A couple of weeks ago I was met with an overwhelming feeling to get out of the city. It hits me from time to time, and sometimes there's no shaking it til you get out of town. So I booked a room at the Pomegranate Inn and Khatu and I boarded the Amtrak Downeaster to Portland, Maine for a besties weekend. 

The ride up was smooth sailing. We boarded the Downeaster at North Station and arrived in Portland, Maine just a couple of hours later. We chatted and colored in my adult coloring book on the way up and replied to email with the complimentary on-board wifi, but the option to ride in the quiet car and catch some Zzzzs is always there! I grew up in Texas where passengers don't really travel as much via train so every time I get to ride with Amtrak I enjoy the opportunity. 

We were greeted at The Pom by owners Erin & Landon who were amazing hosts throughout our trip. The Pomegranate is an adorable eight room inn in Portland's Western Historic district. It's artfully decorated with original works of art, funky decor, unique patterns, and stunning interior styling. We really did nothing but hang out in our adorable room and eat the entire time, but it was an ideal escape. 


For lunch we ventured to Pai Men Miyake at the recommendation of Landon where we enjoyed hot bowls of ramen and pork buns. After lunch we snuggled up in our room and played the Baby Boomer edition of Trivial Pursuit. I loved that The Pomegranate had old board games and books for a little old school entertainment. While amenities like wifi are key, it's fun touches like these that really stand out to me when traveling. 


For dinner we visited the much talked about Central Provisions. I have to admit, I had really high expectations for this place and while the chefs and kitchen staff were bearded and adorable, the food didn't quite live up to the hype. The salads were phenomenal; we ordered the Winter Citrus Salad and the Beet Salad. The seasonings in the Winter Citrus Salad were unexpected and flavorful but the CP Frites seemed to be the bottom of the batch with short pieces of potato rather than actual frites and the monkfish was a little past it's prime, but it was an enjoyable meal nonetheless. We had a great spot at the bar and watched various plates come out of the kitchen. Their plating is absolutely beautiful, I'll give them that.


We woke up to several inches of snow the next day. That's Maine for ya! Breakfast certainly made up for the snowy morning though, The Pomegranate Inn served what has been by far the most enjoyable hotel breakfast I've ever had. Inspired by The Art of Breakfast cookbook they served up Pesto quinoa with soft boiled eggs, lemon waffles, broiled grapefruit, a delicious assortment of pastries, and of course, ample juice, tea, and coffee. I'd go back for the breakfast and board games alone!