Can't find our Sears Registry?

So, For those of you that have not been so fortunate to easily maneuver your way into our Sears registry, here are some directions:

1. Go to www. Sears.com
2. click on the "Gift Registry"tab towards the top of the page
3. Then a window will pop up.
4. Click on "Go to registry" under the "Here to find someone's registry?" heading
5. Click on "Wedding Registry"
6. Click on "Find a registry". a window will drop down.  
7. You will have to hover over "wedding" and press "enter" to select the event type
8. Next enter Jodi and Carpenter and press enter. 
9. Then click on Jodi Carpenter and Benjamin Lambert. 

Munching and More: While you're in Portland

Portland is known for its high density of great restaurants. 

Here are a few of our favorites.

Breakfast:
Artemesia Cafe
Hot Suppah
Bintliff's
Excellent Breakfast, Huge Portions!
The Front Room
A favorite all around. Fairly priced
Becky's Diner
Bayou Kitchen

Coffee:
Coffee By Design
Arabica Coffee    
This is where Jodi and Ben had their first date
Bard Coffee


Dining:
Bucks Naked Bar-B-Q

Local Sprouts
Flat Bread Pizza
Otto's Pizza
Bonobo's Pizza

Silly's
Gilbert's Chowder House 
A favorite of the Lambert's
Public Market House
OHNO Cafe

Fine Dining:
555
Fore Street
Grace
Coolest Place in Portland to have a drink
Local 188
Sonny's
Bar Lola
The Front Room
The Grill Room
Hugo's


Mexican:
Zapoteca
Taco Escobar

Local Beer:
Sebago Brewing Company
Gritty's Brewing Company
J's Oyster Bar
Portland Lobster Co. *Steph Works There*
Novare Res Bier Cafe
Great Lost Bear
Dogfish Bar and Grille
Our old weekly watering hole

Thai:
Green Elephant 
Great Vegetarian and Vegan
Saeng Thai
Boda

Sushi:
Benkay
Sapporo
Yosaku

Myaki
King of the Roll

Fishing?

If you were thinking that you might like to fish while you are on Long Island, here are some things to consider:

Local Resources/ Reports:
Saco Bay Tackle Company Fishing Reports 

The Tackle Shop (India Street, Downtown Portland)
       -Fishing Report Blog

What do you want to fish for?
Striped Bass and Mackerel will be relatively close to shore. The Mackerel will be easy to catch and the Bass are harder to find, but there is a good chance to land a keeper.

a 22" Striper that Ben caught this summer. It was Delicious

Cooking up 3 delicious mackerel with nothing more than butter, salt and pepper

Know the regulations:

You need to register for fishing in the ocean if you don't already have a Maine freshwater fishing license.  out of state is $1 in state is $2 Click Here to register online. you can print out a copy of your registration.

Either click here for striped bass regulations, or just know that there are two slot limits: The smaller slot for legal length striped bass is between 20" and 26", and the larger slot limit is 40" and over. Only 1 fish can be kept /day /person

For Mackerel there is no size or quantity limit. We enjoy eating this fish but it is oily and only regarded highly by some. Fisherman frequently use mackerel as bait (either chunked or live lined)

What to use for Bait/Lures

Striped bass:  Soft paddle-tail shad, slug-go's, Yo-zuri stick baits, and big casting spoons are greatlure options.
                   For Bait: you can purchase mackerel, herring, sand worms, or blood worms. Clams can                     work as well
Mackerel: Diamond Jigs and mackerel trees used in conjunction work great for shore casting. a single diamond jig can work well too.

A fisherman pulling in four mackerel on a single "tree"

What to bring for gear: I would recommend bringing a spin-casting rod and reel that is about medium to heavy action. Even if you are planning on just fishing for mackerel, there is a chance that you could hook on to something bigger.  15 lb test is a good all around test for Casco Bay sport fish, but you could go as low as 8-10lb.

Where to fish: Mackerel are caught with pretty good regularity at the ferry terminal on long Island. Also, Jodi and I have had good luck fishing off of the rocks next to the beaches on the island.

This is the type of place to look for on the island. It will more than likely be holding fish

The striped bass will be hanging out along the rocks and the sand, and there are a few great areas to explore on the western side of the island.

what to bring

 

 For the week

Suntan lotion
Bug spray
Your fishing pole (see also Fishing?)
Bathing Suit & towel

FOOD!!!

Our Friends at Black Fox Farm in Montville, ME will be selling shares for fresh, local, organic veggies.  Their selections will be posted soon!

