CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : Beer barrels and assorted ephemera at the Portsmouth Historical Society ’ s museum ; breakfast at the Friendly Toast ; the cinnamon rainbows toastie at the Green Room ; a scene at dusk in downtown Portsmouth ; a historic Portsmouth street view ; live costumed interaction at the Strawbery Banke
Museum ; the Portsmouth waterfront ; the African
Burying Ground Memorial . since the 1700s and is still bustling today , full of pedestrians , open storefronts and Colonial architecture . We laugh at the sassy and local offerings at Off Piste ( insta gram . com / offpiste _ portsmouthnh ) and browse through adorable handmade stationery at Gus & Ruby Letterpress ( gusandruby . com ) before settling in for an early dinner at Cheese Louise ( eatcheeselouise . com ). I go with the Vermonter , a grilled cheese with Cabot cheddar and muenster on sourdough ( I can never resist sourdough !) and my boyfriend devours the Godmother , fresh mozzarella , tomatoes , pesto and balsamic glaze on Tuscan bread , both with a side of tomato soup . We head back to the hotel , full and happy , to ready for another busy day in this lovely and supremely walkable city .
WEDNESDAY MORNING : We fuel up at the hotel with some complimentary yogurt , fruit and other assorted carbs and head to the Portsmouth Historical Society for a ninety-minute walking tour ( portsmouthhistory . org ) with our excellent guide , Elizabeth . We learn that the city was once the nation ’ s busiest seaport and discover its close ties to the military , thanks to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Pease Air Force Base , now an Air National Guard base .
As with most Colonial coastal cities of its time , Portsmouth had a vested interest in the slave trade . In 2015 , the Portsmouth African Burying Ground and Memorial Park was unveiled on the site of an eighteenth century gravesite containing enslaved and freed people . We walk by the stirring memorial structure , with an enslaved man on one side and a figure of Mother Africa behind him , each reaching back toward the other with outstretched hands . We also learn the city is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year , with signature events like a parade , a Little Italy Carnival , oral histories , sculpture and more .
We end our tour back at the Historical Society ’ s headquarters and peek into the two-level museum . It ’ s filled with historical treasures and trinkets and remnants from old stores and restaurants .
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON : By now , we ’ re starving again ( are you sensing a theme ?) and walk over to the Goods ( thegoodsnh . com ), a half-cafe , half-local gift shop , browsing through the local honey and candles before dining al fresco on our vegetable quinoa bowl ( mine ) and chicken Caesar wrap ( Kurt ’ s ). Afterward , we embark on a search for a local gift for Kurt ’ s catsitter , who happens to be vegan . We find the perfect gift — and perhaps the finest chocolate I ’ ve ever sampled — at local chocolatier Byrne & Carlson ( byrneandcarlson . com ), where we oooh and aahhh over the luscious fruit jellies , decadent truffles and palets des fleurs , discs of Belgian dark chocolate topped with candied violets , cranberries and can- | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 157
NUTS & BOLTS
Travel Time : Two hours from Providence .
Miles : 110 miles . How to Get There : I-95 North .
Best Season to Go : Spring and summer are peak tourist times , but fall in this historic city would be beautiful , too .
Bucket List for Next Time : A bike tour with the friendly folks at PortCity Bike Tours and a fresh seafood dinner at River House , a historic restaurant in Old Harbor with stunning river views .
Worth a Detour : The Museum of Printing in Haverhill , Massachusetts , a wonderland of printing presses , typesetters , fonts , typewriters , mimeographs ( remember those ?) and books .
St . Johns ’ s Church steeple in Portsmouth . ABOVE : Antique wood type letters at the Museum of Printing .
PHOTOGRAPHY , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : DANA LAVERTY ( MUSEUM , FRIENDLY TOAST , GREEN ROOM ); GETTY IMAGES / DENNIS TANGNEY JR .; GETTY IMAGES / KLIKK ; GETTY IMAGES / KEN WIEDEMANN ; COURTESY OF STRAWBERY BANKE MUSEUM ; GETTY IMAGES / SEAN PAVONE PHOTO ; DANA LAVERTY .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2023 53