To all of my fellow classmates and underclassmen:
Enjoy Maine!!!!
I hope that you can look back on your time in medical school with fond memories, as I know I will.
Remember to see everything you can while you are here. I know that the weather may not be great but Portland is a fantastic place.
For those of you who are coming next semester there are many places to ski.
There is an outdoor ice skating rink at one of the local recreation centers. I think the one in Yarmouth.
The nightlife is eclectic and artsy. Go to Matthew's- tell Mike and the bartenders, "Amy Jones the med student sent you in to say, 'hello'".
Go to Oasis, check out the life size beer pong, jenga, and connect four. They usually have great entertainment. Upstairs is a dance club with a Dj, and outside (in the summer) is live music.
Amigo's. They have pool (billiards) and real Mainers go there. It is the place where real men with beards hang out. Most of the women have tattoos and piercings. Just throw on some jeans and throw back a beer.
There are a multitude of other little pubs and clubs and bars. Most have their own feel and regulars. I enjoyed hanging out in the old port with buds after a long day of studying "a million and one diseases that will make you feel bad when you get old".
Have a PBR (Papst Blue Ribbon)- PBR is to Maine as Carib is to St. Kitts.
Go to Reggae fest after breakfast. Reggae fest is on Peaks island in the summer on sundays. It is awesome! Trust me. You will love it.
Try to spend less time at the Maine Mall than I did.
Macaroni Grille has half priced bottles of wine on Thursdays.
If you get the chance to eat at Four Street - the restaurant- it is the best food you will eat in your life.
Also, check out East End cupcakes and Duckfat.
There is an Imax 3D theater less than 30 minutes from portland.
There is also a water park if you are here in the summer.
Get a tour-guide book of maine and it's attractions. There are tons of lighthouses and some pretty spectacular sights to see up the coast, if the weather is nice enough. Great photo ops.
There is a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hannafords, and Shaw's for groceries. Most of the time you can find a Hannafords and Shaws. The Hannafords is located across the street from where you have class. That was a no brainer for me.
Transportation by bus is possible but would be a pain. Bring a car or rent from Hertz. Some have found pretty good deals if you buy your plane ticket through something like priceline.com they usually have a rental car deal.
Some people live in Old Orchard and I think they love it. I prefer to be closer to the city and classes.
I think this about sums up what I can think of right now. I hope that I haven't created a post like this one before. In preparation for my board exam, I have returned to Maine, and I was reminded of all of the great places I went when I was here before. Studying this time is different and I haven't even been to one of the places I mentioned. With my estimated test date at the end of December, I really have put off all things for another time. I have one more blogpost to write and then I probably won't write for a while. I hope you will join me again, when I post about my first USMLE board exam experience.
Thanks for continuing to read my blog. I wish each of you all the best.
Until next time,
Amy
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