Whole Foods Market in Portland delivers daily FREE to the island via Casco Bay Lines, for frozen items there is a $5 deposit - you will be reimbursed when you return their freezer bags.

Hannafords in Portland delivers to the island on Tuesdays only.  You have to shop between 7-11:30am & check out on registers 17 or 18.  It's $2 per banana box.

Rosemont Market & Bakery in Portland and Yarmouth.  Their menu can be found here.  For same day delivery, place your order by 10am, and it will be on the island between 2-3pm.  It's a $10 fee to ship. For orders requiring insulated bags, there is a $5 refundable deposit.




 

What to bring to the wedding

A Sweater - it does get chilly at night
Your dancing shoes

Why Long Island, Maine?

Our connection to the island is through our friend Marly Larrabee.  She grew up on the island and encouraged us to go there to check it out for our wedding.  We headed out there for a day trip from Portland to meet her Mother and Step-dad, Barbara and David.  We both fell in love with it.  It was all the things that we love about the state of Maine; rustic, undeveloped, naturally beautiful.  Surrounded by mooring fields of boats and beautiful beaches.  We sat on a log on the beach overlooking Casco Bay and decided it felt right and that we wanted to be married there.

For more information about the island, click here 

Traveling info

Getting to Portland, Maine and more:

For those traveling "From Away", you have options.  Public transportation is reliable and efficient in New England and we strongly recommend using it because parking is expensive and bringing your car out to the island is not necessary and really, really expensive.

 

 

 

By Plane:

You can fly to Portland -  The Portland Jetport is highly recommended if you can find a reasonably priced flight.  The airport is 5 miles from the ferry that will take you to the island.  Click here to find out transportation from the airport to downtown Portland.

 

If you decide to fly into Boston,
How should you get to Portland?:

Take the bus - Concord Coachlines.  This is the cheapest and easiest option; it is not a Greyhound, it's fancy. They play old movies on the way. They ask that you are not on your cell phone (text is ok) make your travel plans before getting aboard. It will pick you up at Logan airport and bring you to South Station where you will purchase a ticket and then will bring you to the Train station in Portland.

Take the train - the DownEaster.  This will also bring you to the train station in Portland.

Rent a car - it's an easy (depends on traffic!) 2 hour drive into Portland.  But, then you have to worry about parking.


PARKING!!!

Downtown Portland .   Parkin' Map (it can be pricey!) (ranging between $5 and $31 a day)

Or you can park at the airport.  at $14 a day

You can also park at the Amtrak Station. at $4 a day.

On the street:You can park anywhere on the East End of the Portland peninsula, Munjoy Hill for free.  There is street cleaning on Monday or Tuesday mornings once a week.  Check the sign!  They will ticket or tow you during these times.

Getting to the Ferry:

The  Ferry is located on Portland's picturesque working waterfront at:
Casco Bay Lines
56 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04112

Taxi Services
ASAP Taxi

 

 

The Ferry schedule can be found here.

Once you get to the island and on the days of the event there will be a shuttle service running from the ferry to the VFW

 

 

Staying on long Island and Portland

If you're interested in staying on the island or in Portland, book a place as soon as possible!! 

We cannot stress it enough, Maine is Vacationland! Places fill up fast!

Our families are going to be staying on the island June 23-30.  Make sure the rental days go from Sunday-Sunday!
Every cottage on the island are individually owned and managed.  Check the calendar for availability   The rates for "off-peak season" should apply to the end of June.
http://www.vrbo.com/search/keywords:long%20island%20maine

A couple of places people could stay on the island include:

http://www.vrbo.com/292497 I've talked to this owner a few times, Joyce Hartwick.  This home is not waterfront, but it seems like it's a lot of bang for your buck. It sleeps 10 people and comes with a car.  For $800/week!  It rents Sunday to Sunday.

Christine's on the coast, a B & B on the island.  $50/day per person.  She has 2 bedrooms available.

Hotels in Downtown Portland

Staying in downtown Portland is really expensive ($210-340/night!), and there are no discounts for weddings. 

 Here are your choices; check availability - many are already booked

Hampton Inn on Fore St.  

Residence Inn  on Fore St.

Holiday Inn by the Bay on Spring St. runs from $210-220/night

Hilton Garden on Commercial St.

Regency on Milk St. $330/night

Portland Harbor Hotel on Fore St. $340/night

The Inn at St. John on St. John's St. $185/night (this is NOT walking distance to Casco Bay Lines!)

Hotels in Greater Portland

Embassy Suites $250/night

La Quinta $129/night

Other islands

Chebeague Island Inn $240-420/night

Peak's Island Treehouse This place is really rad. Minimum 2 nights stay - $135/night