Welcome to Portland, Maine!

The best friendly rivalry in the Eastern League has to be when the Portland Sea Dogs play the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.  Last week, the Fisher Cats hosted the Sea Dogs, and I write an article for fans from Portland who are coming to Manchester.  This weekend, the Sea Dogs will be hosting the Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field, and no doubt many Fisher Cats fans will make the weekend trip.  So here are some tips for the first-time visitors to help make your trip a more enjoyable one.

Directions and Parking -  Pretty much all you need to know is on this page from the Sea Dogs website.  Don’t try to avoid paying for parking by parking on the street…you WILL get towed.  Valley Street used to be a common place to park for games, but now, this is no longer allowed.

Also, DO NOT park in the Inn at St. John parking lot, unless you happen to be staying at the hotel.  As a frequent guest at this hotel, I can tell you that they make each guest provide the license plate numbers of their cars upon check in.  I can also tell you that they have a closed circuit TV at the front desk, which points out to the parking lot.  They DO go out and check license plates against the guest list, especially on game days.  If they see any unauthorized, non-guest-owned vehicles on the property, they WILL have them towed.

Several area businesses offer inexpensive parking, including Lang’s Express, the Chinese place next to the Inn at St. John.  The fee is five dollars.  An employee will be out there collecting money and giving tickets to stick in the windshield so they know you paid.  Just don’t park along the back wall of Lang’s parking lot, those spaces are being rented by the Inn at St. John as overflow parking for hotel guests.

Hopefully, our trip up there this weekend will still be on, and if so, we will be staying at the Inn at St. John.  If we show up and find that we can’t get a space in their lot due to game-goers illegally parking there, before hotel management had the chance to have them towed, I shall rip the spoiler off the back of my car and beat the offending parties with it.

At the Ballpark – Hadlock Field has NO roof.  So, before you head out, make sure you have some sort of protective sun gear, such as hats and/or sunscreen.  I don’t know if they sell sunscreen at the ballpark, as I’ve never looked for it.  So be safe and bring your own, it is probably cheaper, anyway.

Hadlock Field has a variety of concessions, and the Sea Dogs have provided a handy-dandy map, which you can find right HERE.  This is a .pdf file, you’ll need Adobe Reader in order to see it.  All concessions are located under the seating area, as you’ll see as you enter the ballpark.

That map may be a little outdated.  The microbrew stand is now located in the Portland Room, along the first base line.  The grill stand is still outside, just follow the BBQ smell and smoke, you can’t miss it.  However, there is now a Shipyard “beer & brats” grill stand at the other end of the concourse, down the third base line.  I think it has Italian sausages, too, not sure about burgers and such.  We sualy sit on the first base side, closer to the microbrews and regular grill stand.  I’ve also noticed that they no longer have Sam Adams beer, despite the map saying so.

A word about seating.  Not all seating at Hadlock is reserved.  The blue seats with backs, the green seats, and the seats in the U.S. Cellular Pavilion are reserved.  The blue benches at the top of the seating area, as well as the bleachers in left field are General Admission.

I cannot emphasize this enough – GENERAL ADMISSION DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN SIT IN ANY SEAT IN THE ENTIRE BALLPARK.  ONLY IN THE AREAS THAT ARE DESIGNATED AS GENERAL ADMISSION ARE YOU ALLOWED TO SIT IF YOU HOLD GA TICKETS.

If you want reserved seats, you have to pay more for them.  They are better seats, that is why they cost more.  And they also sell out first, so if you can’t get any for this weekend, too bad.  We got kickassed seats for the weekend because we bought them back in November 2008, when they first went on sale for the 2009 season.

So don’t let me catch you and your cheap seat tickets in our seats.  We WILL kick you out of them, we’ve done it enough times before.  And no, we will NOT swap seats with you so you can be on the aisle.  We have medical needs for aisle seats, and as such, we plan ahead to be sure we get them.  Got it?

Dining In Portland -  Here is a list of restaurants I have personally been to and enjoyed.

• Dogfish Cafe – This is near the ballpark.  Best to get there early before a night game, as it gets mobbed later.
• Margarita’s – Chain Mexican place that is pretty good.  Check the website, the St. John Street location is an easy walk to and from the ballpark.
• Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub – Three locations, the best one is the location in the Old Port.  An easy bus ride, cab ride or drive from Hadlock.  Just be warned if you drive, parking can be pricey and hard to find during tourist season.  Features their own craft-brewed beers and yummie pub-grub.
• Sebago Brewing Company – Another place that features its own microbrews, but it’s a bit more upscale than Gritty’s.  Old Port location is on Middle Street.
• Fore Street – If you have an evening free during yor trip, perhaps after a day game, and are willing to spend some cash, consider Fore Street.  Sadly, we won’t be able to go this time, since we have two night games, and have to go home after the Sunday day game…but maybe next time.  This place features locally grown, organic foods whenever possible, and the menu changes daily, depending what looks good that day.  I must warn you that this restaurant is NOT child-friendly, they have no kids menu, so you may want to skip it if you are in town with the kids in tow.  It is pricier than other restuarants in towm, but oh, is it ever worth it!

Other Things To Do – If you’re going to night games, and you have the whole day free, just go to the Old Port and walk around.  There are lighthouse cruises, a tourist trolley, shopping, and much more.  The best thing I can suggest is to walk into any establishment and pick up a FREE tourist map.  Your hotel probably has these in the lobby, as well.

Lodgings – For Sea Dogs games, the best place to stay is the aforementioned Inn at St. John.  They actually do have a few rooms left for this weekend.  As a guest, you can leave your car in their parking lot all weekend, walk to the ballpark, and take the bus or cabs into the downtown/Old Port areas.  This is the only place we will stay when we are there.

Transportation – Before you leave home, visit the Greater Portland Metro website and print out the schedules.  I’ve found it hard to find them on the actual buses.  Having them on hand in advance will save you a lot of aggravation.  The buses are clean, the drivers are usually courteous, and not too many skeevy people around.  Fares are $1.25 for adults.

The only bad thing about the buses is that they stop kind of early, so if you stay out past 7-8PM, you will need to take a cab back to your hotel.  Here are two cab companies that I’ve used and can recommend.  The drivers are courteous and they don’t try to rip you off.

• ABC Taxi – (207) 772-8685
• ASAP Taxi – (207) 791-2727

Write these numbers down before you go, and tuck them into your wallet along with the bus schedules.

Well, that’s it for the moment!  If you have any further questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.  Hope to see you in Portland this weekend!