white guy from the city. You will be really welcome because we have people are really lovely here. I mean you might have one person who's bad and their voices are louder. Don't get me wrong, the good people,

their voices are lower. I heard you, and you're answering the question. Earlier. You referred to yourself as a Maner. You feel like a maner. Well, a lot of people are preferring to ask new maners, So I kind of challenge that. What does that mean? I don't even know what that means. What does that mean? You know? Do we call new Manners people coming from California or you know, people coming from New York. Yeah, no, we don't. We

just stand that on a person who's coming from another country. Interesting, so that is where these new Americans new Maners knew whatever is coming from. But our friend of mine said, I need to challenge that because I've been here twenty five years. He said, I've been here what as soon as I was ten? So am I a new Maner? I mean, yeah, it's interesting. It's an interesting question. You're saying.

The new manor label is usually used referred to this immigrants or refugees, but not necessarily someone coming from Boston or no, no, yeah, no, there are there any Uh, sorry to mix up the high and the low, but you're you've seemed very comfortable talking about everything. Are there any like main habits, like they like, do you like skiing or anything? Or hiking or things that you never would have thought as as a young person in Somalia or in Atlanta. Well, I would not hike. I would

not ski, I can tell you that right away. But my kids did all of that. And it was so funny you asked that question. I was in another meeting earlier, and a community meeting, yeah, and one of our young youth leaders who was talking about how she has a hiking group of young people and I'm like, oh my god, okay, do not break anything. And she's like, come on, Auntie, I been hikinson as I was ten. Okay, we know what we're doing. So a lot of kids are changing

that they're doing a lot of activities outdoors. Yeah, and but the parents are not because we were not, you know, raised in that. Yeah. Honestly, it was nice to know that if I moved to Portland, I wouldn't be the only one who sees hiking as a dangerous walk to nowhere. I asked Decca if maybe dinner parties were more her style, but she said she had plans that night. It was time to pick up Danielle and head to the city's waterfront. I'm gonna hit Michelle up later. Do you might dinner

party thing? She said she would hang out. She seemed really eager that the way the people are like, yeah, they've definitely get together. No, she said it like she was. I think she thought we were bringing good chill today. Would you call it an imperfect storm and would call it drizzle? I mean, I'll learned the position to bring it back. You know, I think it's white people's saying. I know, I think we killed was like, oh no,

we can. I think there's a list of where I have a question that while we're on that topic on fleek, what about it? Are you allowed to say that? You're not allowed to say it? After spending our first day in Mainland Portland, we thought we'd visit one of the city's surrounding islands, going to Peak's Island. Okay, yes, okay, and where is it? The department number five. Thank you, Thanks a lot. It's crazy that here in the ferry terminal the most prominent display our real estate boards because

it's people like you and I fantasizing. I guess that's a good house lost. Whoa, I could really almost live here, Really you can live on Peaks Island at least. I don't think I could live here quite up, because it reminds me of places I've already been. I know that small town, small city life, and that's not what I'm looking for right now. Yal boarding call Island a gay number five. This is your first and vinal boarding call pour Peaks Island only at gate number five Islands. Does

this count as an island if it's so close? Yeah, I believe there's I've been under in the subway coming from Brooklyn. Now this is it, Peaks Island. We're rolling up. How do you do? I fancy Danielle. You're wearing an umbrella hat. Yeah, and then you're wearing purple, a purple polar pleece. Yeah. And what are these pants? These are African pants and they actually have umbrellas on them, kind

of hidden in all this pattern. So this is the spot, This is the museum so welcome to the world's only umbrella cover museum, where you'll see there are hundreds, probably about seven hundred umbrella covers on display in this little tiny space. Wow. Nancy three Hoffman. How to describe her well, She spells her middle name with the number three. That should give you an idea. Nancy shows us around her museum, which doesn't take long because it's one small room the

size of a closet. I'm imagine you collected umbrella covers personally before you started displaying them exactly. I got curious about umbrella covers after I cleaned out my house one day and found some umbrella covers, and I just said to myself, m do other people have the same problem, which is, will I ever use these little things again? Are they just too hard to get back on the umbrella to even bother with? And if so, why were they even created? I use my umbrella covers. Ah, You're

one of the twelve percent of people, Danielle. There are very few people that actually conscientiously use their umbrella covers. The thing I like to show people is our mission statement, which is about appreciating the mundane, finding wonder and beauty and the simplest of things and knowing that there is always a story behind the cover. How many umbrella covers do you have? I have two thousand cataloged umbrella covers

in this museum. More or less. Well, when I heard about the museum, one of the things that attracted me to it was this kind of My mind immediately went to kind of zen Buddhism. And there's way more mundane things that happened to us than epic big things. And do you find that people come here sometimes with an element of reverence or is it always whimsy? Mostly whimsy, but in excitement, you know, enthusiasm, And it's hard to

say because people are touched. It's about attitude. I had a friend who was very depressed and that mission statement has helped her through some of her depressed times. Not to be too grandiose about it, but but it is about how appreciating the simple things as you were describing can remind you that, yes, we have to plod through some of these things in life, but we can take a breath and enjoy any moment that we can. Just

let us smile. Your umbrella on a rainy, rainy day, and yours, sweety Christ just tell her that a smile, we'll always pay. So this case has some of our most exciting umbrella covers in it. Is that made out of candy? Yes, it's a gum rapper chain umbrella cover. Um, I have a lot from England. I have some from the Olympics team, Great Britain. Do you want to see the sexy room. We'll just look at the sexy room, you know? Okay, whoa it looks like look sexy sexy covers?

