Visiting Rochester/Portsmouth tomorrow (Dover, Keene: apartment, rental, home)

[NXC9900]

My bf and i are visiting the rochester/portsmouth area tomorrow...

have a few business things to take care of we have the entire afternoon/evening to do whatever...

we're driving in from my apt in keene

any must do's? good places to eat? what should we check out

any help is appreciated

[rmcewan]

Jumpin Jay's Fish Cafe is excellent for dinner. Probably best to make a reservation early.

[NH2008]

Drive down the coast through New Castle all the way to Rye. Spectacular.

[dubthang]

Hit up La Festa in Dover for excellent pizza, the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth for good food w/ crappy service, and Scorpion's bar in Durham (just because my buddies own it.)

Take a stroll through Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth, visit the outlet stores in Kittery, drive Rt. 1A on the coast, do some 'spirited' driving on the back roads between Rt. 125 and Newmarket, visit UNH, grab a coffee at Breaking New Grounds in Durham or Portsmouth, visit the Fox Run mall, walk the pedistrian bridge over Little Bay...

There's tons to do. Hope this helps, and that you get this before you leave.

[NXC9900]

wow didn't get all that before we left but i will remember it as we will be going back/moving to the area over the coming months

we did the friendly toast and it was nifty then just sorta walked around portsmouth to get a "feel" for it and its vibe... very nice place

[dubthang]

Good luck with moving out there. Having grown up in Keene, and then living on the seacoast, I think you'll really enjoy it. The mission burrito with home fries is great at The Friendly Toast. Wash it all down with a PBR, and you can't go wrong.

[NXC9900]

i'm actually pretty excited to move out there... i've gone from buffalo, ny to keene and to me... it's OK but i wish there were just MORE around here! i don't need a boston-sized city... i miss being able to say hmm it's 10pm on a friday night... lets go out to eat and having some GOOD restuarants still open. OR better yet... it's 10pm and we're bored lets go walk around walmart... oh wait there's no 24 hr wal mart! haha i actually had to PROVE to my bf/fiance/whatever... that the walmart was closed! he thought all walmarts were 24/7 and it was some sort of rule!
so portsmouth seems to be the good compromise... now I've just got to start researching areas to live... b/c of where his job will be living in portsmouth seems out, we'll need to be north more towards rochester... and I'm going to be doing my internship next year *and every year for the next few yrs* and would rather not have to commute over an hour to whereever i get accepted (lots of spots in the concord-area) so i'm looking at dover as a possibilty

so here's the coming attractions: Coming soon to a forum near you: the help me figure out where to move thread!

but if anyone reads this now and has a brilliant suggestion i wouldn't say no

[Ken E]

Check out Barrington, Nottingham, Madbury. Those are all real nice towns.

[Valerie C]

NXC, I really think the seacoast areas of Dover, or Barrington will suit you. Like you said, a place where you can go out after 10 pm would be good, and let's face it, the western part of the state (Keene, etc) is meant for a bit slower pace of life... If you're looking for a rental/apartment, you'll have better luck in Dover/Newington area, plus lots of good restaurants, nightlife, etc is nearby.

[NXC9900]

we'll be look at a rental for the 1st 1-2yrs and hopefully be purchasing once we've learned more about the area. it depends on how we're looking financially and how business is... which hopefully will be looking up but as I've learned in the past few months, isn't a guarantee anymore

thanks for the suggestions, i'll def. be checking out dover and will include barrington, madbury, and nottingham too! the last three i know nothing about so I'll have to start doing my research!