Portland Maine 101 (2014, high crime, neighborhood)

[treeluvr]

Maybe I was misremembering (or not even that good!) where I got the DVD from. Anyway Amazon carries it and this is the one--I liked it!

http://www.amazon.com/Experience-Por...8260051&sr=1-1

[msina]

Nice link!!

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Petertherock

I know the police are on Grant street a lot. I am not sure of the number but it might be 60 Grant Street. Coming from Burlington the crime will seem high but compared to other cities of it's size in other states it's fairly safe. Don't be fooled, Portland is getting worse but so is just about every other city too.

I rarely see cops on the 60 block, but the 100 block for sure. The cops come by at least three times a week, venture into the buildings that are known for drug dealing-but no one ever gets arrested-ever. I am not joking. I have been watching this same scene for four months now and I don't get it.

[genmomto5]

We've only been here since September and I am way tied down so my nightlife consists of arguing over another bedtime story or glass of water. And we are at the opposite end of the city so I don't know that neighborhood. But my brother is single and lives with us and he has no problem finding women to date.

[Petertherock]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

I rarely see cops on the 60 block, but the 100 block for sure. The cops come by at least three times a week, venture into the buildings that are known for drug dealing-but no one ever gets arrested-ever. I am not joking. I have been watching this same scene for four months now and I don't get it.

Ahh that sounds right. I wasn't sure of the numbers. There is some weird things that go on in Portland. The trouble is a lot of people call the police and don't want to be seen or file a complaint. So there is really nothing the police can do.

A funny story is where I used to live in western mass there was a house that had a marijuana plant right in the window in plain site for almost a year and this was right on a main drag. Then there was the time in the same city where a fire broke out in an apartment building I used to live in (owned by 2 city firefighters) and after the fire was put out the firefighters called the police in and they carried out several trays of marijuana plants.

I have my own stories of things I have found as a firefighter in the town where I live now. No actual plants but we did discover an obvious growing room. Of course without the plants there is nothing that can be done. Of course the homeowner would claim he was growing flowers.

[Skiptomylou]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

I rarely see cops on the 60 block, but the 100 block for sure. The cops come by at least three times a week, venture into the buildings that are known for drug dealing-but no one ever gets arrested-ever. I am not joking. I have been watching this same scene for four months now and I don't get it.

Thats good to know.

[Skiptomylou]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

You're practically going to be a neighbor. Something interesting always seems to happen in this neighborhood. There's a fair amount of drug dealing going on, but unless you make their business your business they will not bother you (physically). You will be right off of Congress, which is the main drag as far as nightlife is concerned. Some cool bars, cool people. Downtown Lounge is a cool place. Geno's is okay. Norm's is cool. Hot Suppa has the best (non-buffet style) brunch. Tell me more of what you want to know, and I can be more specific in my answers.

Ok awesome.

What do you mean by something interesting? Like crime?

Yeah ive heard Downtown Lounge is a cool place....Ill have to check out.

What are the atmospheres like in those bars?

Thanks by the way.

[Skiptomylou]

Originally Posted by treeluvr

Maybe I was misremembering (or not even that good!) where I got the DVD from. Anyway Amazon carries it and this is the one--I liked it!

http://www.amazon.com/Experience-Por...8260051&sr=1-1

I cant believe someone made a movie. Thats awesome

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Skiptomylou

Ok awesome.

What do you mean by something interesting? Like crime?

Yeah ive heard Downtown Lounge is a cool place....Ill have to check out.

What are the atmospheres like in those bars?

Thanks by the way.

Well, the only crime that I already mentioned. Like I said, though, if you don't get in there face about it, they will leave you alone. I have watched some people wander down the street at night checking for unlocked cars, though.

What I was really getting at is that the financially challenged seem to also be scocially challanged as well. Certain people sit on their stoops all day yelling back and forth with people across the street, or they will talk to someone up on a third floor porch by yelling-which will go on until sometimes four in the morning. Also, someone will get chased down the street, followed by more yelling of bodily harm of some sort. I am begining to think that all of this yelling must be an East Coast thing?

It's just a lively nieghborhood is what I am getting at. Despite all of the commotion, though, it still seems relatively safe from my big city eyes.

All of this noise has been turned down considerably since the onset of the cold, so it will probably remain quite until at least mid Spring, maybe.

Down Town Lounge is small, but cool. It is mostly a young persons bar with the average patron probably being under 30. The staff is really cool, you can talk to them about almost anything. It doesn't seem to be a locals bar, though, as most of the people I have talked to there are USM students (uh, they are not white hats), MCOA students and (non-offensive) hipsters.

Geno's is billed as the punk rock joint, but there is nothing really punk about it. It is basically a dive bar/venue that has shows a couple of times a week. They do the occasional metal show, but it mostly seems to be a haunt for MCOA kids and other hipsters. Could be a cool place if you are into the music.

The White Heart is the total hipster bar and is probably the closest thing in Portland to what you can find in Boston or New York. The more snobby MCOA students hang out here. This place has the best selection of top shelf booze in the city that I have seen.

Rosie's, in the Old Port is pretty cool. Even though it is in the Old Port it is a local's bar. They serve the best hamburger in town. This is so far my favorite bar.

Amigo's, also in the Old Port is probably the best place to go to meet the ladies. It is not a singles bar, though. This is the place that people who are not hipsters hang out at. It's another local bar for the young, Pabst drinking young crowd.

Bubba's Sulky Lounge is just down the street. This place is a complete dive and hard core drunks hang out here. But, it is the only place with a light up dance floor complete with disco ball and they have a bunch of Happy Days lunch boxes adorning the walls. Friday nights are 80's night, which brings out the non-winos (and the $5 cover keeps them out, too) so it is pretty cool.

[Petertherock]

OK the cops just got a call for 60 Grant st for a fight. I seem to remember them going to this address an awful lot. Maybe some kind of neighbor dispute? Then about 2 minutes later they got a call for someone threatening another person on the 100 block of Grant Street. Sounds like another neighborhood dispute. It just doesn't seem like a safe area but that's just based on scanner traffic.

I know the police come to the complex I live at a few times a month for domestics and what not but it's still a safe and good area to live at. So police calls to a certain area doesn't always make an area a bad area.