What is just a thong? What's it covered with? Oh? Gon umbrellas? As Nancy played, it occurred to me that the Museum of the Umbrella cover is one of those warrens Michelle told us about a place where a passionate enthusiast burrowed in and built their own little world. I'm glad it exists, but it made me wonder whether I was ready to park somewhere quiet and lose myself in a project. Yeah, Broman School, how do you? How do you feel about it? Could you live here? I'm still

on the fence. It's like Michelle was saying last night about She mentioned how people stay in their little mouse or wrap dens and warrens and don't come out like I feel like I'd have to have a partner if I want, if that's what I want in my life, or a family already. I don't get me anybody here. Yeah, not to that level. I don't know um And I like knowing the vanguard about what's about to happen, and I feel like here. It takes a while for that

to get up here. I don't know how I found a place in my head as like a place I could live an alternative life. Yeah, where did that come from? There's so many cities between Portland and New York. I just felt like doing. I grew up going summers in Cape Cod and New England in general always had a kind mellow vibe to me, and I guess I read all the magazines about the food. Stuff kind of seemed cool. I'm being honest, the food is incredible. Yeah. What is

that like a brick building in the middle of the water. Yeah, it was kind of empty, and that's it's like an old prison. Yeah, that'd be a dope house if I could live there. I've here. While Danielle was inspired by the house in the island, for me, it symbolized the isolation I might feel if I lived here, people are the thing I nerd out on, and for now I want to be in a place where there are lots of them, and I want to travel to meet even more. Traveling,

not burrowing, is where I'm at. Well, dinner parties are traveling. Well, dude, we're going to a dinner party pizza party. All right. We were going to a pizza party, but pizza's dinner, so that makes it technically a dinner party. On the ferry, I texted Michelle from the bookstore and asked if she was still game to host a gathering with us that night, And so Danielle wouldn't think I was being pushy, I said, we'd supply the food party. Pizza party. Remember that commercial.

It was like a board game that pizza parties, no party. My grandma would by it. So I just rememberize yourself like a pizza party. See if I can pull up it was a board game called pizza Party. Yeah, at least I can pull up the commercial part pizza party. That's your pizza. You can't see pizza party, party, Pizza Party. That song always gives me like it's my pop up channel. Listen to at the gym Our party consisted of Michelle

and her husband, Tristan. We brought some pizza, beer, We brought some such an inviting store, and the setting couldn't be more in keeping with the nerd team that was emerging in Portland. We were in Tristan's comic book shop. I like comic shops that make people feel like we don't have to be an ultimate geek already. The store is a cavernous, high ceiling geek valhalla filled Florida roof

with comic books, horror movie ephemera on pinball machines. My ex husband and I met on a Delphi comic book forum. Danielle is on cloud nine. She and Tristan hit it off like Yoda and Batman. Anyway, they got along and while they zipped around the store, Michelle and I munched pizza in contented silence. Right bored yet, what's up? What's up? I wasn't bored, just taking in Michelle and Tristan's habitat and thinking about how this podcast could be both my

smash lab and Museum of the Mundane. Anyway, thanks so much for hosting us and sharing Portland with us. Thanks for so glad that you guys came here. We finally knocked them all together. Yeah together. Yeah, and thanks for letting us have a little pizza party your Yeah, that was great. So their video games back here, we should just play them, Daniel, do you want to play around Zina eight around? Well, we'll take Terry. Portland has been

great to us. Perhaps part of the reason travel is so intoxicating is that it allows us to fantasize about a different life, and in the case of me in Portland, it's a different life. I really thought about leading, but Plan b's, it seems, are like mirages. They disappear as you're approach them. That doesn't mean they don't have a role. They can act as kind of release valves that lower

the pressure on our actual lives. But it means that once you visit and you return home, you're left only with that actual life, your Plan A, and of that you can be foschism in Nizzle, I think I used that right. The lead producer on this episode of Not Loss was the talented Tally Abacasas. The show was also produced and written by me Brendan Francis Newnham. Our associate producer was Jackson Musker. Special editorial guidance came from Mira

Bert Wintock. The show was mixed and mastered by Hannas Brown. A big thanks to my friend and this episode's travel partner, Danielle Henderson. Go check out her book The Ugly Cry Not Lost. As a co production of Pushkin Industries, Topic Studios and iHeartMedia, it was developed at Topic Studios and the show's executive producers are me Christy Gressman, Maria Zuckerman, Lisa Langang, and Latom Mulotte. Production assistance on this episode also came from Jacob Smith, Amy Gaines and Julia Barton.

Our theme song was created by Alexis Trojopolis aka ARP. You can check out his music at Mexican Summer Records. And thanks to everyone in Portland, especially Poet Laureatesteve Latreelle, Tom Begley and ll bean By Brendan Dobbelganger at Coffee by Design, Nancy three Hoffman and Decca Delac who I'm happy to say recently got a promotion. She's now the mayor of South Portland. Hope I'm still invited to visit. And a big thanks to our pizza party host Tristan

Gallagher and Michelle Soulier. Check out Tristan spot Co City Comics, and you can buy Michelle's books the ones she wrote Strange Maine and Bigfoot in Maine, as well as many other fine publications at her own bookstore, The Green Hand Bookshop. Please go support your local booksellers people, or in this case, support you know the local bookseller in Portland. Oh. And speaking of support, please head to Apple Podcasts, go rate and review the show. I know you hear it a lot,

but it's real. Learn more about Topic Studios at topic studios dot com. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Brendan Francis, Newnham. Until next time, bon voyage