But because of its population and support at the state level, Maine kicks New Hampshire’s butt in the Arts. The state has lately adopted the rising field of "fiber arts" which is not, as I first thought, about getting more roughage in your diet. Fiber arts are those connected with organic art materials like reeds for baskets, wood for papermaking and wool for textiles. It is all very crafty and back-to-basics and blends nicely with Maine’s large Native American population, farming, tourism, literary traditions and folk art.

Downtown Portland still has bookstores, lots of them, old and new, while Portsmouth is down to one. I’d forgotten what it was like to comb through aisles of dusky antique volumes on shelves 10 feet high. Then we took in the exhibit on broadsides at the Maine Historical Society, an incredibly professional display co-curated by Portsmouth resident John Mayer. The exhibit alone is worth the quick one-hour drive north. I’ve been known to hop a bus to Portland for the day just to wander about, and now there is a train there from Exeter. We forget that Portsmouth is as close as Manchester and Concord and Boston and, increasingly for my money, worth more frequent visits.

Portsmouth still has advantages. We’re statistically a couple of degrees warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. When it comes to dining out, for our size, this city can lick Portland any day. Ours is a more walkable destination and we’ll always be closer to Boston.

But the litmus test for me is still history. After years of trips to Portland, I still cannot get a handle on its past. I know it used to be called Falmouth, even after the Revolution. I know Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1830. That’s when it really started to grow big and healthy, just as Portsmouth was fading from view as an international seaport. But none of this is easily discovered. There is no central interpretation I could find, no history overview for the public other than summer tours.

While little Portsmouth has as many as 40 historic houses and destination points open to the public, Portland – from all I can tell – has scarcely half a dozen. There is the historical society, a high-Victorian mansion, the birthplace of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a restored federal mansion on the campus of the art museum. Portland has a fascinating African American history, like Portsmouth, but it is still largely invisible. Last weekend I wanted to see the city’s most historic cemetery that dates from 1668. Eastman Cemetery in the Monjoy Hill neighborhood was surrounded by a high wire fence, padlocked at every gate, thick with litter and hammered by vandals. I found an opening in the fence and snuck in. It was in sad shape, as it seems to me, is the city’s grip on its past.

So, for now, I’ll just visit. But I’m determined to learn more. I bought a couple of books about the history of Portland while we were there. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

Copyright © 2006 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved.